Recap: Mavericks 99 at Lakers 91 – Balanced Mavs ruin Lakers debuts for Nash, Howard
Earl K. Sneed reports from Los Angeles and recaps the Dallas Mavericks' season-opening victory over the Lakers, as point guard Darren Collison led six players in double figures.
Recap: Mavericks 99 at Lakers 91 – Balanced Mavs ruin Lakers debuts for Nash, Howard
LOS ANGELES – The wait was over.
After an unexpectedly long offseason following their first-round playoff series exit at the hands of Oklahoma City last season, the Dallas Mavericks finally hit the hardwood for a meaningful game Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
Entering the Staples Center in search of a positive start to the 2012-13 season, the Mavericks quickly found themselves in for a benchmark game against the heralded L.A. Lakers. However, without the services of 11-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki (knee surgery) and center Chris Kaman (strained right calf), the new-look Mavs — and eight of their nine new faces — would have to rally together in order to steal a victory on the Lakers’ home floor.
That’s just what they did.
Led by L.A. native and starting point guard Darren Collison, the Mavericks (1-0) wouldn’t shy away from the bright lights of Tinseltown even without their superstar in the lineup. And with six players in double figures, the Mavs began their season with an impressive 99-91 road victory to end a six-game regular-season losing streak to the Lakers.
“As a competitor, you want to prove people wrong,” Collison said of the victory. “As a competitor, when everybody says, ‘You don’t have Dirk and you don’t stand a chance,’ you want to prove people wrong. And we want to hold down the fort as much as we can until Dirk gets back.”
Shaking off a sprained foot injury that was believed to potentially have him sidelined, 14-time All-Star Kobe Bryant remained in the Lakers’ starting lineup alongside his newest teammates, two-time MVP Steve Nash and three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard. Meanwhile, the Mavericks continued to make up for the absences of Nowitzki and Kaman by inserting big man Brandan Wright into the first unit at center, alongside forwards Elton Brand and Shawn Marion, 2-guard O.J. Mayo and Collison at the point.
With Brand opening the game defending Howard inside, the Mavs somehow tried to combat the Lakers’ size with Wright matched up against Pau Gasol. Meanwhile, Bryant wouldn’t show any ill effects on the ailing foot, as he and Mayo exchanged scores in the opening period with an array of shots.
Still, even with Mayo draining 3-for-4 in the period and 2-for-2 from 3-point range for eight points, the Mavericks trailed 29-25 after one.
When the game shifted into the hands of the reserves as the second stanza got underway it wouldn’t take long for the Mavs to find themselves down by as much as eight. But with rookie Jae Crowder picking up where he left off at during the preseason and fourth-year guard Rodrigue Beaubois helping to lead the charge, the Mavs would assume the lead behind their defense and instant offense.
“[Beaubois] might have been the key guy in the game," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle explained. "He went in and kept the tempo going and then he made timely offensive and defensive plays. Tonight, I thought he showed what he’s capable of doing at the point guard spot within our system. And he and Darren, they are going to cause problems for teams with their speed and their tenacity.”
Collison and the starters then returned to the game before heading to the locker room with a 48-46 edge after the lead guard drained in a jumper over Gasol to end the first half.
Led by Collison’s 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting, the Mavs overcame the Lakers’ 55.9 percent shooting despite hitting just 44.7 percent from the floor themselves. The Mavericks also hung tough on the glass, although the Lakers’ superior length lead to a 22-19 rebounding edge at the midway mark.
Coming out of the intermission, Collison continued to look for his own shot. Meanwhile, the Mavs would get a boost from newly-acquired center Eddy Curry and Brand in the interior, after a flagrant-1 foul call on Howard helped the visiting team surge ahead by as much as 10 in the period.
Eight-time All-Star Vince Carter then carried the Mavs to a 75-66 lead entering the final 12 minutes of play.
An and-1 score by ex-Maverick Antawn Jamison would give the Lakers life as the fourth quarter began. But after giving up the basket, Marion would have his revenge with an emphatic finish for a three-point play at the other end.
The Lakers’ inability to connect from the free throw would then halt their attempts at getting back into the game, allowing the Mavericks to maintain their stranglehold on the scoreboard as Wright made the most of his first start as a Maverick.
Looking to put the game away midway through the fourth, a driving Collison dished it to Wright in the lane for an and-1 score to put the Mavericks up 16, 93-77. The Mavs wouldn’t look back the rest of the way, padding the final score with trips to the free throw line.
Leading six Mavericks in double figures was Collison, would returned to his hometown to score 17 points on 8-for-12 shooting while dishing out four assists.
“You know, Steve Nash is a good player, but I just listen to what my coach tells me to do,” Collison said of his individual battle. “You know, I was brought here for my speed and quickness, and I try to get into the paint as much as I can. … I’m starting to come into my own and starting to feel comfortable. My teammates have been in my ear to attack, and that’s what I’m gonna do.”
As a starter, Wright added 14 points and five rebounds, while Mayo added 12 points on 4-for-13 from the floor. Marion, Carter and Beaubois all posted 11 points apiece. Dallas also committed just 12 turnovers compared to 14 for the Lakers, with both teams scoring 17 points at the other end off the miscues.
“Good win. I thought we played scrappy from start to finish and came out with the win. … Obviously with Dirk out, he’s a big part of what we do and this organization, and he’s definitely put the organization on his back for years and done his job. But that’s the whole reason why you regroup and reload and bring in younger, fresher legs to help him out. It’s a lot of miles and it’s our job to hold down the fort a little bit,” Mayo explained.
Surrendering 8-of-19 from the field for a game-high 23 points to Gasol and 11-of-14 shooting to Bryant for his 22 points, the Mavericks overcame getting outshot, 49.4 percent to 47.1 percent. Led by 11 boards for Brand, the Mavs stayed competitive on the glass as well, although the Lakers finished with a 46-40 rebounding edge led by Gasol’s 13 boards.
“We kept the tempo going, we were efficient with the ball and we rebounded. Those three things really carried the game for us,” Carlisle added. “It’s a great win. If you execute in this league and have talent, you have a chance to win and we did that. We were opportunistic tonight and got the job done.”
In his Lakers debut, Howard finished 8-of-19 from the field for 19 points and 10 boards, but was just 3-of-14 from the foul line. Meanwhile, Nash was outdueled by Collison, going just 3-for-9 to finish with seven points and four assists.
The Mavs will now have little time to celebrate the season-opening victory, heading to Utah for the second half of a back-to-back and returning to action against the Jazz Wednesday night. The game will air locally at 8 p.m. CT on Fox Sports Southwest.
"It's a good start, but we have a tough one tomorrow night," Collison foreshadowed.
