FSM Essential Recap: Lakers vs Mavericks
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The Los Angeles Lakers played the Dallas Mavericks last night in a scrimmage exhibition game before the official season restart on July 30th. Both teams showed little signs of rust in this game and both teams are close to where they were before the season shutdown.
Dallas took this game in the third quarter by outscoring the Lakers 33-19. The one player who stood out above everyone with his play was Seth Curry. He ended the game with 23 points on 8-8 shooting, with six of those shots coming from three. Luka Doncic finished the game with 14 points, five rebounds, and six assists in 16 minutes. He was seen limping to the bench when being subbed out, but no injury has been reported.
Kristaps Porzingis pitched in 8 points and two rebounds in 15 minutes as well. Along with Seth Curry, Boban Marjanavic put up a monster game and ended it with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Other notable performers include Maxi Kleiba with 10 points, Justin Jackson with 13 points and five rebounds.
Although LeBron James and Anthony Davis only played in the first half, both played exceptionally well with little rust to show. LeBron ended the game with 12 points, three rebounds, five assists, and one steal in 15 minutes, and Davis finished with 12 points, one rebound, one assist, and two steals in 15 minutes as well. Dion Waiters showed promise by scoring 9 points, grabbing three boards, and sinking a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
Notable contributors for the Lakers include JaVale McGee with 13 points, Dwight Howard with 9 points and seven rebounds, and Quinn Cook with 13 points. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left the game after rolling his ankle but returned to play shortly afterward.
Due to injuries, both point guards Rajon Rondo and Alex Caruso did not play. Rondo suffered a fractured right thumb, left the Bubble last week for surgery, and is expected to miss six to eight more weeks. Yesterday at practice, Caruso hit the ground hard and is suffering from what the team says is a back contusion. His absence seems only to be a precaution, but don’t be surprised to see him miss the next scrimmage.
Dion Waiters showed potential with his play. He didn’t do much, but for time he did see the court, he looked like the missing piece the Lakers needed prior to the shutdown.
Meanwhile, J.R. Smith played his first minutes as a Laker, and they were rough. He finished the game with 6 points on 2-5 shooting, two assists, a rebound, a steal, and four fouls in 14 minutes. It was his first game in an NBA uniform since last season, so he still has some cleaning up to do.
Kyle Kuzma managed to put up 9 points and seven rebounds but struggled from the field (3-7, 30.8%) in his 22 minutes. He still has time to get back to his usual self and expect him to do just that as the season restart approaches.
Even though the game didn’t end in their favor, for the first scrimmage before the season restart, the Lakers looked solid. LeBron and Anthony Davis are already in playoff form, and they showcased that last night. Now the rest of the team has to get their play and minds right and tool up for these eight games and the mountain known as the NBA Playoffs. Once the Lakers do some housekeeping and knock down those cobwebs, they’ll be back in playoff mode just like they were before the shutdown.
The Lakers next scrimmage is on Saturday, July 25th, against the Orlando Magic at 9 am PST. Following that scrimmage, the Lakers are set to play the Washington Wizards on Monday July 27th at 12 pm PST. Expect the Lakers to dominate both the Magic and Wizards and beat both teams by no less than 10 points.
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-Mike Dancy II – Franchise Sports Media
