The Los Angeles Lakers lost big in Dallas on Friday night, as the Dallas Mavericks led by such a margin that the Lakers emptied their bench after three quarters.
The lead was 27 points by then. It would be even bigger at the final buzzer.
In the first half, the Lakers stayed within reach of the Mavericks despite Kobe Bryant and Nick Young missing their first 12 shots from the field. Recognizing his shot was not falling, Bryant focused on creating and tabbed six assists before halftime.
At the intermission, the Lakers trailed by nine points.
The Lakers kept the Mavericks within sight due in large part to standout performances from Jordan Hill and Jeremy Lin. The starting duo combined for 24 points on 10-12 shooting in the first half.
However, the Lakers' defense never turned up, and the purple and gold allowed 68 points in the first half. In the third quarter, everything got worse, and the Mavericks scored 42 points in a quarter.
Dallas' third quarter was offensive excellence and defensive destruction. Monta Ellis and Chandler Parsons combined for 33 points, as the Mavericks only missed four shots over those 12 minutes. Dirk Nowitzki made both of his shots in the quarter to bring his total to 23 points on 8-10 shooting. The giant German would grab a seat having played fewer than 22 minutes.
Bryant, on the other side of the court, would play over 31 minutes and finish with 17 points, seven assists and five rebounds. He missed more shots than Nowitzki attempted.
With 27 points separating the sides after three quarters, the final 12 minutes were a scrimmage for each team's bench players. Even there, the Lakers lost.
As far as positives to take away from Friday's game, Hill finished with his seventh double-double of the season and was perfect from the field, 7-7. Also, Lin finished with 18 points and five assists and shot a high percentage, 73 percent. Looking at the 34-point deficit and the final score, the Lakers lost this game on the defensive end of the court.
At the final buzzer, the score read 140-106 in favor of the Mavericks. The Lakers finished their road trip 2-1.
Notes: Wayne Ellington re-joined the team and was not expected to play. However, with the game out of reach, Ellington played 12 minutes and scored eight points.
