The Los Angeles Lakers' bumpy 2022-23 campaign saw them hit another roadblock on Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers seemed to be heading towards a big win over the Mavs, but Maxi Kleber hit a buzzer-beating three to win the game for Dallas at the last second by a score of 111-110. And after the game, it was clear that Austin Reaves wasn't too pleased with the outcome.
Reaves had another solid game for the Lakers off the bench (16 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST, 5-8 FGM) but it wasn't enough to help LA win this game. The Lakers are still in position to earn a spot in the Play-In Tournament as the 10th seed in the Western Conference, but after the game, Reaves made it clear that Los Angeles can't accept losses like this moving forward.
At this stage of the season, every game is important for the Lakers. They only have 11 games left in the regular season, and with the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans breathing down their necks, it's clear they don't have a very big margin for error right now. Picking up a win against a top-tier team like the Mavs would have been a huge confidence boost for Los Angeles, but they came up just short again.
As Reaves points out here, accepting these types of losses simply won't cut it if the Lakers intend on actually making a playoff run. They are barely hanging onto their spot in the Play-In Tournament right now, and with 11 games left to go on the season, it will be interesting to see whether they can pick themselves up from this tough loss and find a way to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
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