Each game for the Lakers becomes more important as the season progresses, as the team tries to make up enough ground to claw its way into the postseason after getting off to such a dismal start.
Sunday afternoon in Dallas, L.A. played like its beginning to realize it.
Behind a spectacular 38-point performance from Kobe Bryant, and some above-average three-pont shooting as a team, the Lakers pulled out a tight 103-99 road victory over the Mavericks to pull within two-and-a-half games of the eighth and final playoff spot out West.
The game was close throughout, and featured 10 ties and 20 lead changes. But Bryant’s ability to consistently make tough shots was ultimately the difference.
Bryant finished 12 rebounds and seven assists to go along with his 38 points, and shot 13-21 from the field which included knocking down four of his five attempts from three-point distance. While Dallas pounded L.A. inside and outscored the Lakers by 20 in the points in the paint category, L.A. made up for it by hitting 13 of its 25 attempts from beyond the arc, good for a blistering 52 percent.
Steve Nash matched Bryant with 4-5 shooting from distance, and had his best scoring output as a Laker, finishing with 20 points. It was a rough game for Dwight Howard offensively, who finished with just nine points on 2-7 shooting, and he seemed unable to gain his rhythm after battling through foul trouble for the bulk of the contest.
Howard was active defensively, however, and the Mavericks were able to get what they wanted offensively when he was forced to head to the bench. Midway through the third quarter, for example, after the Lakers overcame a five-point deficit and built a six-point lead, Dallas responded by rattling off seven straight points the moment Howard was subbed out.
In the plus/minus category (if you’re into that particular metric), Howard was a game-high plus-15 in his 34 minutes of action, and managed 13 rebounds, two steals, and a blocked shot.
Dirk Nowitzki led the charge for the Mavericks, providing his best effort of the season in finishing with 30 points and 13 rebounds, while knocking down all four of his attempts from three-point distance. He even had one of the better defensive plays of the day, trapping Bryant in the corner on a double-team, then getting out and finishing on the fast break after Kobe turned it over with an errant crosscourt pass.
This game, however, was Bryant’s. He made several extremely difficult shots, without forcing too much and at the same time drawing multiple defenders and finding his teammates for open looks. He had 14 points in the final period, and secured the win at the free throw line, as well as by grabbing his team’s final two rebounds.
The Mavericks have been far from great this season, but with Dirk returning to form and the team coming into this one tied with the Lakers in the loss column, L.A. needed to make sure it came away with the victory. Bryant’s performance ensured it, and L.A. has a chance to get back to .500 for the first time since Dec. 28 when the team heads to Denver to face the Nuggets on Monday.
