No Luka Doncic. No Kyrie Irving. Sounds like an easy win for the Lakers, right? The reality was not even close. Despite the Mavs playing without their two best players, LeBron James and Co. got blown out by 21 points. You didn’t read that wrong. Well, this marks the LA-based franchise’s second straight loss, putting their hot streak in serious jeopardy. Sure enough, Lakers legend James Worthy was not pleased with the performance of JJ Redick’s squad and publicly criticized them after tonight’s brutal loss.

Revealing his emotions live on air, Worthy said, “Yeah, it was embarrassing. Embarrassing and disappointing. The Lakers, who are a very good basketball team when they wanna be, obviously took professional basketball players for granted.” Instead of coming out with a sense of urgency in Luka and Kyrie’s absence and taking an early advantage, the Lakers let the Mavs stay in the game, which cost them badly in the second half.

That’s one of the reasons they got outscored 63-47 in the second period and it was Quentin Grimes and Jaden Hardy who caught the Lakers off guard, combing for 38 points off the bench. As expected, ‘Big Game James’ was left fuming with his former team’s unacceptable behavior, “Sometimes, I don’t know if they want it. I don’t know… This is embarrassing. There is no other word to describe it… Professionals. This should never happen. You should come out as if it is Game 7. Just get it over with.”

Before the game began, the momentum was clearly in the Lakers’ favor. One reason was Luka and Kyrie’s unavailability, but also because the Mavs had lost their previous five matchups. Confidence was low, but their temperament surely wasn’t. However, JJ’s team failed to capitalize on the mega advantage that was served on a plate to them, and this could cost them later in the season.

JJ Redick’s “respect and fear” for the Mavericks was not enough to beat them!

Although James Worthy highlighted that the Lakers might have taken the shorthanded Mavs for granted, surprisingly, JJ Redick was already aware of their potential. When asked about facing them, the rookie head coach said before tip-off, “The utmost respect and fear. It’s NBA players… Even without two superstars, they have a deep roster with another nine really good NBA players that can either score, defend, or both.” Of course, the Mavs made it to the finals last year, and that does not happen with just two great players. It also requires a solid supporting cast and JJ knows it.

He continued, “There’s a reason that a lot of people think they’re one of the true contenders in the West, and I don’t think our group will take them lightly.” Unfortunately, the Lakers could not stick to their head coach’s word, especially in the second half, as they failed to make shot after shot in the final minutes while the Mavs players continued to drain threes.

Well, the Purple and Gold franchise is now 8-11 on the road and will hope to bounce back on Thursday when they face the Hornets. Moreover, they have an eight-game home stand beginning with that matchup, which could put them at a massive advantage. The ability to play while staying with family and loved ones, and not having to travel for games could help the Lakers regain their groove and shake off tonight’s brutal loss. So, the next couple of weeks will be extremely crucial to determine how the season pans out for LeBron James and Co. Do you think they can bounce back?