Once again the Los Angeles Lakers failed to stretch a four-game winning streak to five as they fell to the Dallas Mavericks. Julius Randle had an outstanding night, as did Isaiah Thomas in his Lakers debut, but the defense failed the team on Saturday.
After giving up less than 100 points in three of their four wins during their winning streak, the Lakers allowed the Mavericks to reach that mark after three quarters, ultimately surrendering 130 points to a Dallas team that is far from an offensive juggernaut.
After the loss, Randle spoke about the Lakers’ defensive failures and put the blame on himself for the team’s lack of communication, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“I think it was pretty much a lack of communication.