To the Dallas Mavericks’ credit, they didn’t make things easy for Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
Following an Anthony Davis layup with under eight minutes to go in the contest, the Mavericks possessed a one-point lead and applied legitimate pressure on a Lakers squad hoping to win its 14th game of the year.
However, thanks to Los Angeles’s clean two-way execution down the stretch, they managed to secure a 129-119 victory and help Doncic get revenge on his former team.
Doncic, who was the Lakers’ second leading scorer (he finished with 35 points while Austin Reaves finished with 38), succeeded in keeping a key streak alive in the process.
Doncic finished with at least 20 points in each of his first seven games this season, but was forced to start fresh after only contributing 19 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The five-time All-Star has done a good job of reaching the 20-point mark since then, though, extending his new streak to six games following his 35-point outburst on Friday night (the Lakers are 11-2 this season when he's a 20+ points per game scorer).
Moving forward, the Lakers will need Doncic to deliver the goods offensively if they want to be viewed as a serious contender in the Western Conference.
Doncic and the Lakers will have a day off before facing Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.
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