“Have to Be Better in the First 36”: LeBron James Analyzes Failed Comeback Attempt Against Luka Doncic’s Mavericks

The Los Angeles Lakers had a close encounter with the Dallas Mavericks in their eventual 101-104 loss on Wednesday night. The Lakers, who had abysmally gone down 91-71 against the Mavs at the end of the 3rd quarter, showed promising glimpses of an epic comeback. The Lakeshow held the Mavs back to just 13 points in the 4th quarter, inching in close to the win only for an eventual loss.

As usual, LeBron James emerged as the star player in the Lakers’ winning efforts for this game. In the 4th quarter alone, James scored 16 points, thus helping his team make a suitable comeback from the dip in the first three quarters. Furthermore, it was James himself who helped carry the team by adding points early in the game.

Despite such valiant efforts, even as he closes 39, James understands that his teammates are failing him regularly. The Lakers’ defense seems to be breaking now and then, especially in the game’s final quarter. Furthermore, there was no substantial contribution from anyone except LeBron himself. Adding his thoughts on this narrow-margin loss, James told Spectrum SportsNet, “Just have to be better in the first 36 [three quarters].” 

James ended the night scoring 26 points, 7 assists, and 9 rebounds in the game. With this loss, the Lakers currently stand with a 9-7 record and have retained their position in 7th place in the Western Conference. On the other hand, the Dallas Mavericks have a 10-5 record and stand 4th in the Western Conference table.

Both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving had phenomenal performances last night, with Doncic having another 30-point game and Kyrie Irving adding 28 points for this close win.

Darwin Ham draws important lessons to learn from last night’s game

For coach Darwin Ham, the Lakers did a phenomenal job chasing points for a comeback against the Mavericks. However, perhaps luck couldn’t favor the Lakeshow today as they encountered another narrow margin loss this season.

Coach Ham, nevertheless, is proud of his teams and drew some important lessons from this game against the Mavs. Ham told the press, “We don’t believe in moral victories around here… it’s not just wins and losses, it’s wisdom and lessons..”

“The way we buckled down in the fourth quarter,  fought back, gave ourselves a chance. That’s what you draw from that game.”

Anthony Davis, who had a 10/4/13 game last night, also reflected on the same thoughts as LeBron James on the Lakers’ loss against the Mavs. Davis agreed that LA’s defense was relatively weak in the fourth quarter, which could not help the team capitalize on the comeback.

Davis reiterated the idea of starting the first three quarters well to retain a considerable lead for a win. The Lakers will next play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday and might be looking to draw from this game’s lessons to improve further for the next.