The Lakers’ first embarrassing loss of 2025 came at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. Despite neither Kyrie Irving nor Luka Dončić being available, the Mavericks easily defeated the Lakers 118-97 on Tuesday night.

Dallas shot brightly from deep, scoring 18:38 as a team from 3-point range. Quentin Grimes fired up the Lakers, scoring 23 points off the bench, Klay Thompson added 13 points on 50% shooting and former Lakers Spencer Dinwiddie had a game of his own, scoring 19 points and having the best plus-minus of all at +23 teams.

The Lakers shouldn’t burn this tape. Instead, they should watch it until they’re sick because the fanbase witnessed it in real time.

So let’s dive into loss. As always, grades are based on each player’s expectations. The grade “B” represents the average performance of that player.

Anthony Davis

38 minutes, 21 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 7-18 FG, 0-2 3PT, 7-9 FT, -19

In the preview for this game, we said that AD would need a game with 30+ points and 15+ rebounds. That’s exactly the performance needed to win, and Davis couldn’t reach that level.

He missed so many pointless shots at the basket, settled for diving, missed a few free throws and went 0-2 from distance.

AD is the star of the team, but he didn’t play like it and looked like he was just going through the motions far too often.

Grade: C

Rui Hachimura

26 minutes, 6 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3-5 FG, 0-2 3PT, -8

This was a tough night for Hachimura. He gave you very little on offense, virtually no rebounds and couldn’t stop anyone from scoring.

In some ISO situations, he was put on skates and the Mavs either shot over him or flew right past him and attacked the rim. For Rui to remain in the starting lineup, he had to be better in all phases of the game.

Grade: D

LeBron James

35 minutes, 18 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 6-12 FG, 1-4 3PT, 5-6 FT, -12

In the first half, LeBron pulled off a mesmerizing dunk that electrified and mesmerized, but after that, this game was a dud. James was on cruise control most of the night, not imposing his will offensively and not caring much about defensively at all.

If James plays at this level, the Lakers won’t win many games and this team will regress to a mediocre roster.

Grade: D

Austin Reaves

32 minutes, 15 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 5-14 FG, 4-11 3PT, 1-2 FT, -25

Add Reaves to the long list of Lakers who didn’t get it done against the Mavs. Many of his shots were desperate jumps late in the shot clock. He wasn’t influential on the ball at all and guards like Dinwiddie did whatever they wanted with him.

There’s nothing to worry about in the long term about Reaves’ play, but that was a poor performance, no question.

Grade: D

Max Christie

30 minutes, 12 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 5-9, 1-4 3PT, 1-1 FT, -22

If you’re desperate to get something positive out of this game, Christie is for you. He put in a decent performance defensively, scoring 12 points on 5-9 shooting and continuing to prove why he is now an integral part of the starting lineup.

A few more 3-pointers would have been ideal, but Christie had a good game given his role on this team.

Grade: B+

Dorian Finney Smith

28 minutes, 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3-4 FG, 3-4 3PT, 2-2 FT, +3

This was undoubtedly the best game Finney-Smith had as a Laker. He had solid defense, conceding just three points and scoring three of his four attempts.

DFS was the only Lakers player with a positive plus-minus and getting him more comfortable will be crucial going forward. He provides solid base defense and 3-point shooting that this team desperately needs.

Grade: B+

Gabe Vincent

24 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 0-4 FG, 0-3 3PT, -5

What a crapshoot for Vincent. Statistics don’t tell the whole story, but do you really need more details beyond zero points, one rebound and two assists?

His performances this year were very interesting. At times he looks like the player who played impressive minutes for the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. Sometimes Vincent is unforgettable and the rest of the time he is remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Vincent is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. He delivered a chunk of coal against the Mavs.

Grade: F

Dalton Knecht

16 minutes, 13 points, 1 block, 5-8 FG, 2-5 3PT, 1-2 FT, -8

With the Lakers trailing by double digits early in the fourth, Lakers head coach JJ Redick was looking for an offensive boost. He went with Dalton Knecht and he delivered. The rookie scored 10 points in the fourth and kept the team’s hopes alive in the final frame.

It’s been an up and down season for Knecht, but his ability to get hot and shoot at a high level is undeniable and he reminded fans of his potential with his fourth quarter performance.

Grade: B+

Jaxson Hayes

12 minutes, 1 point, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 5-8 FG, 2-5 3PT, 1-2 FT, -8

This performance from Hayes makes me think of the iconic burn Bob Costas inflicted on Cubs pitcher Pedro Strop. It was a terrible night for the Lakers big with four fouls in the first four minutes of the game.

Hayes only had one point and was exposed on the perimeter all night. Christian Koloko is two-pronged, but if Hayes continues to play at this level, some decisions may need to be made about her big options.

Grade: F

Bronny James

There will be no grade for Bronny James as he only played a minute in rubbish time.

JJ Redick

The whole defense switch-on didn’t work, one moment of zone coverage was suspect, so the losses and effort that night also go back to Redick. He didn’t push the right buttons or present a lineup that could consistently perform well on both sides of the ball.

Grade: D

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.