On so many occasions over the past two seasons, the Los Angeles Lakers have fallen behind by a big margin and failed to make any type of run, let alone come back to win.
Sunday’s contest against the Dallas Mavericks looked poised to be the same old story. The Mavs went up by as many as 27 points as the Lakers couldn’t throw a pea into the Gulf of Mexico.
But L.A. started to find its game late in the second quarter and cut its deficit to 14 at halftime. Then in the third period, it asserted itself, as it sped up the pace of the game and started to flex its defensive muscles while establishing an advantage on the boards.
Down the stretch, the Lakers were able to make more big shots and plays than Dallas, and it resulted in a 111-108 victory.
This win was humongous in multiple ways. For one, it elevated the Lakers into 11th place in the Western Conference, and they’re just one game behind the 10th-place New Orleans Pelicans and 2.5 games behind the Mavs, who are still in sixth place.
But perhaps more important is the symbolic importance of this victory. Los Angeles overcame a giant deficit to win even though it was without starting point guard D’Angelo Russell, and even though it shot just 43.3% overall and 17.6% from 3-point range.