Ryan Kelly will go on to have a long successful career in the NBA and tonight he witnessed first hand what a 7 footer with skill can do to a defense geared to stop him. Dirk Nowitzki scored 27 points, dished out 5 assists, and led to Dallas Mavericks to a comfortable road win against the Lakers, 107-95, at Staples Center.
Nowitzki controlled the game from the outset, setting up teammates for layups and getting free for jumpers. He scored 8 in the period as the Mavericks jumped out to a 21-11 lead with 4:32 left in the 1st. Kent Bazemore and Jodie Meeks then led a 12-6 run to close out the quarter trailing 27-23.
In the 2nd, Nowitzki continued to assert himself in subtle ways, moving without the ball, grabbing offensive rebounds and scoring 9 points off of quick catch and shoot jumpers. Devin Harris orchestrated the Mavericks’ attack with 5 assists, getting easy looks for Shawn Marion and Brendan Wright. The Lakers played their best stretch of the night in the 2nd with Jordan Hill, Bazemore, and Meeks leading a 10-0 run to close the gap with Dallas. Hill’s 8 points allowed the Lakers to go into halftime with the lead 54-52.
Nowitzki and Marion took over the game in the 3rd as the Mavericks went on a 16-7 run to open the half, reclaiming the lead 68-61 with 4:32 remaining. Meeks scored 8 points in the quarter but didn’t have much help from his teammates who went cold. After 3, the Mavericks were ahead 82-78.
Dallas opened the 4th with a 17-5 run that put the game away. Brendan Wright continued his strong play with 9 points midway through the quarter. The Lakers fell apart behind turnovers and lots of missed long range jumpshots. They were unable to mount a response and the game concluded without much suspense.
Brendan Wright scored 23 points, Samuel Dalembert had 14 and yet another team dominated the Lakers in the paint. Jodie Meeks scored 25 and Nick Young contributed 14. The Lakers shot 42% from the field and a dreadful 25% from three. They also committed 15 turnovers.
The Lakers play the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.