LOS ANGELES — For the first five minutes of Sunday night’s game, the Lakers’ hoop may as well have been the size of a golf hole.
L.A. couldn’t score until the 7:32 mark of the first quarter, missing five shots and committing two turnovers while Dallas built a 15-0 lead. The Lakers (0-3) actually outscored the Mavericks over the final three quarters, but that slow start doomed them in a 103-93 loss.
Dallas (2-1) led by as many as 18 points, while L.A. never managed to bring the score closer than six after the opening barrage.
“We just didn’t come out ready, and that is something that we just can’t do,” head coach Byron Scott said. “We don’t have the luxury of doing that. We have to come out like we are down 10 points before the game even starts.”
Future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki was a huge part of the Mavs’ eighth straight win over the Lakers by torching the home team with 25 points and nine rebounds in 30 minutes. The 14-time all-star had a fiery shot going from everywhere, as he went 2-of-2 in the paint, 5-of-6 from mid-range and 3-of-5 on 3-pointers.
The purple and gold countered Dallas’ 37-year-old power forward with an equally impressive performance from their 20-year-old four. Julius Randle was the lone Laker to consistently give the Mavs fits, as he recorded a double-double before the first half was even over.
In the fourth game of his career, Randle finish with 22 points (9-of-17), 15 rebounds, four assists and four steals.
“He’s going to be tough in this league,” Nowitzki said. “He puts the ball on the floor like no other power forward in this league. He’s strong, athletic (and) can finish. He’ s a tough matchup for a lot of fours in this league, so his future is very bright.”
Randle was extremely active down low, as all of his shots came from four feet or closer, except for one 19-footer, which he made.
“Randle is a problem (for us),” Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle said. “He is a beast driving in there. He is creating contact and havoc. We survived it.”
While Randle shined, his childhood idol could not find any rhythm, as Kobe Bryant cobbled together 15 points on a 3-of-15 mark, while also getting hit with five fouls.
After a promising preseason, the five-time NBA champion has labored through three games, shooting just 31.4 percent.
“I’m the 200th-best player in the league right now,” Bryant said, alluding to ESPN ranking him 93rd in its preseason player rankings. “I freaking suck. … The guys are giving me the ball and making great passes. It’s their job to facilitate and my job to finish. I gotta do the responsible thing and make them for them.“
Like Bryant, the Lakers’ young starting backcourt also struggled, with D’Angelo Russell (4-of-13) and Jordan Clarkson (2-of-8) combining for 17 points.
Cuban Praises Bryant
Before the game, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban took some time to applaud Bryant for being an “icon with this league.”
To illustrate his point, Cuban recounted his reaction to one of Bryant’s finest moments during the Lakers’ 22-game home winning streak against Dallas from 1993-2003.
“He’s got that fire,” Cuban said. “I love Kobe. I remember we were playing here and we hadn’t beaten the Lakers (in Los Angeles) in 10 years or something.
“We finally had them beat and he turns around and hit a left-handed jumper. And I had to stand up and clap for him. Literally, it was a turnaround, left-handed jumper from the corner, and I’m like, ‘What the (expletive)?’ But that’s Kobe, right?”
Notes
Bryant played in his 1,283rd career game, moving past Charles Oakley for the 19th-most in NBA history. … Brandon Bass was poked in the left eye and diagnosed with a corneal abrasion. He will be examined Monday. … Zaza Pachulia tallied his second double-double of the season for Dallas with 16 points and 12 rebounds. … Dallas had a 28-18 advantage in assists. … A sellout crowd of 18,997 packed Staples Center.
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