NBA regular season continues to play, the Lakers lost 97-118 to the Mavericks on the road, suffering a two-game losing streak. In this game, the Lakers started off well, but they still did not perform well in rebounding and defense was not strong enough. In the first quarter, the Lakers only led the Mavericks by 3 points with a score of 27-24. In the second quarter, the Lakers took the lead first, constantly launching counterattacks and once leading by 6 points. However, in the last 2 minutes of the half, the Lakers' power went out, allowing the Mavericks to hit three-pointers continuously, resulting in an 11-0 run, leaving the Lakers trailing at halftime. In the third quarter, the Lakers' zone defense collapsed again, with the Mavericks raining down threes, leading by as much as 15 points at times. Although the Lakers made a comeback in the fourth quarter, they could not stop the Mavericks, ultimately suffering a surprising defeat to the Mavericks without Doncic, Irving, and Gafford. After the loss, the Lakers' record stands at 20 wins and 16 losses. So where exactly did they lose in this game? Perhaps the data can give us some answers.
James, shooting 12 for 6, 4 for 1 from three-point range, and 6 for 5 from the free-throw line, scored 18 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers. James played well overall today, but his offense lacked aggression, and he wasn't particularly eager to attack with the ball. Perhaps the absence of Irving and Doncic affected James' mentality. Moreover, in the final moments of the third quarter, James chose to pass to his teammate instead of taking the shot at the buzzer, which was completely incomprehensible. As the team leader, James sometimes needs to take responsibility, and it's clear that he didn't do enough.
Davis, shooting 18 for 7, 2 for 0 from three-point range, and 9 for 7 from the free-throw line, scored 21 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 turnovers. Davis has nothing to say in terms of data, still performing well on both offense and defense. However, from the perspective of the game, Davis' offense seemed a bit soft and weak, especially against the Mavericks' small lineup. Davis hesitated to attack when he had the ball, often choosing mid-range shots or layups with low accuracy. Against the Mavericks' weakened lineup, Davis, as an interior player, only managed to produce such efficiency, which is clearly not enough.
Hachimura, shooting 5 for 3, 2 for 0 from three-point range, scored 6 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 turnover. His performance can only be described as average, lacking opportunities on offense, and his footwork on defense couldn't keep up, resulting in an overall low efficiency on the court. Redick should consider replacing him in the starting lineup, moving Hachimura to the bench and solidifying DFS in the starting lineup.
Reeves, shooting 14 for 5, 11 for 4 from three-point range, and 2 for 1 from the free-throw line, scored 15 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, and 1 turnover. Reeves remained efficient in terms of data today, seemingly performing well on both offense and defense. However, his defensive influence was actually quite limited. The Mavericks' strategy was to single out any player matched up against Reeves, and they would confidently take the shot. When Reeves rotated to defend against the opponent's three-point shooters, his influence was also minimal. Defensive issues are a flaw that Reeves cannot change.
Christie, shooting 9 for 5, 4 for 1 from three-point range, and 1 for 1 from the free-throw line, contributed 12 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, and 2 turnovers. Christie's performance remained stable today, with sufficient defensive intensity and making contributions on offense. The Lakers have too many vulnerabilities on the perimeter, and Christie alone cannot cover them all. Losing the game is not his fault.
Among the substitutes, Finney-Smith, shooting 4 for 3, 4 for 3 from three-point range, and 2 for 2 from the free-throw line, scored 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 turnover. He was excellent on both offense and defense, being the only player on the Lakers with a positive plus-minus value (+3). After playing for 50 seconds in the second half of the previous game, everyone thought DFS would start, but Redick still did not include him in the starting lineup, which is honestly a waste of resources.
The remaining substitutes, Vincent, shooting 4 for 0, 3 for 0 from three-point range, only managed to get 1 rebound and 2 assists after his return, showing poor form. Knecht, shooting 8 for 5, 5 for 2 from three-point range, and 2 for 1 from the free-throw line, scored 13 points, 1 block, and 1 turnover, capable on offense but lacking defensive intensity. Hayes only scored 1 point, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks, with seemingly comprehensive statistics but actually having little impact.