Mavericks at Lakers
It has been over two seasons since the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks. The way things have gone for Kobe Bryant's squad early on, that streak may continue when the teams tangle Sunday in Los Angeles.
With Bryant limited to just 13 points in 22 minutes, the Lakers were embarrassed Friday at Sacramento 132-114 to fall to 0-2 for the fourth time in the last five seasons. "I'm really wanting to let the young guys, especially (rookie D'Angelo Russell), let him call the game," Bryant said about ceding responsibility in his 20th season. "Let him call the game. Let him organize the game. Let him read the game. Let him read the flow. Let him make those decisions." The Mavericks, who have claimed seven straight meetings, have been in town for a few days after after dropping a 104-88 decision to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. Point guard Deron Williams missed the game with a knee contusion and is considered questionable for this one.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), TWC SportsNet (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (1-1): Dallas was a respectable 9-8 in the second half of back-to-backs a season ago but looked the part of a tired unit at the Clippers. The starters combined for 43 points and the team as a whole finished 6-of-30 from long range. "The (lack of) manpower made it tougher," said Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, who also missed shooting guard Wesley Matthews (Achilles). "We really would have had to play a perfect game."
ABOUT THE LAKERS (0-2): Russell can "call the game," in Bryant's words, because Jordan Clarkson moved to shooting guard, and the second-year man out of Missouri has relished the role. He scored a game-high 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting in the lopsided loss to Sacramento, continuing a surge that saw him average 16.7 points after the All-Star break in his rookie campaign. Los Angeles pulled into Saturday allowing a league-high 122 points and allowing opponents to shoot 48.9 percent, lower than only two teams.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Carlisle has 339 wins with the team, tied with Don Nelson for the most in franchise history.
2. Dallas averaged 115.5 points in last season's four-game sweep.
3. Bryant is 4-of-21 from long range this season.