LOS ANGELES – In summing up a wild and tense game at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night, guard
Tim Hardaway Jr. said as the game went on and on and on, he knew one key ingredient that would work in favor of the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavs had Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles did not.
That prospect totally worked to perfection as Doncic produced yet another triple-double and made a ton of crucial shots in helping the Mavs get out of town with a hard-fought 119-115 double-overtime triumph over the Lakers. It was a much-needed win for the Mavs, who are 1-2 on this five-game trip and 24-19 overall going into Saturday’s visit to Portland.
On this night the Mavs blew a 19-point first-half lead and were down to their very last breath. But, Doncic breathed new life into the Mavs when he buried a cold-blooded three-pointer with just six seconds remaining in regulation play that sent the game into overtime tied at 101.
“We knew (the Lakers) were going to make a run,” Hardaway said. “A lot of the guys that made threes for them shoot low percentages from the three-point line. But they knocked them down, they were confident and they kind of got those guys going and got them back in the picture and they took the lead.
“But we knew we weren’t out of it. Any time you’ve got 77 (Doncic) on the floor, it’s a chance and you’ve got a great chance to win the ballgame. He did an excellent job.”
The Lakers can certainly attest to that.
Russell Westbrook nailed a pair of free throws to give the Lakers a 101-98 edge with 11.8 seconds left in regulation play. Then came the pivotal shot from downtown by Doncic.
“I was just getting into my stuff — that’s it,” Doncic said. “I was aware we needed a three, so I was going to shoot a three.”
Those were the only points Doncic scored in a fourth quarter that saw him rack up five assists, because the Lakers were doubling him whenever he had the ball. But with a three-point lead and everyone in the building knowing who was going to take the final shot, for some odd reason the Lakers didn’t double Doncic on the shot that sent the game into overtime.
“Yeah, I was a little bit surprised,” Doncic said. “I don’t know why they didn’t.”
Doncic finished with 35 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists in registering his 10th triple-double of the season. That puts him one shy of the league leader – Denver’s Nikola Jokic.
However, Doncic wasn’t finished. With the Lakers again up by three points, Don
cic fired in another gut-check game-tying three-pointer with 48.7 seconds remaining in overtime that sent the contest into a second overtime.
“He’s a big shot maker,” said Christian Wood, who delivered 24 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and five blocked shots. “He’s been doing that since he got in the league, and we trust him to make those big shots and he really carried us tonight and helped us fight and get this win.”
Doncic played 53 minutes, including nearly the entire second half and both overtime sessions. It was indeed an impressive performance during a game which was televised nationally on TNT.
“(Doncic) was incredible,” coach Jason Kidd said. “He was Luka. When you look at just playing the game in front of you and to be able to accept the double-team and trust your teammates, he’s done his part. He’s gotten two (defenders) on the ball and now it’s up to his teammates to read the situation, be able to knock down open shots or to re-drive.
“We got some great looks that just didn’t go down, but he made the right plays. To play that many minutes and to only have five turnovers and have the ball 98 percent of the time is big.”
Also big was the restraint and discipline Doncic showed after Westbrook intentionally applied a hard shoulder into the Mavs’ point guard’s body on a play not far from the Mavs’ bench. Kidd instantly ran over and grabbed Doncic, thus preventing him from confronting Westbrook, who was assessed a Flagrant Foul Penalty 1.
“I didn’t do anything,” Kidd said. “I don’t think Luka felt me. I think he walked away on his own power. LD is a big boy.”
Asked what happened on the play, Doncic said: “You could see what happened. Nothing specifically.”
Kidd said: “It was a tough play. Russ was being aggressive and just understanding the physicality that Luka goes through every game. But he’s understanding that he’s going to have to take that physicality because teams are just going to look to beat him up.”
The Mavs beat up the Lakers in the first half when they built a 36-17 lead late in the first quarter following a three-pointer and a three-point play by Hardaway, a three-pointer by Spencer Dinwiddie, another three-pointer from Hardaway, a three-pointer by Wood, a three-point play by rookie Jaden Hardy and a triple from Doncic.
That opening salvo from the Mavs set a definite tone, but the Lakers fought back and had ultimately momentum on their side thanks to LeBron James (24 points, 16 rebounds, nine assists, 9-of-28 field goals, 47 minutes) and Westbrook (28 points). That is until Doncic decided otherwise.
“(It was a) hard-fought win on the road,” Kidd said. “Normally these games have gotten away from us, but tonight we stepped up. With the double-team and getting guys open shots, (Doncic) was doing everything.
“Again, we just didn’t shoot the ball well. We didn’t make timely shots there. Give the Lakers credit – they played hard. They took advantage of some of our mistakes on the defensive end. But tonight again, coming down we executed late and found a way to win.”
The Mavs also found a way to
win because Wood was blocking nearly everything at the rim. He even blocked a shot, turned his ankle, stayed in the game, and blocked James at the rim just before the overtime session expired.
“I rolled my ankle,” said Wood, who played 47 minutes. “I had to play through it. My team trusted me to play through it. I came up big at the end and got a nice little block.”
Hardaway also came up big as he finished with 22 points and eight rebounds in 48 minutes, while Dinwiddie played 51 minutes and finished with 17 points, including a gravity-defying dunk in the overtime and double-overtime sessions.
In the end, the Mavs showed some resiliency when the game looked like it was about to get away from them. Then again, the Mavs had Doncic, and the Lakers did not, and that proved to be the recipe for success.
“Down three both times,” Hardaway said, describing the critical triples from Doncic. “Key buckets. That’s what we do. That’s what he does, so we just wanted to try to do our best.
“We knew Russ was battling (Doncic) the whole entire time. I know I had a couple of wide open looks that hit the back iron and could have ended it earlier. But like I said, if (Doncic is) in the game, then we have a great chance.”
Afterwards, Doncic said he was “tired. I’ve to go to bed.”
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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