LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers kickstarted their first road trip of the 2019-20 NBA season against a rising Dallas Mavericks team and overcame another slow start.
The Lakers have almost made it a habit of coming out of the gate slow as they struggled on defense which allowed the Mavericks to race to an 11-point lead early in the game.
However, Los Angeles has also developed a penchant for picking up their play in the second half and they rallied back late in the fourth to force overtime.
James absolutely dominated the contest as he put up a massive triple-double in 43 minutes of action. According to Lakers PR, this was the first time a player has recorded at least 39 points, 12 rebounds, 16 assists, and four steals in a single game since steals became an official stat in the 1973-74 season.
The four-time MVP began cooking in the the second half as he was more aggressive getting to the rim while also hitting from downtown.
He also beautifully orchestrated the offense as he found his teammates while he was driving to the rim or posting up.
Despite a relatively slow start, Anthony Davis also managed to get going late in the game and eventually finished with 31 points and eight rebounds to go along with two steals and two blocks. Davis came up clutch in the overtime period with several buckets that helped put the Mavericks away for good.
Kyle Kuzma finally made his 2019-20 NBA season debut and chipped in with nine points while Danny Green continued his hot shooting from the field as he buried 3-of-6 from the three-point line, including the go-ahead three to send the game into overtime.
The win gives the purple and gold a 4-1 record and they will look to extend their four-game win streak when they play the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 3.