On Wednesday evening, the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks squared off in an uncommon 5:30 p.m. PT tipoff. The Mavericks had won the previous two meetings between the two clubs this season, making this their third meeting overall.

With LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Luka Doncic all wearing uniforms, all the stars were at their disposal. In the end, the Lakers prevailed, convincingly winning 127-110 to return to.500 at 21-21.

In this game, the big me𝚗 got off to a strong start as Davis put L.A. on the board with a slam and Dereck Lively II scored Dallas’s first six points.

The Mavericks took early control of the game after scoring seven points in a row with the score knotted at ten. From then on, however, Davis picked up steam, making two baskets to put his side within striking distance until James picked up steam and they took the lead again.

Although James and Davis got things rolling early, Max Christie and Rui Hachimura both began to play effectively off the bench, and at the conclusion of the first quarter, Los Angeles was up 32–26.

Both sides had a terrible first half of the second quarter, committing errors and missing easy baskets. Eventually, however, Doncic got rolling, and L.A.’s оffensive game took off when Austin Reaves scored five points in a row.

Following Taurean Prince’s Flagrant 1 foul call on Grant Williams, the Mavericks were able to finish the half well and reduce their lead to 55-53 before the half ended.

At the start of the third quarter, James was attacking and made a three-point play. After then, D’Angelo Russell scored five points in a row, and Davis made a layup to push the advantage to double digits for the first time.

From there, Russell nailed another three, and Reaves Һit Prince with an alley-oop in transition as the Lakers kept building their advantage. James scored three of his own, and the advantage quickly grew to 22.

After that, Dallas responded with eight consecutive baskets, but Davis kept up his impressive playmaking, and L.A. led 97-80 heading into the fourth and final quarter.

In order for the Mavericks to have a chance to win the game again, they would have needed to start the fourth quarter strongly. But Russell made sure that didn’t happen, as he kept hitting long balls, increasing the advantage to 23 two minutes into the fourth.

Eventually, Dallas gave up early, letting Los Angeles win easily.

Lillard is deserving of a spot on the 2023–24 All-Star team. He has, after all, played a significant role in the Bucks’ early success in the 2023–24 campaign. The squad couldn’t have finished 28-12 and earned the second seed in the East without him.

His clutch performances for the Bucks are only the most recent evidence of his significance to the group. Lillard took things into his own hands to lead the team to victory with only 5.2 seconds remaining in overtime. He swiftly moved to their side of the court after receiving the inbound pass, and he blasted from close to halfcourt to win.

It was an iconic Dаme Time moment that served as a further reminder to everyone of why the Bucks made the frantic move for him in order to provide Antetokounmpo with a real superstar sidekick.

On 42.9 percent shooting, Lillard is dishing out 25.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.8 assists a game. Even while things aren’t as good as they were during his time with the Portland Trail Blazers the previous season, it’s still more significant today. It’s true that such figures support his All-Star argument.

Where Antetokounmpo, Lillard Rank on All-Star Voting

When it comes to the fan vote for the All-Star Game, Antetokounmpo and Lillard are both in a strong position.Recently, the second round of All-Star fan returns was made public. With 3,475,698 votes, Antetokounmpo has received the most votes so far in both the NBA and the East. LeBron James has 3,096,031 votes, leading the West.With 1,414,122 votes, Liillard, the guard for the Bucks, is ranked third among East guard candidates. He trails Trae Young and Tyrese Haliburton.Although it is yet unclear whether Lillard can outperform the two guards in front of him, Giannis’ support should undoubtedly be helpful. The attention he received for his spectacular game-winning play should also help him become an All-Star.