So much for going 82-0.
The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Dallas Mavericks at home, 94-80, no thanks to a stagnant third quarter and a weak performance from the starters.
In the last game against the Clippers, Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum combined for 59 points. But in the Mavs game, the duo came up with only 34. This slip-off in the offense also affected the rest of the starters (Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, and Derek Fisher) shot 8 for 26 (30%). Artest was the worst offender as he only made one field goal for the game. If you're a starter for any team, that totally unacceptable.
Apart from the offensive failures, the Lakers' defense was bad. The team committed 29 fouls and did not protect the perimeter and low blocks effectively, as evidenced by the paltry blocks and steals of the team. The only saving grace was this beauty of a putback from Shannon Brown:
Perhaps the Lakers were still high from their ring ceremonies that a better opponent than the Clippers brought them back to earth? The Lakers should definitely step-up against the rising Atlanta Hawks in the next game.
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