With the game in doubt late in the fourth quarter, a drive and dish from newly acquired forward Doug McDermott to Salah Mejri gave the Mavericks a comfortable six-point lead with :53.4 to play.
But perhaps more importantly, a little smirk came across the usually stoic face of head coach Rick Carlisle as Dallas knocked off a red-hot Lakers crew 130-123 before a rowdy crowd at American Airlines Center.
It’s essentially a two-month tryout for a long-term deal for McDermott, who made his debut in adequate fashion with 8 points and 3 assists in 21 minutes after being acquired from the Knicks in a 3-team deal at the trade deadline.