Geoff JohnsonThe Los Angeles Lakers will continue seeking for an identity as they visit the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday night at 8:30 PM ET at the American Airlines Center.
The Lakers are 2-2 entering this game after a 105-113 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. LA left a 21 point lead slipped away, but they were able to win anyways.
“There was a little bit of an energy drop in the second half and a lot of missed assignments, but we picked it up, and a lot of guys made some good plays,” said Xavier Henry, who scored 18 points on the night. “I don’t want to say it was because we wanted it more, but you could tell. When the game was on the line, guys were like: ‘We were already up 20. We were not going to let this one slip by.’ ”
The Lakers have covered the last three games in a row when facing the Mavericks, who have been involved in high scoring games in the start of the season. All three games for Dallas so far have ended over the game total.
The Mavs beat the Grizzlies 111-99 on Saturday led by Dirk Nowitzki’s 24 points. “We can score the ball like we should, but we’ve got to play defense too,” Shawn Marion said. “We did that early and took them out of their rhythm.”
Consider the Dallas Mavericks are listed as 9.5 point favorites in the NBA spread over the Lakers.
