The Lakers played with fire all night, missing free throws and 3-pointers. That was a problem. Anthony Davis, who was pretty good most of the night, had about as bad a final minute as a player can, fouling Maxi Kleber on a closeout, sending him to the line for three free throws. He missed a free throw of his own in the final 15 seconds, and then he lost Kleber on the last possession, leaving enough space for Kyrie Irving to find him with a crosscourt pass. Kleber hit the shot, and the Mavericks won. That, obviously, was a BIG problem. Overall, the Lakers did just enough stuff wrong throughout the game to make sure they weren't in a comfortable spot, late. They were too slow out of the gate. They didn't get enough from D'Angelo Russell or Malik Beasley on the perimeter. They couldn't chase Dallas off the 3-point line in critical moments. And in the end, they missed another opportunity, because while this loss doesn't knock them out of the top 10, it pushes them to the very end of the play-in race, just in front of a Jazz team with two games in hand. Now the Lakers need to win a couple games back to keep the pace they need, following consecutive losses to Houston and Dallas. A modest winning streak could still have the Lakers moving up quickly, especially because they play Minnesota, Utah (twice) and Oklahoma City before it's over... but they're not making it easy, that's for sure. Ugh. HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order. Ibotta Right now, Ibotta is offering our listeners $5 just for trying Ibotta by using the code Locked when you register. Go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app. Ultimate Pro Basketball GM To download the game just visit probasketballgm.com or look it up on the app stores. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo LOCKEDON (ALL CAPS) in the game store. PrizePicks First time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDON BetterHelp This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at Betterhelp.com/LockedOnNBA and get on your way to being your best self. FanDuel Make Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices