The Los Angeles Lakers got back in the win column Wednesday night, as they handed Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks a 103-93 loss at Staples Center. The win improved the Lakers’ record to 33-41, though they are not going to fulfill LaVar Ball’s promise prior to the season that his son, Lonzo Ball, will lead the Lakeshow back into the playoffs. If anything, Lonzo at least led the Lakers in a sweet and exciting fast-break attack early in the third quarter, as he caught a pass from Brandon Ingram from the other end of the floor before finishing off with a slam dunk.

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The Lakers run circles around the Mavericks in this game. Los Angeles scored 23 points in transition while Dallas only had 13. This is not a big surprise, as the Lakers are second in the league in fast-break points with 17.3 per game, while Dallas’ transition defense is fourth-worst overall with 14.2 points allowed per game on the open court.

Lonzo Ball was not able to finish the game, however, as he suffered a left knee contusion after banging knees with Nowitzki in the third quarter and was later declared out for the rest of the contest. Ball left with eight points, four rebounds, and five assists with one turnover in 24 minutes of action. Ball has logged in heavy minutes of late. Prior to the Dallas game, he logged in at least 42 minutes in each of the Lakers’ previous three outings, including a 43-minute floor duty in a 112-106 loss to the Detroit Pistons last Monday.