The Dallas Mavericks, losers of six straight, desperately needed a win over the L.A. Lakers to get back on track and renew the team's sprint for a championship. Thankfully, the Lakers hand delivered a 109-100 Mavericks win to Dallas with a third quarter collapse that'd make the Baltimore Ravens proud.
Lakers Vs. Mavericks: L.A. Collapse Gives Dallas A Much-Needed Win
The Lakers led by four at halftime, but Dallas won the third 30-17, thanks to seven turnovers by L.A. Three of those turnovers in the third were by Kobe Bryant, who otherwise had a solid game (21 points, 10 assists). The Mavericks capitalized, getting off six more shots than the Lakers in third to open up a lead. The Mavs continued to hit timely shots and avoid bad mistakes in the fourth to hold on.
L.A. hasn't exactly begun a tough stretch of its schedule on the right foot. The Lakers did beat the Thunder on Monday, but face test against the Nuggets and Jazz in the next week. A date with the Boston Celtics looms at the end of the month.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, just needed a win against anyone after dropping a half-dozen and essentially falling out of contention for the West's No. 1 seed. Dirk Nowitzki scored just 14 against L.A., but Shawn Marion and Jason Terry each had 22 and Jason Kidd added 21 and 10 assists.
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