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The Dallas Mavericks took on the Los Angeles Lakers for the final time this season on Wednesday night. The Mavs lost the game, 103-93, and the Lakers tied the season series between the two teams, 2-2. Dennis Smith Jr. only played 22 minutes in this one, but finished with 14 points and 8 assists while shooting the ball efficiently. Harrison Barnes added 17 points and 4 rebounds, and Dirk Nowitzki posted 13 points and 7 rebounds.
Here’s two things we learned from the game tonight.
Dennis Smith Jr.’s 3-point shot is coming along nicely
Just one night after going 3-of-6 from the three point line against the Sacramento Kings, Smith proceeded to knock down four more threes tonight in seven tries against the Lakers.
Smith has only shot around 31-percent from deep in his rookie year, but it seems as if he’s really starting to put it all together as this season comes to a close. If Smith can keep shooting the deep ball with that same kind of consistency going into his second season, we can officially put the rest of the league on notice, because he’s going to be a problem.
You can add another Smith Jr. 360 dunk to the highlight reel
Staying with the “all about Dennis Smith Jr.” recap, check out this amazing 360 dunk he threw down in transition early in the game tonight.
Being that Staples Center was the arena where Smith placed third in the Dunk Contest back on All-Star Weekend, maybe he felt obligated to remind the L.A. crowd that he should’ve won that trophy. This isn’t the first in-game 360 dunk we’ve seen from Smith this season, and it surely won’t be the last. Here’s to (hopefully) many more years of “ooo”-ing and “ahh”-ing at Smith’s incredible athleticism. If this Mavs’ rebuild continues to be a lengthy one, we’ll need Smith’s electrifying dunks to help pull us through.
Up Next
After finishing up a brief two-game road trip on the west coast, the Mavs will now return home to Dallas on Friday to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. The game will tipoff at 7:30 p.m. central.