Looking to halt their longest losing streak in four seasons, the reeling Dallas Mavericks host the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday in the second night of a back-to-back set.
Losers in five straight games, the Mavericks are hoping to avoid matching their worst stretch since dropping six in a row from Jan. 23-Feb.1, 2021.
Dallas is 1-5 since losing superstar Luka Doncic on Christmas Day with a left calf strain. Doncic, who leads the team in points (28.1), rebounds (8.3) and assists (7.8), will be re-evaluated at the end of January.
To make matters worse for the short-handed Mavericks, it was announced before their 119-104 road loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday that Kyrie Irving will be sidelined at least a week with a bulging disk in his back. Irving is second on the team with 24.3 points and 4.9 assists per contest.
In Dallas’ loss on Monday, center Daniel Gafford (11.7 points, 6.0 rebounds per game) sprained his left ankle and left the game after playing eight minutes. Mavericks’ head coach Jason Kidd said that he expects Gafford to miss some time based on the injury.
The Mavericks will more than likely have to rely on Klay Thompson (14.2 points per game) and P.J. Washington (12.8) to pull them through this rough stretch.
“It feels like we’re losing a guy each day, so it’s a next-man-up mentality,” Kidd said. “It’s important for everyone in uniform to play. Being shorthanded, we can’t replace Luka or Kyrie, so it’s going to take a team effort.”
Washington led Dallas with 17 points on Monday, while Naji Marshall added 16 and Thompson had 15.
The Lakers had won seven of nine games before Sunday’s 119-115 loss in Houston against the Rockets. Los Angeles trailed by as many as 22 points and played from behind from the 3:49 mark of the first quarter.
Despite outscoring the Rockets 66-52 in the second half, the Lakers dropped the first half of a two-game Texas road trip.
“It just felt like one of those games where if we made a mistake, they would make us pay. And generally good teams do that,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said. “I told the group that I applaud and acknowledge the fight and toughness to get back in the game. I think that’s been indicative of the spirit we’ve had, so I’m proud of the group for that.”
Anthony Davis collected 30 points and 13 rebounds to increase his team-leading averages to 26.0 points and 11.8 boards per contest. Davis also recorded five blocks, and his 2.2 blocks per game rank third in the NBA behind Victor Wembanyama’s 4.0 and Walker Kessler’s 2.5.
LeBron James adds 24.0 points per game for the Lakers, followed by Austin Reaves’ 18.4.
Dallas, playing Los Angeles for the first time this season, has won seven of nine against the Lakers since March 2022. The Mavericks will travel to Los Angeles on Feb. 25 before hosting the Lakers again on April 9.
