Recap: Lakers 96 at Mavericks 91

Earl K. Sneed recaps the Dallas Mavericks' home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night as the defending champions head into the All-Star break on a sour note.

DALLAS — It was built as the matchup of the last two teams to capture the NBA championship. It was also a rematch of one of the defending champion Dallas Mavericks’ most disappointing losses in the first half of this season.

Looking to avenge a 73-70 loss in Los Angeles to the Lakers on Jan. 16, the Mavericks attempted to conclude play before the All-Star break by winning for an eighth time in a nine-game stretch. The team also tried to make up for the absence of ex-Laker Lamar Odom, who was excused from the team while he handles a family matter.

Also playing without new addition Delonte West (fractured right ring finger) and third-year guard Rodrigue Beaubois (personal reasons), the shorthanded Mavericks tried to get even with the Lakers after last month’s last-second loss. And with the league’s leading scorer, Kobe Bryant, in town and hungry for a road victory, the Mavericks hoped to treat their hometown fans to one more show before entering the midseason break.

The Lakers (20-13) had other things in mind, however, sending the Mavs into the All-Star break sitting on a 96-91 loss.

“We had our chances and just couldn’t use them,” 11-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki said after the loss. “It’s disappointing, especially to lose this one at home before the break. And you have to sit on it for a week.”

With defensive specialist Shawn Marion starting the game on Bryant, the Mavericks (21-13) would have a hard time accounting for center Andrew Bynum early on as the big man asserted himself in the opening quarter. The Lakers then turned to fellow 7-footer Pau Gasol as he powered the visitors to a 12-3 advantage out of the gates. But the Mavs would climb back with a 7-0 spurt led by swingman Vince Carter. Carter then connected on a corner 3-pointer to trim the Mavs’ deficit to just 25-21, scoring 11 points to combat Gasol’s 12 points in the first quarter as the Lakers’ 11-for-24 shooting just bettered the Mavs’ 9-of-25 in the period.

“I kind of made it my responsibility to be aggressive and attack,” Carter explained, “just to get us going. I have the ability to make shots and I’ve been a little disappointed in myself the last couple of games for just not being aggressive enough.”

“I thought he kept us in the game really in the first half,” Nowitzki said of Carter’s hot start.

The duo of Carter and backup big man Brian Cardinal would briefly put the Mavs in front on the scoreboard before a 3-pointer by Lakers reserve Matt Barnes halted Dallas’ momentum. But a Lakers spurt led by guard Andrew Goudelock off the bench put the L.A. team up by double figures in the second stanza.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Carter and Jason Terry got the Mavs back into the game, however, after falling behind by as much as 14. And with Nowitzki coming alive, the Mavs finished the first half on a 20-6 run, tying the game at 48-all at the halftime break.

With Carter’s 18 first-half points on 7-of-13 from the field bettering Gasol’s 16 points, the Mavericks fought their way back in the game despite being outshot through two quarters, 46.3 percent to 42.6 percent. Dallas also entered the locker room with a 22-18 edge in points in the paint and 14-2 margin in second-chance points.

A quick start by Derek Fisher and Gasol’s continuous assault gave the Lakers a quick boost early in the third quarter. But behind Marion’s shutdown defense on Bryant, the Mavs continued to stay even with the Lakers for most of the period. And after getting a lift offensively from big man Yi Jianlian off the bench, the Mavs found themselves knotted at 72-all with the Lakers entering the fourth.

After snapping out of an early funk, Terry looked to take over the fourth quarter as he has grown accustom to doing. The Mavs then drew a fifth team foul on the Lakers and moved into the penalty with 7:28 remaining on the game clock before Nowitzki and Bryant exchanged scores as they tried to lead their respective teams. But after the two teams found themselves still tied midway through the final 12 minutes of play, Fisher swished in a shot from behind the arc that forced Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle to call timeout with Dallas down 87-82 with 4:13 remaining.

Fisher would strike again with a jumper in the midst of a 9-0 Lakers run before Terry stopped the bleeding with a much-needed hoop at the other end of the floor. Nowitzki then came out of a timeout and hit a vintage jumper to bring his team within three. But after a score by Gasol, Bryant found Bynum for an alley-oop connection to put the Lakers up 93-86 with 1:05 left.

“In a couple of situations, we’d make it tough and they’d just throw it up there and guys would go get it,” Carter said of the Lakers’ above-the-rim play inside.

The Mavs weren’t done fighting, though, as Terry drained a three before Nowitzki followed up two missed free throws by Bryant and a Carter miss from deep with a tip-in to make it 93-91 with 27.9 ticks remaining. A hard foul by Brendan Haywood was followed by two missed free throws by Gasol during a string of six straight misses at the line by the Lakers. But with Barnes grabbing the rebound and nailing two shots at the charity stripe, the Mavs trailed by four with 18.9 left. Terry then followed up his own miss on the offensive end with a foul on Fisher as the veteran guard put the finishing touches on the Lakers’ victory with a 1-of-2 trip at the line.

“We just kind of struggled in the game and struggled to hit shots that we normally hit. It just seemed like we’d get a little momentum and then we had trouble sustaining. Tough game, but you’ve got to give them credit. Their inside game really hurt us,” Carlisle concluded.

“We didn’t execute well down the stretch today and they even gave us a chance,” Nowitzki echoed. “How many times are they gonna miss six or seven free throws in a row? We had some costly turnovers there and I wasn’t very good down the stretch. … We just didn’t execute well as a team.”

Finishing with a game-high 25 points, Nowitzki led the way for the Mavs on 9-of-22 shooting to go along with a team-high 12 rebounds. Scoring just two in the second half, Carter pitched in 20 points and Terry was the only other Mav in double figures with 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting off the bench.

Gasol led the Lakers with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Bynum recorded a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds.

“They’re tough and they have a lot of length. They do a great job of utilizing it, playing together and taking advantage of it in key situations,” Carter said of the Lakers’ twin towers.

“Obviously, [Bryant] gets a lot of attention. We doubled him off every screen-and-roll and those two big guys are beasts down there,” Nowitzki added.

Finishing 4-for-15, Bryant matched Fisher with 15 points while committing seven turnovers.

The Lakers also finished the night outshooting the Mavericks, 46.1 percent to 40 percent, although Dallas held a 50-49 rebounding edge. Despite hitting just 18 of 31 free-throw attempts, the Lakers took 15 more shots at the foul line. The Lakers overcame a 20-14 Dallas edge in second-chance points and the Mavs’ 11-4 separation in fast-break points with a 38-32 advantage in points in the paint as well. And although the Mavs turned 17 L.A. turnovers into 25 points, surrendering just 13 points on their own 13 giveaways, they still were unable to leave their home floor with a victory.

“The big things with [the Lakers] are the rebounding, trying to keep Bryant contained somewhat and then the post game,” Carlisle said when summing up the night. “The rebounding really got us in the second half. I think we only gave up five offensive rebounds in the first half and then 12 in the second half; that was a huge disparity. They got too many chances.”

“They made us pay inside there in the second half,” Nowitzki added.

The Mavericks will now head into the All-Star break before starting a stretch of nine games in 12 nights. The team returns to action at the American Airlines Center next Tuesday night when they host ex-Mav DeShawn Stevenson, former head coach Avery Johnson and the New Jersey Nets. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.

“We’ve gotta make a run after the break,” Nowitzki simply said before making his 11th straight All-Star appearance. “It’s a beast of a schedule. I think we have nine games in 12 days. It’s gonna be tough and we’re gonna need every available body to play well, give us some energy and ultimately make a push towards the playoffs.”

Single-game tickets are on sale and available at the American Airlines Center North Box Office, online at mavs.com, via phone by calling 214-747-MAVS or 1-800-4NBA-TIX and all Ticketmaster outlets (Fiesta Grocery Stores, Wal-Mart, Simon Mall in Garland and the Shops at Willow Bend in Plano).

Dr. Pepper Family Nights are here! Plans include four Mavs tickets and four McDonald’s extra value meals, starting at $49. Visit mavs.com or call 214-747-MAVS for a schedule of games and to purchase tickets.