The Mavericks can’t help it that LeBron James didn’t play against them Tuesday night.
It probably disappointed some fans – and there were lots of Los Angeles Lakers’ jerseys in the crowd – and it certainly wasn’t good news for TNT on their national telecast.
But the Mavericks didn’t care. They did what they needed to do as the regular season rolls through its final days, spanking the Lakers 128-110.
“I thought the guys were focused, understanding who was playing for them and who wasn’t,” coach Jason Kidd said. “They executed the game plan and got a good win – they’re all good this time of year.”
That last sentence is especially meaningful.
The Mavericks won’t ever make up for those dreadful losses back in the season’s early days against teams like Washington and New Orleans. But checking off victories at this time of the year is a great sign.
Especially when one of their prime competitors, the Utah Jazz, cough up a 24-point second-half lead and lose 121-115 to the Los Angeles Clippers late Tuesday night.
That pushed the Mavericks two games up on the Jazz in the hunt for one of the top four seeds in the Western Conference and home court for at least one round in the playoffs.
So here’s a quick look at our prime takeaways from the Mavericks’ easy win over the LeBron-less Lakers.
CAN’T TELL MUCH: It was a great win. All of them are at this time of year, as Kidd said. But it would be wise not to take too much from it given that the Lakers were without their two best players, one of whom is arguably the best player in basketball history. Just put it in the bank and move along.
LUKA, LUKA, LUKA: No matter how you slice it, Luka Dončić had a monstrous game and continues to make a late-season charge up the MVP ladder. After piling up 34 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists against the Lakers, the point guard is averaging 30.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists since mid-January. He’s also shot 37.7 percent from 3-point range. Not surprisingly, the Mavericks have been hard to beat in that stretch (25-10). It was Luka’s 10th triple-double of the season, the 46th of his career and tied him with Wilt Chamberlain for fifth place on the list of most 30-point triple-doubles with 21.
SHOOTING EYE RETURNS? These things come and go, but for the third game in a row, the Mavericks were very sharp from 3-point land. They hit 20-of-46 3-pointers (43.5 percent) against the Lakers. It followed a 50-percent shooting game from distance on Sunday against Utah. Before that, the Mavericks had shot subpar from 3-point range in three consecutive games, including two of them under 25 percent. But with the playoffs fast approaching, it’s always good to have positive vibes about a team’s collective shooting eye. And to see Davis Bertans can four of five from 3-point range is a great sign.
HOME SWEET HOME: As the Mavericks start their final trip of the season, a four-gamer that opens Wednesday night in Cleveland on a tough second night of back-to-back games, they can be happy with the way they have improved at home this season. They are 27-12 and two more wins in Games 81 and 82 of the season would tie them for the best home record since the 2010-11 title season, when they were 29-12 at AAC. The crowds will get more amped up now that the playoffs are almost here. It’s up to the Mavericks to take advantage of those immaculate vibes.
Twitter: @ESefko
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