The Los Angeles Lakers held off the Dallas Mavericks' comeback attempt on Friday night in LA, earning a 129-119 win. One of the primary storylines heading into the game was Anthony Davis' return from injury, as it was his first contest in Los Angeles since last year's trade. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves quickly stole the headlines, however.
The Mavs were clearly focused on containing Doncic. Jason Kidd wanted to keep him in check. Perhaps Dallas felt they could win by limiting Luka. The Mavericks consistently doubled Doncic throughout the game, and it worked for the first few minutes of the contest.
In Luka Doncic fashion, though, he ultimately broke through and had a big game. The Mavericks were forcing someone else to beat them at first, though, and Reaves accepted the challenge.
Reaves ended up leading all scorers with 38 points on an incredibly efficient 12-15 shooting from the field. He also connected on six of his eight three-point attempts. Doncic, meanwhile, went 10-18 on his field goal attempts and recorded four three-pointers.
Without Reaves, Doncic may not have played as well as he did.
Austin Reaves changed everything for Lakers against Mavericks
LeBron James isn't the same player he once was. LA features respectable depth, but had Reaves not played at an elite level, the Mavs' Doncic plan may have worked.
It wouldn't have been shocking to see Dallas further pressure Doncic throughout the affair if nobody else stepped up on the Lakers' offense. Reaves not only took care of business from beyond the arc, but he also was aggressive on the drive and was able to get downhill well.
Reaves' aggressive mindset forced the Mavericks to focus on him as well, which led to better scoring opportunities for Doncic. The result? Luka and Austin combined for 73 points.
It's difficult to blame the Mavericks. Their defensive approach wasn't bad, but the execution was not present. Dallas' offense has struggled all season, but the team did shoot 48.4 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from deep on Friday night. Winning games is always going to be difficult when you give up 129 points, however, especially when two players combine for 73 on their own.
Austin Reaves ruined the Mavericks' plan, and now Dallas is 5-15 overall this season while LA improved to 14-4.
