National Basketball Association

LeBron, Davis help Lakers overcome 27-point deficit, knock off Mavs

Published Feb. 26, 2023 6:39 p.m. ET

Everything was going wrong for the Los Angeles Lakers in Dallas on Sunday — until it wasn't.

At one point trailing by as many as 27, the Lakers stormed back in the second half to earn a much-needed 111-108 win over the Mavericks.

L.A. was led by its dynamic duo of Anthony Davis (30 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks) and LeBron James (26 points, eight rebounds), but Sunday might be remembered more as a Dallas meltdown than a Lakers comeback.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, in games this season, teams were 138-0 when leading by 27 or more.

The 27-point comeback is tied for the largest of James' career. It is also the largest comeback win for the Lakers since Dec. 6, 2002, when they overcame a 30-point deficit against the Mavericks.

Dallas was led by Luka Doncic (26 points, nine rebounds) and the newly-acquired Kyrie Irving (21 points, 11 rebounds), as the Mavs jumped out to a 48-21 lead with 7:06 to go in the first half.

However, the Lakers cut the lead to 14 going into halftime, and trailed by only three at the end of the third, before outscoring the Mavs 33-27 in the fourth to steal the victory.

L.A. has now won three straight and four of its last five, as it continues its climb out of the cellar of the Western Conference. Entering the day 13th in the West, the Lakers now sit 11th, one game behind New Orleans for the final play-in spot and 2.5 games behind Dallas for the sixth spot.

Dallas has now lost four of its last five and is now 3-4 since Irving arrived.

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