The Dallas Mavericks nabbed an NBA preseason victory against the Los Angeles Lakers, who had Luka Doncic and other stars inactive.
The Dallas Mavericks rolled to victory against the Los Angeles Lakers who had many of their stars inactive, 121-94, for their third win in NBA preseason at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Wednesday night (Thursday, Manila time).
The Mavericks went on a scorching fourth quarter where they not only scored 37 points of their own, they also clamped down on LA’s offense, allowing only eight points in the 12 minutes.
Their blistering run capped off a second half that flaunted the Mavericks’ full strength against the Lakers' second unit, where they scored 68 points — a full 40 points more than Los Angeles' 28 in the last two quarters.
Former Laker Anthony Davis had 18 points and was one rebound away from a double-double with nine boards, two assists, and one block.
Cooper Flagg added 13 markers, two rebounds, and three dimes.
Meanwhile, the Lakers, who only had 10 players active, saw Gabe Vincent lead them in scoring with 22 points in the loss.
Elsewhere, Xavier Tillman propelled the Boston Celtics to victory with the game winner at the TD Garden in Boston, 110-108, against the Toronto Raptors.
After squandering a 6-point lead in the final minute of the game when Toronto tied the match at 108-all with nine ticks left, Tillman finished off their foes with a jump shot at the horn to propel the Celtics to 3-1 in the preseason.
Derrick White was the go-to man in scoring, though, with 33 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
In other games, John Collins scored 24 points in the LA Clippers’ 18-point beatdown of the Sacramento Kings, 109-91, at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Domantas Sabonis had a double-double in the losing effort for the Kings with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Sacramento remains winless in the preseason, now at 0-3.
In the other game, the Charlotte Hornets drubbed the Memphis Grizzlies in a blowout, 145-116.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.