Arthur Kaluma just went off, dropping a phenomenal 34 points, and he single-handedly helped the Los Angeles Lakers snag their second win in as many nights, beating the Dallas Mavericks 91-70. This team is on fire in Las Vegas, staying undefeated and racking up four straight wins this summer after a stumble in their opener.
Kaluma Carries the Load Early
Man, the Lakers started rough, going down by five points right out the gate. Dallas had Tobi Lawal and Ryan Nembhard scoring all their early buckets. But Adou Thiero got LA on the board with a three-point play, which was huge. Then Jon Elmore came off the bench and gave them a serious spark, putting up six points, and Peter Suder added four productive minutes too. Zhaire Smith hit a sweet fadeaway jumper to put the purple and gold up by two at the end of the first, 21-19. Elmore was actually leading the team with six points after one. The Mavs' rookie Morez Johnson had a solid start to the second quarter with six points for Dallas. Early in that second period, Kaluma was literally the only Laker scoring, hitting a layup to keep them in it. Both teams were shooting 47% from the field for a bit, but Dallas pulled ahead by two, forcing an LA timeout. Out of that break, Thiero drew a foul and converted, tying the game up. That's when Kaluma really started to cook, pushing his total to 12 points, becoming the first Laker in double figures. By halftime, Kaluma had piled up 18 points, shooting an insane 75% from the field. Lakers were up by three, and you could feel the momentum shifting.Fourth Quarter Domination Seals the Deal
The third quarter started a bit slow, with both teams missing seven shots combined before Tobi Lawal finally broke the ice for Dallas with a free throw for two points. William Hickey got the Lakers on the board with a layup, and then Kaluma drained his third three-pointer of the game. At the 5:46 mark, LA was up by four. Chris Mañon provided another spark for Los Angeles with six points of his own. The Lakers really locked in after that, finishing the quarter strong and building a 10-point lead heading into the final frame, beating Dallas by seven in the third period. Johnson hit a jumper to start the fourth for the Mavs, but LA responded with a quick 7-0 scoring run. Then Kaluma stepped up again, knocking down two more triples, which pushed his game total to a massive 34 points. He helped the Lakers just pull away in the fourth quarter, putting this game completely out of reach. This Lakers squad is looking seriously good in Summer League, showing some real chemistry and a ton of talent, especially with Kaluma absolutely cooking. They're still undefeated in Vegas. What's next for this crew? You gotta tune in and see if they can keep this perfect run going, because right now, they look unstoppable.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.