Lakers 108, Mavericks 104
After sluggish first half, Kobe comes alive in 4th, OT to knock off Mav
Kobe Bryant scored 30 of his 52 points in the fourth quarter and overtime Sunday to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 108-104 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Bryant hit the 50-point mark for the 22nd time in his career and first time this season. He went 15-of-27 from the floor and, constantly driving and drawing fouls, was 20-of-27 from the line.
Bryant also had 11 rebounds and four assists. Pau Gasol added 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who are 12-2 since he played his first game for them on Feb. 5.
Dirk Nowitzki had 30 points for Dallas, including a 3-pointer with 2 seconds remaining in regulation to tie it at 93. He had nine points in the extra period but missed a 3-point try that would have tied it again with 7 seconds remaining.
Jason Kidd, playing his seventh game for Dallas, had 15 points, 11 assists and six rebounds. He pulled the Mavericks within 105-104 and was fouled on the play with 11 seconds left in overtime. He then missed the only free throw he took in the game.
The Mavericks are 4-3 since Kidd joined them.
Bryant scored the Lakers' final 14 points in the fourth quarter, including a pair of free throws with 6 seconds left after getting the offensive rebound of Lamar Odom's second straight missed foul shot.
Erick Dampier had 16 points and 17 rebounds for Dallas when he fouled out with 1:19 left in regulation. The Los Angeles Lakers' Luke Walton fouled out with 7:11 remaining in the fourth quarter, going to the bench with 11 points and six rebounds.
Jason Terry finished with 18 points for Dallas. Josh Howard had 11 points.
The Lakers got back into the win column after having their 10-game winning streak ended in Portland on Friday night.
Kidd hit a 19-footer, had a steal and made a 3-pointer to give the Mavericks a 59-58 lead with 6:39 left in the third quarter, their first time in front since midway through the opening period.
Dampier had nine points in the third and the Mavericks were up 68-65 heading into the final 12 minutes. The Lakers scored just 15 points and went 6-of-22 from the floor in the third, with Odom missing all five of his shots.
Bryant scored 10 in the second quarter to help Los Angeles to a 50-47 halftime lead. Gasol had 12 first-half points, but just two in the second quarter.
The Lakers led 47-35 with 4:22 left in the half, but a couple of 3-pointers by Terry and another by Nowitzki helped them close the gap.
Kidd got off to a quick start, hitting a 3 for the first points of the game, assisting on Howard's 18-foot jumper the next time down the floor, then looping a pass to Dampier for a dunk -- all in the first 39 seconds to give Dallas a 7-0 lead. Los Angeles led 29-23 at the end of the first quarter.
Game notes
The Mavericks beat the Lakers 112-105 in Dallas on Jan. 25, despite 40 points, 10 rebounds and five assists by Kobe Bryant. Gasol joined the Lakers about a week later.
MAVERICKS-LAKERS PREVIEW
The Los Angeles Lakers' acquisition of Pau Gasol set off a flurry of moves by Western Conference contenders before last month's trade deadline. The Dallas Mavericks' trade for Jason Kidd was one of the follow-ups.
Gasol and the Lakers host Kidd and the Mavericks on Sunday in a matchup between West powers hoping their new-look lineups can carry them to an NBA title.
Three weeks before the Feb. 21 trade deadline, Los Angeles pulled off a deal that sent Kwame Brown's expiring contract, rookie point guard Javaris Crittenton and two first-round draft picks to Memphis for Gasol, a former All-Star and one of the most talented big men in the league.
The deal prompted a series of responses from the Lakers' fellow contenders in the West. Phoenix acquired Shaquille O'Neal from Miami and San Antonio traded for Kurt Thomas for help with interior defense and rebounding.
While Dallas didn't make a similar move to get tougher inside, it did make some of the biggest headlines by sending rising star Devin Harris and four other players to New Jersey for Kidd, who played the first two-plus seasons of his career with the Mavericks from 1994-1996.
The Lakers (41-18) are 11-2 since Gasol's debut with the team Feb. 5, while the Mavericks (39-20) have won four of six since acquiring Kidd.
"I think anytime you're on the run trying to make adjustments it's hard in this league," Kidd said after Dallas beat Sacramento 115-106 on Friday night. "In this league, everybody is a professional and they're not going to wait around until you get it. We've been together for six games and we're doing a pretty good job.
"So I think as a whole there still are some areas that we have to tighten up, but I think we're going in the right direction. We're building and each time we go out on the floor we believe in one another and I think that's a big thing. I've always said if you believe in one another you can have success."
Kidd, whom the Lakers tried to acquire before last season's trade deadline, had a season-high 21 points in Friday's win and added 11 rebounds and nine assists, falling one assist shy of his 100th career triple-double and first with Dallas this season.
The Mavericks have told Kidd he should look to shoot more, even though he is making a career-worst 37.8 percent from the field this season.
"It was fun to watch Kidd all over the court," said Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki, who had 34 points and 10 rebounds Friday. "He scored points in the post like we need him to do. He needs to become a scorer."
Los Angeles had its season-high 10-game win streak snapped with a 119-111 loss at Portland on Friday night. Kobe Bryant had 33 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but the Lakers went 5-for-27 from 3-point range and allowed the Blazers to shoot 52.9 percent from the field -- the highest mark by a Los Angeles opponent this season.
"You know fatigue has an effect on the ball game, but you don't use it as an excuse," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, whose team won at home the previous night. "You know you are going to lose (eventually), but you hope to not have a slippage of fundamentals, or things like that."
Bryant had 40 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in Los Angeles' first meeting with Dallas on Jan. 25, but the Mavericks got 26 points and 10 rebounds from both Nowitzki and Josh Howard in their 112-105 home win. It was Dallas' fifth victory in the last six games in the series.
Bryant is averaging 35.0 points in his last 12 games against the Mavs. In that stretch, he has four games with at least 40 points, including a 62-point performance on Dec. 20, 2005.
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