The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 109-104 on Tuesday night.
Dallas was dominant in the first half, opening up a lead as big as 21 points in the second quarter. However, the Lakers rallied in the third quarter to take the lead and force the Mavericks to come from behind to win.
Luka Doncic punctuated the Mavericks’ first-half dominance with a spectacular putback dunk over the Lakers’ 6’10” center, Dwight Howard, with about three and a half minutes left in the first quarter.
Doncic, whose 23rd birthday was Monday, dribbled the ball down the court and passed it to Maxi Kleber. Kleber faked a shot attempt and passed to Spencer Dinwiddie in the corner, who attempted a three-point shot.
Dinwiddie’s shot bounced off the rim, but Doncic charged before the ball was even in the air. He timed his jump perfectly, elevating to catch the ball with one hand and dunk it through the net all in one motion.
Doncic flexed in celebration towards the Lakers home crowd. His teammates on the Mavericks bench were in disbelief over the highlight reel dunk.
“I had to take a second look to make sure it was Luka,” coach Jason Kidd said.
“I thought it was Maxi,” Dorian Finney-Smith said. “I didn’t even know it was him until he got off the rim and started looking at the crowd, and I was like, ‘Oh wow.’ I don’t know what happened, LA or something. It must feel good. Happy birthday, Luka.”
Doncic had never completed a putback dunk in his career, and he is not known for his dunking ability. When he was asked what his birthday wish was before the game, he said: “to jump more” and keep winning. Both wishes came true on Tuesday night.
“Yeah, I feel bouncier,” Doncic said postgame. “But, the best thing, you know, is in the game. The tiredness and that stuff is way better. Obviously, bounce, as you saw today, is nice.”
A reporter asked Doncic if that was the highest he ever jumped.
“Oh yeah,” Doncic said while smiling. “I hit my head.”
Doncic finished the game with 25 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Jalen Brunson added 22 points, and Dorian Finney-Smith had 16 points and nine rebounds to contribute from the starting lineup.
The Lakers were careless in the first half, frequently turning the ball over and making mental mistakes. Dallas took advantage, scoring 41 points in the second quarter alone and taking a 71-56 lead into halftime.
The Mavericks looked poised to run away with the game, given the current state of the Lakers. Los Angeles had lost nine of 12 games entering Tuesday, including a 28-point home defeat in their most recent game Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans.
However, the Lakers did not surrender easily. Los Angeles came out of halftime and outscored Dallas 31-14 in the third quarter. The Mavericks made just 1-of-9 three-point attempts in the third quarter, while the Lakers made 7-of-12 three-pointers in the period. Dallas also turned the ball over six times in the quarter.
Los Angeles held a six-point lead, 91-85, with just over ten minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. It seemed as though Dallas would suffer the same fate it handed Golden State in their most recent game, when the Mavericks came from behind to defeat the Warriors after trailing by 21 points.
However, the Mavericks tightened up their defense and only allowed the Lakers to score 17 points in the final quarter. Doncic had seven points in the fourth quarter alone, none more impressive than a fadeaway jump shot over All-Star LeBron James that seemed to crush the Lakers’ spirit for good.
It was the fifth consecutive road game for the Mavericks, and they were victorious in four of them. The road trip spanned over both sides of the All-Star game.