The Lakers took on the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA Summer League Bracket Play. After trailing by as many as 15, the Lakers stormed back but came up just short 88-86.
Here’s our instant recap:
First Quarter
The Lakers fell behind 7-2 early in the game before the offense got rolling. Randle started the game going 4-4 with 10 points, keeping the Lakers within striking distance. Russell had another rough game, struggling to find his shot, however he controlled his turnovers in the first half. While the Lakers offense was finally hitting its stride, its defense was lagging behind. The Mavericks hit 12 of their 19 shots in the first quarter en route to a 30-20 first quarter lead.
Second Quarter
The Lakers came out with a 5-0 run to start the second quarter behind some strong play from Randle. However, the Lakers offense went cold as the team finished just 2-11 from three point range. It seemed that the Mavericks were going to blow the game open but a timely three pointer and jumper from Jabari cut the Mavs lead to just 12 entering the half, 50-38.
Third Quarter
Behind a couple nice finishes at the rim by Clarkson, the Lakers cut the Mavs lead to single digits early in the second half. The Mavs pushed their lead back to 12 points before the Lakers responded with an 8-0 run. Randle was unstoppable in the third quarter, getting to the rim with ease. While the Lakers only had four turnovers in the first half, the team fell back to bad habits, turning the ball over 6 times. A Munford three gave the Lakers their first lead of the game at the 2:01 mark of the third quarter, 63-61. The Mavs responded with a 7-0 run to end the quarter, taking a 68-63 lead into the 4th quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Behind some great team basketball, highlighted by a beautiful Russell bounce pass to Black for a dunk, the Lakers fought back to within two points. Russell settled into his game and got the offense rolling beautifully. An and-one from Brown tied the game at 76 with six minutes to play. Back to back three-pointers the Mavs a four point lead with just three minutes to play. The Lakers had a couple chances to take the lead back but Clarkson and Russell both missed on open three-point opportunities. Minutes later, Black had a chance to tie the game but had his dunk blocked by Justin Anderson. Two free throws from Brown locked things up at 86 with a minute to play. Russell turned the ball over with just 23 seconds to play, giving the Mavs the opportunity to take the last shot. Jeremy Tyler converted off a Maalik Wayns to put the Mavs up 88-86 with just 1.4 seconds left. The Lakers had a chance to win the game, but after calling two timeouts, they couldn’t get a shot up in time.