LOS ANGELES — The familiar faces on the court at Crypto.com Arena, and what will be a long-lasting connection between the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, didn’t take away from the spirit of competition.
Because even with Anthony Davis playing his first road game against his former team since the trade that sent him to Dallas and brought Luka Doncic to Los Angeles, with the fans cheering for Davis as he was introduced during the Mavericks’ starting lineup introductions, it didn’t take the Lakers’ eyes off of the prize for what was at stake on Friday night.
And with their 129-119 victory over the Mavericks, the Lakers secured home-court advantage for their NBA Cup quarterfinal matchup after finishing 4-0 atop West Group B.
They will host the San Antonio Spurs in the knockout round on Dec. 10 with top-seeded Oklahoma City to face Phoenix in the other Western Conference game.
The Lakers (14-4) also extended their winning streak to six games, their season-best mark after topping their five-game win streak that ran from Oct. 29-Nov. 5.
Austin Reaves (38 points, eight rebounds and three assists) and Luka Doncic (35 points, 11 assists and five rebounds) led the Lakers on Friday night, balancing each other’s strong offensive quarters to help their team secure the victory.
LeBron James added 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds in a game in which all five Lakers starters scored in double figures.
Deandre Ayton finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocked shots, while Rui Hachimura had 14 points and four rebounds, knocking down four second-half 3-pointers.
Davis finished with 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots in 28 minutes against his former team.
PJ Washington had 22 points and nine rebounds to lead the Mavericks. Ryan Nembhard scored 17 for Dallas, while Max Christie added 13 points against his former team. Rookie Cooper Flagg had 13 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, but the Mavericks lost for the fifth time in six games.
Doncic was rolling early, scoring 10 first-quarter points, while Reaves had 14 second-quarter points, with Reaves having 19 points and five rebounds at halftime, while Doncic had 18 points and four assists.
But the Mavericks led 62-60 at halftime because of 12 second-chance points in the first half and their advantage in the possession battle.
The Lakers outscored the Mavericks 69-57 in the second half, with the starters combining for all but two of those points in the final two quarters.
Dallas had a narrow lead with less than eight minutes to play, but the Lakers held the Mavs without a field goal for nearly four minutes while making a 13-1 run that included big baskets from Reaves and Ayton.
Reaves and Doncic both received “M-V-P!” chants from fans during separate trips to the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.
More to come on this story.