For as strong of a first quarter the Los Angeles Lakers put together in their win against the Indiana Pacers, which statistically was their best of the season, the pendulum swung in the opposite direction on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Dallas Mavericks opened the game with an 8-2 run and led by as many as 13 points in the opening quarter. The Lakers were sluggish defensively and struggled from the field, highlighted by missing each of their seven attempts behind the arc within the first 12 minutes.
Somewhat surprisingly, LeBron James was not immune to the team’s struggles.