LAS VEGAS — The Dallas Mavericks suffered their second straight loss of the Las Vegas Summer League with a lopsided 91-70 defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.
Mavericks summer league coach Joe Boylan trotted out the same starting lineup of Ryan Nembhard, Sergio De Larrea, John Poulakidas, Tobi Lawal and Morez Johnson Jr. to face a Lakers squad without No. 24 overall pick Cameron Carr, who did not play because of a right thumb contusion. The Lakers didn’t need Carr’s services because Arthur Kaluma led all scorers with 34 points and five rebounds.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the loss:
After such a spectacular summer league debut, Johnson was subdued in Saturday’s game because of foul trouble. He finished with just 10 points, five rebounds and seven fouls in 28 minutes. Johnson picked up three fouls in the first five minutes and had six by halftime. He managed to score eight of his 10 points in the second quarter.
Despite the foul trouble, Johnson still showed his ability to make an impact on the defensive end. He had four blocks on Saturday, and perhaps his most impressive denial was three minutes into the first quarter. Johnson was held up on a screen, but recovered in time for an emphatic rejection on Adou Thiero. Johnson’s desire to deter nearly every shot, either with a two-handed vertical contest or a block attempt, played a reason for his foul trouble. Johnson came close, but avoided the automatic disqualification that comes with picking up 10 fouls.
The Summer Mavs had a difficult time taking care of the ball. They had 22 turnovers as a team, but Ryan Nembhard and Vsevolod Ishchenko were the leaders of the pack with their giveaways. Nembhard is usually more careful with his decision-making, but he committed five turnovers on Saturday. He scored a team-high 12 points, but struggled to orchestrate the offense as he’s accustomed to. Ishchenko led the Mavericks with six giveaways, but finished with eight points, four rebounds and two steals.
De Larrea appeared more comfortable in his second game of summer league action compared to his debut on Thursday. His handle was tighter and he had an easier time getting to his spots despite the intense defensive pressure by the Lakers. Two of his four assists were highlight worthy. In the first quarter, he tossed a high lob to Mavericks center Kaodirich Akobundu-Ehiogu, who finished with a two-handed dunk. His most impressive assist was a pass to a trailing Johnson in transition, but he creatively bounced the ball backwards between his legs. De Larrea will need more time to adjust to the NBA game, but it’s apparent that he’s capable of generating eye-popping plays once he’s comfortable.
Saturday’s primetime showdown brought out several key members of the Mavericks organization. Team governor Patrick Dumont entered shortly before tip-off and greeted each member of the main roster. Dallas had a healthy contingent of core players in attendance, including Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, Naji Marshall and newcomers Santi Aldama and Tarik Biberovic, who were both acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies in last week’s massive six-team trade. Restricted free agent Moussa Cisse was also in attendance for the second consecutive game.