The Dallas Mavericks were shorthanded and pushing through the second night of a back-to-back, but they found their way to a thrilling victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. The team returned to the American Airlines Center Tuesday night after their road win against the Memphis Grizzlies the night prior, to face a rested LeBron James and Co. fresh off their In-Season Tournament victory in Las Vegas over the weekend. Earlier in the day Tuesday it was unclear how many players the Mavericks would actually have to trot out. Luka Doncic logged a team-high 44 minutes against the Grizzlies and the team is currently battling a roster’s worth of injuries. But Luka played, and welcomed the return of both Tim Hardaway Jr. and Grant Williams, back from injury. Those two, and the surging play of Dante Exum, were the story of the night. Exum in his fourth straight start (the team is 4-0 in that time) posted 26 points (7-of-9 from three), four rebounds, three assists, plus a steal and a block in dramatic fashion. He was most powerful in the moments the Mavericks needed him most, posting 17 fourth quarter points. The supporting trio were a lethal 17-of-26 from three. Here is what the team had to say after their 127-125 win:
Jason Kidd (On Danté Exum being left open…) “You play the percentages. [Danté] Exum – he’s playing at a high level right now on both ends. With the injuries, it’s given him confidence and you can see that, not just shooting the 3s but attacking the basket there in the first quarter getting that layup, not just settling. We’ve talked about how his IQ is extremely high. He knows how to play the right way. Luka [Dončić] or Kai (Kyrie Irving) or whomever he’s out there with, those guys trust him and you saw that with Luka. Luka probably has to lead the league in double teams. He’s been double-teamed for a majority of the game. His trust with his teammates, if it’s not Timmy [Hardaway Jr.], it’s [Danté] Exum. And if it’s not that, it’s the next guy up. You trust that the guys are going to make the right play or take the shot. Tonight, Exum was the one he was looking for.”