Dallas Dropkicks the Lakers

Shooting woes plagued the Los Angeles Lakers from the start of the game and the Dallas Mavericks went on to win, 94-80 for a rare road victory at Staples Center. Dallas started strong, as the Lakers shot poorly in the first quarter, managing only 21 points. Turnovers allowed the Mavs to get out in transition

while the Lakers scrambled to get back on defense. And while the Lakers floundered, the Mavs made them pay by penetrating deep into the lane then kicked the ball out to open players floating on the wings for uncontested shots. Jason Kidd (2 points, 11 assists, 4 rebounds), and back-up Jose Juan Barea (12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists), forced the action with super-sub Jason Terry (16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists), being the prime beneficiary that led to a 24-21 advantage after the first stanza.

Behind Shannon Brown (12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals), and Jordan Farmar (5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists), in the 2nd period, the Lakers got themselves back into the contest by hitting three, 3-pointers. Andrew Bynum, (14 points, 10 rebounds) continued his good play, punishing the smaller Mavs in the paint, but he didn’t get the ball enough as the starters struggled with their offense and relied on taking outside shots. As a result, the Lakers shot only 9-14 free throws for the contest while Dallas shot 25-32 from the line.

Kobe Bryant (20 points, on 6 for 19, 6 rebounds, 2 assists) had an uncharacteristic bad shooting night, missing easy (for him) pull-ups while also being forced into passes that led to turnovers. Perhaps he was overly pumped up for Mark Cuban’s Mavericks, or more so, his inflammatory comments directed at newcomer, Ron Artest. Cuban had said over the summer that he was glad that the Lakers had signed Artest, noting that he could hardly wait until Kobe called for the ball in the 4th quarter while Artest held onto the ball and looked for his own shot. But neither Cuban or the Mavs had to wait that long before this game was decided. The Lakers found themselves reacting to the Mavs’ offense rather than initiating their defense. Foul problems soon forced Artest (3 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals), to the bench, and then with 5 seconds left in the half, Lamar Odom (10 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists), picked up his third foul as well. But Dirk Nowitzki (21 points, 10 rebounds),  fouled Kobe with one second left to play, and after he drained his two free throws, the out-of-sync Lakers limped to the locker room fortunate to be down only 52-45.

Artest picked up his 4th foul 9:52 into the third quarter after apparently cleanly stealing the ball, and then promptly picked up a technical foul. Dallas pushed the lead to 55-45 after the charity. Another free throw by Eric Dampier (8 points, 10 rebounds), followed by a Nowitzki jumper made it 58-45. Odom nailed a jumper followed by a Derek Fisher (5 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists), trey and the Lakers finally seemed to be getting back on track. But it was Dallas that looked fresher and was more active on defense, which effectively kept the Lakers at bay. The lead remained double-digits, as the Lakers appeared visibly upset on almost every possession and perceived non-call. As is Phil Jackson’s style, he allowed his players to try to find their own way out of their bad play. But the Lakers continued to stumble as Dallas pushed the lead to 73-54 on a Dampier dunk and Terry three-pointer. Consecutive turnovers by Farmar allowed the Mavs to extend their lead to 78-56 as the “boo-birds” voiced their displeasure. The quarter ended mercifully at 78-60 as Kobe converted on a three-point play and Josh Powell tipped in an errant Farmar miss.

Entering the final period, the Lakers started small, going to a 3-guard offense with Kobe, Brown and Farmar, and with Powell and Artest anchoring the blocks. Powell hit a driving layup and another pair of free throws by Kobe narrowed the lead to 78-64. The Lakers began attacking the rim and Dallas piled up the fouls, putting the Lakers into the bonus with 10:34 left to play. Artest, after missing both of his free throws, picked up his 5th foul of the game after losing the ball on the ensuing possession. Shannon Brown’s incredible follow jam off a missed Kobe trey electrified the crowd momentarily and had the bench falling all over themselves. He elevated so high that teammate Powell was posterized, who also jumped for the rebound but found himself looking up at Brown’s waistband.

A pair of free throws by Kobe made it 80-68 with 7:47 left in the contest but the confident Mavs responded with a trio of buckets by Shawn Marion to crank the lead back up to 86-68. Sloppy play continued and ill-advised shots caromed harmlessly into Dallas’ hands. The Lakers were forced to foul and Dallas steadily pulled away for the rare victory away from home. For the game, the Lakers committed 19 turnovers and shot a dismal 39.5% from the field and 64.3% from the line. Phil pulled the plug early with 3:04 left in the game and promptly cleared in the bench. Thoughts of challenging the Chicago Bulls regular season record were quickly extinguished and perhaps for this Lakers squad, this game was a good, early wake-up call that clearly illustrated wins will not come as easily as the media has predicted. Next up for the defending champions is a meeting with the young, yet confident, Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.