Mavericks explode with 51-point third-quarter surge against Lakers, snap three-game Christmas Day losing streak
Andre Johnson 
HALLE-LUKA!
As expected, superstars Luka Dončić and LeBron James put on remarkable Christmas Day showings before an announced sellout crowd of 20,441 in the American Airlines Center.
But in the end, it was the 23-year-old Slovenian who emerged victorious against his idol as Dallas coasted to a 124-115 win Sunday afternoon.
In their third consecutive Christmas Day outing, the Mavericks erased an 11-point halftime deficit with a 51-point outburst in the pivotal third quarter and Dallas witnessed four starters score in double figures to extend its winning streak to three games.
For the Mavericks (18-16), Sunday’s win snapped a three-game Christmas Day losing streak against a Lakers team that was dealt its fourth consecutive defeat as leading scorer Anthony Davis sat in street clothes on the bench.
According to various media reports, Davis will remain sidelined at least through January with what team officials describe as a “stress injury.”
Mavericks’ Christmas Day Game Results
2003: Mavericks 111, Sacramento Kings 103
2008: Mavericks 102, Portland Trail Blazers 94
2011: Miami Heat 105, Mavericks 94
2020: Los Angeles Lakers 138, Mavericks 115
2021: Utah Jazz 120, Mavericks 116
2022: Mavericks 124, Los Angeles Lakers 115
After missing last year’s Christmas Day game at Utah — a 120-116 Mavs road loss — Dončić was as good as advertised Sunday after a lethargic first half in which Dallas shot 39 percent from the field and fell behind by as many as 14.
Behind Dončić’s team-high 32 points on 9-of-16 shooting, the Mavericks outscored the Los Angeles, 51-31, in the third, thanks in large part to a 14-0 run during that stretch.
“I would say all of the above (lineup changes, guys making shots, taking pressure off of Luka Dončić) in the sense of just what we talked about at halftime was let’s think about the paint first before we start shooting threes,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said of his team’s second-half adjustments. “I thought the guys came out in the second half, during that third quarter, where the ball touched the paint, we played through Luka in the post to create a different double team.
“And Luka being the quarterback, he found open guys and they knocked down shots a little bit different than that first half when we weren’t making shots. We were only down 11 at halftime. We felt good. That’s a positive. Our body language, we felt connected there. If we could just make some shots, it would be a different game, and that’s what we did there in that third quarter.”
In avenging a 138-115 Christmas Day loss at the Lakers in 2020, the Mavericks led by as many as 21 Sunday against a Los Angeles team that provided little help for James.
A 20-year-veteran who was making his 17th Christmas Day appearance, James was the only starter to score in double figures for the Lakers with a game-best 38 points on 13-of-23 shooting in 34 minutes.
“They made adjustments at halftime,” James said. “They countered what we were doing at halftime. We didn’t make the proper adjustments once they made their adjustments. They made nine threes and six free throws. I think Tim Hardaway Jr. was 6-of-7, 4-of-5 from the three, with 16 points in the third. He got going. So a lot of the shots that they missed in the first half that we kind of forced them to shoot, they made in the third. But you’re never going to win a game if you give up 51 in a quarter.”
Dallas, meanwhile, also got a remarkable showings from Christian Wood and Tim Hardaway Jr., who registered 30 and 26 points, respectively, and Reggie Bullock managed 14 points in 35 minutes of play for the Mavs in their first of four regular season meetings against the Lakers.
Besides James, Los Angeles (13-20) had only two other players to score in double figures.
Veteran Russell Westbrook finished 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting in 24 minutes off the bench, and fellow reserve Austin Reaves added 16 points on 5-of-7 field goals in 29 minutes for the Lakers, who shot a frigid 43 percent after intermission, this after a first half in which the visitors shot 53 percent from the field.
In another development:
Four years after his ceremonious retirement, the Mavericks on Sunday paid homage to Dirk Nowitzki by unveiling his statue outside of America Airlines Center, a sculpture that displays the signature fadeaway jumper of the future NBA Hall of Famer.
In what was an emotional ceremony that took place in Victory Plaza roughly two hours prior to the Mavs’ tipoff against the Lakers, a sizable crowd turned out to witness the historic “All For One” ceremony for Nowitzki, Dallas’ most celebrated player who led the franchise to its only NBA championship in 2011.
“Oh, it was brilliant,” Dončić said of Nowitzki’s status unveiling. “I’m just really happy for him. He deserves all the things that are happening to him and it was amazing. The statue looks amazing and he deserves it.”
A 14-time All-Star, league and NBA Finals MVP, and 12-time All-NBA selection, Nowitzki, 44, is one of the front-runners to be elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. — Andre Johnson
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