With his mom sitting courtside, Julius Randle had to show out in his hometown of Dallas.
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He did just that, pouring in 23 points, 15 rebounds and the game-sealing basket, as the Lakers skipped past the Mavericks in overtime, 107-101, for their fourth straight win.
Randle shot 9-of-15 from the field, constantly taking his man off the dribble and finishing with strength at the rim.
“I tell Julius all the time that I have really high expectations for the player he’s going to become on this team,” coach Luke Walton said. “Because of that, I’m on him a lot.”
A 10-point first quarter put Randle on the fast track to a big night, but he had to weed through seven turnovers, five fouls and a botched attempt at a regulation game-winner in order to come through in OT.
The Lakers (15-27) hit five shots in overtime, and Randle had a hand in each one. He set three hard screens that immediately led to buckets, and he shot a tough turnaround jumper at the end of the shot clock.
Kyle Kuzma also put together an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double while shooting 8-of-13 from the field.
Both players were sorely needed after Brandon Ingram went down with a mild ankle sprain suffered in the first quarter.
Ingram — whose x-rays returned negative and is listed as day-to-day moving forward — turned his ankle after piling up four points, six rebounds and five assists in the first quarter alone.
Ingram had been hot the past week and pushed the Lakers to a 31-20 lead after one period.
Led by rookie Dennis Smith Jr. (23 points), Dallas seized the opportunity presented by Ingram’s absence, and fought back with a 32-15 second quarter, taking the lead at halftime.
But the Lakers stepped up their defense, holding the Mavericks to 37.8 percent shooting on the day. Dallas also shot just 11-of-43 on 3-pointers and 1-of-8 on shots in overtime.
