LOS ANGELES — Within minutes, the Mavericks’ 20-point lead was blown away, and the Lakers briefly took their first lead since the opening quarter.
LeBron James was unstoppable and Crypto.com Arena was filled with a deafening roar, but James’ good friend and Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving drained a 3-pointer from the left wing with 21.1 seconds left to put Dallas in the raucous Always ahead in 104 seconds. 101 wins on Wednesday night.
With 2.8 seconds left in the game, Irving made two free throws and James missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.
Luka Doncic scored 30 points, Irving scored 28 and backup center Richaun Holmes played a key role, coming off the bench around the time rookie center Derrick Lively II suffered a back injury.
James scored a Lakers-high 26 points, but Holmes and Lively initially helped Anthony Davis limit the deficit to 10 points as Dallas beat the Los Angeles Lakers for the fifth time in the two teams’ last six meetings. , beating the Los Angeles Lakers eight times in the past ten meetings.
The Mavericks led 91-71 after three quarters, but the Lakers defeated the Mavericks 21-4 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. James scored 11 of the 10 points in the third quarter.
However, at the last moment, Doncic and Irving exchanged scores to help Dallas win.
With 7 minutes and 14 seconds left in the third quarter, Lively fell hard on his back and lay on the court for several minutes as teammates gathered around him, shocking the Mavericks and their fans.
Lively tried to catch Doncic’s alley-oop, but his leg was cut by Davis, causing Lively to briefly grab the rim before falling awkwardly on his left leg and back.
As teammates helped Lively off the court, he couldn’t put weight on his left leg. The Mavericks later announced that Lively suffered a lower back contusion and would not return to the game.
Dallas led 72-60 at the time. Doncic scored 11 points in the third quarter and Irving also scored 8 points. Entering the fourth quarter, the Mavericks expanded their advantage to 20 points. The Mavericks were playing at a new pace at that point — fast.
“Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving make them a huge challenge,” Lakers coach Davon Hamm said. “I don’t think it’s a style of play. Those guys are the two heads of the snake.
“They really played the way they were supposed to with the roster they put together.”
In his 21st season, a month before his 39th birthday, James averaged 25.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game. In the previous 11 games with Doncic, James averaged 27.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
However, the Lakers are playing for the second consecutive night and third time in four days. Dallas got even better, with head coach Jason Kidd giving minutes to Holmes, Dante Exum and Josh Green early in the game, with the latter scoring 12 points in the first half. Dallas leads 62-46.
James scored 5 points on 2-of-6 shooting. Before the game, Kidd recalled what it was like to win a championship with Dallas at the age of 38 and celebrate his 40th birthday.
“I’m definitely jealous of what he’s been able to do at this point in his career,” Kidd marveled. “He looks great. He takes care of his body. Everybody talks about his body, but I think it’s more about his mind… He doesn’t feel old.
“He loves the game of basketball. He always wants to prove that he can play at a high level or prove others wrong. “He’s doing that now. “
Prior to Wednesday, Holmes had appeared in just five games, but four of those came in Dallas’ last five games and all five came in Dallas’ last seven games.
Tonight, however, represents Holmes’ most significant contribution to date. With Dallas trailing by one with 4:41 left in the first quarter, Holmes replaced Lively and added two points, an assist and Hachimura’s momentum-turning block at the basket.
The Mavericks built a +5 lead in the first quarter from Holmes, and they led 29-25 in the second quarter — a lead they held on to over the next two quarters and seemed certain to go. Hold on until the Lakers’ huge rally.
X: @tomblad
Find more of The Dallas Morning News’ Mavericks coverage here.