Suffering a reversal and a +27-point defeat! Doncic is absent, and his thick eyebrows are 18+9. The Lakers and Mavericks revealed four facts in the first game

On October 16, in a focus battle of the NBA preseason, the Lakers faced the Mavericks at home. The Lakers had 1 win and 3 losses in the preseason. In the last game, Doncic returned and scored 25 points, but the team suffered an upset loss to the third-team Suns. The Mavericks had 2 wins and 1 loss in the preseason. The team's biggest advantage in the new season is height. There are too many big men. But the shortcoming is also here. There are too many tall men to use. On the contrary, it is difficult to effectively make up for the shortcomings of the forwards and defenders. The Mavericks put out their strongest lineup in this game, and the Lakers let Doncic continue to rest. The final result was not surprising. The Lakers defeated the Mavericks 94-121. This game revealed four major facts, and perhaps James also made a miscalculation.

Briefly review the game. Mavericks coach Kidd put together a strange lineup: No. 1 pick Flagg served as point guard, partnering Klay + Washington + Big Eyebrow + Lively. This lineup has enough height, but it is obvious that it cannot open up space and is slow. At the beginning, Lakers Vincent hit three consecutive three-pointers, Hayes dunked on a fast break, and Vincent hit two more three-pointers! After the Lakers opened up a 12-point gap, Flagg dunked to vent his anger. Russell led Christie and several old Lakers players to chase points, but the Lakers always maintained the advantage on the scene. When the Mavericks gradually caught up with the score in the second quarter, Vanderbilt blossomed inside and outside. Hachimura continued to hit three-pointers and hit consecutive jumpers, leading a 12-0 climax. After that, the two sides remained at about 15 points and fell into a tug-of-war.

The Mavericks launched a counterattack in the third quarter. Thick Eyebrow and Kleine made sudden outside shots, once stopping the Lakers! The thick eyebrows also gave Rui Hachimura the iron-blooded hat! The final score was fixed at 94-121, and the Lakers suffered a disastrous home defeat! The Mavericks relied on the third unit to hit a 37-8 climax in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. The Lakers' third unit was really incomprehensible. Mavericks data, Thick Eyebrow had 18 points and 9 rebounds, Klay had 12 points, Flagg had 13 points and 3 assists, Washington had 13 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, and Lively had 12 points and 11 rebounds. According to Lakers data, Vincent had 22 points and 3 assists, Hachimura had 19 points and 3 rebounds, Hayes had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, and Vanderbilt had 5 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

This game reveals four major facts. First, the embarrassing situation of thick eyebrows. In the first two games of the preseason, Big Eyebrow was completely out of shape. It was not until the last game against the Jazz that he finally broke out, scoring 25 points and 6 rebounds. In addition to this game and these two games, coach Kidd seems to have discovered one thing, that is, only when he is in the fifth position can he have stable efficiency support and good performance. Although Nongmei himself does not want to admit it and would rather play the fourth position, Nongmei is far away from the basket and his offensive power is insufficient! This is also the real reason why Kidd is reducing Liveley's playing time while increasing Washington's time, allowing him to play the wing sweep. It is foreseeable that people with thick eyebrows are destined to face difficult choices in the new season. Without losing weight and suffering from injuries, the fifth position is easier than the fourth position.

Secondly, the top pick is a little immature. Flagg went from summer league to the first few games of the preseason. When he was on the wing, he showed his all-round mode. He can instigate counterattacks, connect with teammates, can also attack with the ball, and he can also shoot three-pointers. But the foundation for everything is to have a master controller present to attract the opponent's attention for him. This game is the best example. When he served as the main pointer, the team's rhythm was not good. Instead, it was Washington who connected the ball, including Russell on the court, and the Mavericks' offense was impressive. Flagg's position conflict has raised concerns about the Mavericks' lineup for the new season. Washington definitely has starting ability and technical and tactical needs, as does Russell. Needless to say, thick eyebrows, what about the center position? Can Flagg open up space by moving to the 2nd position?

Third, the competitive relationship between the Lakers role players. In the last game against the Suns' third team, Redick deployed Doncic's lineup: Laravia, Ayton, Smart and others all appeared. In this game, it was directly replaced by the James lineup, and players such as Vincent + Rui Hachimura + Hayes + Vanderbilt got more opportunities. It is foreseeable that since James has repeatedly postponed his comeback (the latest news shows that it is mid-November), Redick is already ready to put in place two sets of rotation frameworks. Absolute cores like Doncic and Reeves will not be affected, but role players are likely to be on a roller coaster. They played well in the last game and just sit on the sidelines in the next. Of course, as for the players outside the Lakers' second team, such as Bronny, Watson, RJ Davis and even Knecht, their strength is indeed far behind.

Fourth, the Lakers' lower limit for the new season must not be low. Last season, the Lakers finished third in the Western Conference during the regular season, but were swept out by the Gentlemen in the first round of the playoffs. The defensive shortcomings of the three core players are particularly obvious. The Lakers' operations during the offseason were very targeted. It can be seen that the original Lakers players clearly felt the pressure. Hayes could also continuously rush for rebounds and complete the second finish with thick eyebrows; Hachimura made various moves in front of thick eyebrows without fear at all. Vincent has a strong three-point shooting threat. Even if James may be absent for a period of time, Doncic definitely has the ability to knit this Lakers into a whole. As for James' return, that's another story.