“The Lakers stink, plain and simple… The Lakers are not a good team. They have zero athletic ability… The Lakers are not any good,” said Charles Barkley on NBA on TNT. The Lakers led by LeBron James took a brutal hit in Texas, losing 118-97 to the Dallas Mavericks. What made it sting even more? The Jason Kidd-led side was without both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Despite that, LA’s defense was nowhere to be found, letting Dallas shoot a blazing 52.3% from the field and 47.4% from three.

The Mavs were also on a five-game losing streak coming into this one, so yeah, this loss was pretty hard to swallow. For the Lakers, it’s the kind of game that makes you wonder what went wrong. The LA side just couldn’t lock down on defense, letting the Mavs get easy 3-pointers, especially off dribble drives. That gave Dallas the chance to grow their lead in the second half.

Meanwhile, LA struggled from deep, hitting just 11 of 35 attempts. The King had to let all his teammates know. He did not mince his words. The 20x All-Star said, “Just another night for us, you know, not that very good offensively. We didn’t shoot the ball well. We missed a lot of shots at the rim and they countered it.” Bron also opened up about their struggles, particularly with shooting.

“Oh, mean, when we’re not shooting the ball, well, from the perimeter, those layups can be discouraged, especially because we’re so well with attacking, attacking the paint, getting to the free-throw line. It happens sometimes. We just gotta convert those,” LBJ said.

King James acknowledged that when the Lakers aren’t hitting shots from the outside, it impacts their offense. However, Bron emphasized their usual ability to get inside and draw fouls, which has been a strong point for the LA side. While their shooting wasn’t on point, the 22-season veteran showed us a glimpse of his vintage self.

LeBron James throws down a dunk… which is insane at 40!

LeBron James, at 40 years old, continues to rewrite the script of what’s possible in the NBA. With just over eight minutes left in the first quarter, the King turned back the clock with a dunk that had everyone in the arena talking. Rui Hachimura missed a corner 3, but Max Christie grabbed the rebound and hit LeBron with a perfect pass, as he streaked toward the top of the key.

LeBron took one dribble just past the foul line, powered through the lane, and with 7-foot-1 Dereck Lively trying to block his path, he switched the ball to his left hand and unleashed a windmill dunk that left the Mavs center helpless! The Lakers bench erupted, obviously, and Kevin Harlan’s excitement on TNT said it all, summing up the priceless moment.

But the veteran wasn’t done. After throwing down the dunk, he immediately sprinted back on defense, stole the inbounds pass, and set up another chance for the Lakers. Even at 40, LeBron is still a game-changer, showing that age is just a number.

Since returning from an 8-day absence, he’s helped the Lakers go 7-2 in their last 9 games, climbing to No. 5 in the Western Conference. But they’ve slipped to the 6th position after their loss to the Mavs. Although James proves that even in his 40s, he’s still capable of moments that leave us all in awe. To hell with Father Time!