Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, second from left, makes a behind-the-back pass to center Dereck Lively II (2, past Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday

After Luka Doncic and James traded missed 3-point attempts in the final minute, Irving coolly hit his fourth 3-pointer of the night off a pass from Doncic near the Lakers’ bench. Doncic then stole James’ poor pass to the basket, and Irving hit two free throws before James missed another 3-point attempt.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) passes the ball from between Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) and center Dereck Lively II (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game

“When you have quarterbacks like Luka and Ky, trust is high,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “A lot of times they´re going to get double-teamed, but Luka makes a heck of a pass, and Ky does what he does. No panic, and he makes a big shot to win.”

Los Angeles outscored Dallas 30-13 in the fourth, but couldn’t turn it into a win. Anthony Davis had just 10 points and 14 rebounds, going scoreless in the fourth quarter.

“We had a shot to win the game,” Davis said. “We got back in it with our defense in the fourth quarter, and (we) made some big-time shots. … We don’t celebrate moral victories, but we’re a resilient team that will be fighting ’til the end.”

The Lakers missed four free throws down the stretch that could have made it closer.

Josh Green scored 15 points for the Mavericks, who won their fourth consecutive road meeting with the Lakers with another offensive barrage by one of the NBA’s highest-scoring teams

“We´ve put an emphasis on pushing the pace, and we were able to get out to a 20-point lead,” Green said. “They were on a back-to-back, and we knew that.”

Dallas largely dominated the first three quarters against the step-slow Lakers, who were playing their sixth game in nine days with just nine healthy rotation players.

Momentum. pic.twitter.com/TNZCGmGDGA

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 23, 2023