Lakers Dominate the Boards, Lose to Mavericks

The game against the Mavericks started woefully.  Kobe Bryant rested for a third consecutive game.  Wayne Ellington made the start.  Dallas, now with Rondo, jumped out to a quick 12-2 run within the first three minutes of the game. Rajon Rondo set up Tyson Chandler a couple times for lob dunks right at the rim.  

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Things didn’t really get started until Wayne Ellington made a three-point shot.  Wesley Johnson has been averaging 16.5 points per game in Kobe’s absence. He tried to get started from the perimeter. He looked off from the get-go.

Ed Davis settled things down by controlling the offensive glass and getting a few finishes in the paint.  However, when Jeremy Lin stepped onto the floor alongside Carlos Boozer, the Lakers put on a run.  After being down 30-22, the Lakers capped out an 8-point run.  The Mavericks called time out, only to have Rondo respond with a couple layups to extend the lead.

At the half, the Lakers were down 48-42.  Despite shooting 33% from the field, the Lakers outrebounded the Mavericks 26-18.  On the offensive glass alone, the Lakers had an 11-2 edge.  The team did a better job containing Tyson Chandler underneath the basket, but struggled to keep Rajon Rondo and Monta Ellis out of the painted area.  Carlos led the Lakers with 10 points and 5 rebounds and the half.  Rajon Rondo led the way for the Mavericks with 10 points on 5 of 8 shooting from the field.  Chandler ended the half with 9 points on 3 of 4 shooting.

The start of the third quarter began with a barrage of Dirk Nowitzki shots.  Shockingly, he missed a lot of great looks at the basket, but hit a shot from midrange to pass Elvin Hayes for total career points.  He is now ranked #8 in the NBA. The Mavericks attacked the paint relentlessly against poor interior defense.  Laker bigmen were late to help in the painted area.  Rondo, Ellos, and Harris all got their share of easy looks under the hoop.  Boozer was substituted halfway through the third to moderate the score.  Lin had minimal impact in terms of individual statistics, but the Lakers were able to maintain better control of the game by dominating the offensive glass.  Through three quarters, the Lakers totaled 20 offensive rebounds, but stayed down 72-62 to begin the fourth.

Swaggy P finally got his shot going after making a difficult corner three.  He hit three consecutive three-pointers to cut the lead down to 6.  Charlie Villanueva came back with a layup and two, three-pointers of his own.  After another made lay up by Chandler, the Mavericks lead was extended 90-79.  They never looked back.

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