Tonight’s game at the American Airlines Center between the Mavericks and the Lakers was expected to be an easy win for the visitors. In a surprising turn of events, the Lakers ended up on the losing side by a huge margin. After the game, Charles Barkley trashed the Lakers while discussing their performance on Inside the NBA.
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The Mavericks played without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Their unavailability gave confidence to Barkley as well, as he thought that the Lakers have a chance to win. But he was in for a disappointment as LeBron James’ side lost 97-118.
Barkley didn’t mince his words while dissecting their issues after the game. He said, “The Lakers proved what I’ve kept saying. The Lakers stink, plain and simple.” Chuck said that they are still being discussed because of the media’s interest in the team, but in reality, they aren’t worthy of any appreciation or attention.
"The Lakers stink, plain and simple"
Chuck didn't mince words after Dallas' win tonight 👀 pic.twitter.com/3qgdp2Atqz
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 8, 2025
The NBA legend continued, saying that the Lakers don’t have any athletic ability as a team and their flaws are easily exploitable. He praised Jason Kidd for putting on a “masterpiece” coaching exhibition, despite not having his two star players in rotation. Prior to this game, the Mavericks were on a five-game losing streak and it looked like they were going to lose a sixth.
After Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith chimed in with his analysis of the game. He also had some harsh words for the Lakers. Smith said, “You can’t give the excuse you didn’t know the game plan because these guys stepped up.” This 21-point loss will go down as one of their worst losses this season because not only was it against a team on a five-game losing streak, but their opposition didn’t have a leg to stand on without their stars.
Shaquille O’Neal, a Lakers legend, wanted his team will put on a show tonight. He said that he was expecting the opposite result. Shaq said, “With just LeBron and AD [Anthony Davis] on the floor, Lakers up by 20.” The four-time NBA Champion believes that the Lakers “played down to the competition” which scripted their loss against the Mavericks.
After recording some impressive victories as of late, this loss would be deflating for the Purple and Gold. They’d look to change things around as the Hornets make their way to LA for a matchup on Thursday.
