Lakers come up a run short against Mavericks in Anthony Davis’ return

They say the NBA is a game of runs and unfortunately for the Los Angeles Lakers, they came up one run short against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, falling 115-110. L.A. got close enough to play the foul game at the end, but Dallas didn’t miss at the line and was able to ice this one.

There were a handful of moments throughout the game where it looked like the Mavericks were going to blow the matchup wide open, but the Lakers kept coming back. For example, after trailing by 11 points at the half, the Lakers’ back court went supernova in the third quarter. Like, if there’s one game Dennis Schröder’s agent should replay at the negotiating table this summer, it’s this one.

In 37 minutes on Thursday, Schröder had 25 points on 9-13 shooting from the field and 13 assists. He also did a decent job when the Mavericks got the switch they wanted with Luka Doncic. Turnovers were an issue for him once again, but otherwise he had a fantastic night.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the other standout performer in that third quarter, knocking down 3-ball after 3-ball to trim the deficit. He ended the game with a season-high 29 points on 9-17 shooting from the field and 6-12 shooting from behind the arc. He’s made five 3-pointers in each of his last three outings for the Lakers.

Unfortunately, the Lakers’ front court didn’t enjoy nearly as much success. Not only did Anthony Davis look like someone who hasn’t played in two months in his first game back from injury, but Andre Drummond looked lost on the defensive end once again. Let’s hope that they can get one the same page sooner rather than later, because the Lakers’ place in the Western Conference could depend on it.

With this loss to the Mavericks, the Lakers (35-24) are just as close to the No. 6 seed as they are to the No. 7 seed because Dallas has the same record as the Portland Trail Blazers (32-26). The Lakers’ rematch with the Mavericks on Saturday may not be a must-win, but it could have serious playoff implications. We’ll see you then.

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