Lakers trounced by star-less Mavericks

DALLAS — The Lakers' struggles on the road continue in a lackluster loss to the Dallas Mavericks, who were without all-stars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, falling 118-97 on Tuesday.

The 21-point defeat is the Lakers 11th loss (8-11 total) on the road this season, dropping them to sixth in the Western Conference at 20-16. The Mavericks, who were coming off a five-game losing streak, moved ahead of L.A. in the standings into fifth with a 21-16 record.

“In terms of energy, it felt like we played tired tonight. They were the tougher team and dictated the game to us,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said.

Here are some takeaways from the Lakers loss in Dallas:

Mavericks 3-Point Barrage 

LeBron James got things started in Dallas, oohing and aahing the American Airlines Center crowd with one of the biggest dunks this season. Cutting straight down the lane, James received a timely pass for a roaring left-handed tomahawk dunk on Mavs Dereck Lively II.

James finished with 18 points on 50% shooting with 10 rebounds and eight assists.

The Lakers had a solid start to open the game, outscoring Dallas 27-24 in the first quarter until midway through a back-and-forth second quarter. 

With L.A. up 50-44 with three minutes left in the first half, Mavs Klay Thompson did what he’s done all his career, hitting timely 3’s when needed. Thompson hit three straight 3-pointers, pushing Dallas’ momentum to a 55-50 halftime lead.

The Mavericks, who had made eight 3’s at the half, would go on to hit 10 more in the second half behind six 3-pointers from Quentin Grimes, who finished with a game-high 23 points off the bench.

"[We were] not very good offensively. We didn't shoot the ball well, missed a lot of shots at the rim, and they countered that," James said.

Dallas finished 47.4 percent, 18-for-38, from 3-point range compared to the Lakers hitting 31 percent from deep on 11-for-35 and 45 percent overall. 

Grimes was a big part of the Mavericks, scoring 50 points from their bench. The most by any team against the Lakers this season.

Second Chances and Rebounding Hurt Again

For the second straight road game, the Lakers were outworked on the boards and outmatched athletically, surrendering double-digit second-chance points and offensive rebounds.

The Mavericks' efforts, which were noticeably higher than the Lakers, on the glass led to 11 offensive rebounds that turned into 15 second-chance points for Dallas.

Another area of discrepancy was the points in the paint, which is usually the area where the Lakers generate their points and hurt teams. The Mavs finished with 52 points in the paint, most of which came off of second-chance points, to the Lakers 40.

The loss highlighted how much the Lakers have struggled with their frontcourt depth behind big man Anthony Davis as they’ve struggled to gain ground on the glass when he’s on the bench.

Davis, who missed multiple easy looks at the rim, finished 38.8 percent, seven-for-18, from the floor with a team-high 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Jarred Vanderbilt Update

Before the game, the Lakers gave an update on Jarred Vanderbilt. The 25-year-old forward, who has yet to suit up this season due to injury, has made meaningful strides in his return-to-play progression and has advanced to full-court activities.

Vanderbilt will be re-evaluated in one week. A sign that his return is on the horizon.

His return to the lineup, and more importantly defense, will be a needed boost for a Lakers team that would instantly benefit from his his strengths: athleticism and rebounding.

Next Game

The Lakers will head home, as their next eight games, in 13 days, will be in Los Angeles. The first home matchup will be on Thursday against the Charlotte Hornets, who sit in the bottom three in the Eastern Conference with eight wins.

The Hornets snapped a 10-game losing streak in their Tuesday win over the Phoenix Suns behind a 32-point game from Chino Hills native LaMelo Ball.