Nowitzki scores 21 in Mavs’ 94-80 victory over LA

By BETH HARRIS, AP Sports Writer Oct 31, 2:32 am EDT

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LOS ANGELES (AP)—The Dallas Mavericks surprised themselves in a bad way with a season-opening loss at home. Then they hit the road and stunned the defending NBA champions.

Dirk Nowitzki(notes) scored 21 points and the Mavs were 25 of 32 from the free throw line, snapping a six-game losing streak against the Los Angeles Lakers with a 94-80 victory Friday night.

Nowitzki made 10 of 11 from the line and grabbed 10 rebounds, Shawn Marion(notes) added 18 points and Jason Terry(notes) 16 for the Mavs, who hadn’t defeated the Lakers at Staples Center since March 11, 2007.

“We haven’t won in this building in what feels like forever,” Nowitzki said. “We took that home loss pretty hard, almost felt embarrassed we came up flat in the season opener.”

Erick Dampier(notes) had 10 rebounds and Jason Kidd(notes) had 11 assists.

Kobe Bryant(notes) led the Lakers with 20 points. Andrew Bynum(notes) had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and reserve Shannon Brown(notes) added 12 points as the Lakers shot 39 percent from the floor.

“That was one of the longest nights we’ve had in this building,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “We should refund the money to our fans. Every time we got momentum we shot ourselves in our own foot.”

While the Mavs paraded to the line as the Lakers racked up 29 fouls, Los Angeles got there just 14 times, hitting nine shots.

The Lakers never made a run in the fourth, getting derailed by horrendous shooting and turnovers by Lamar Odom(notes), Josh Powell(notes) and Bryant. Their lone highlight was Brown’s thundering dunk off Bryant’s jumper that bounced off the rim. It got the crowd on its feet in a collective exclamation even with the Lakers trailing by 12.

The fans were on their feet again to hit the exits with three minutes remaining and the Mavs ahead 90-73.

“I liked the way we played from start to finish,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “We had a real determined collective mindset and it showed how we played. We were very aggressive and it showed in the number of times we got to the line. This is going to be key to our success, if we’re persistent, especially at the defensive end.”

Dallas extended its lead to 73-54 in the third on a 13-2 run, with four points from Nowitzki and five by Terry. Two free throws and a driving layup by Jose Barea later gave Dallas its largest lead of 22 points. Barea finished with 12 points.

“It’s a big win character-wise because we had a flat game opening at home,” Kidd said of the Mavs’ 102-91 loss to Washington. “It helps us gain confidence on the road that we can play with the best.”

The Lakers were called for two technicals, including Ron Artest’s(notes) first of the season moments after he was whistled for his fourth foul and went to the bench. Jackson brought back Brown and Jordan Farmar(notes), who were productive during the second quarter, but it didn’t help. The Lakers scored just 15 points in the period and trailed 78-60 going into the fourth.

“We probably wanted it a little too much and that’s what resulted in some of the turnovers, shots going in and out,” Bryant said. “You’ve got to get stops. Keep teams off the free throw line. We were just a little stagnant, but it will be better.”

The Mavericks led 52-45 at halftime, helped by 15 of 18 free-throw shooting. Jackson went deep into his bench in the second quarter, bringing in Brown, Farmar and Luke Walton(notes) for a stretch against the Mavs’ second unit.

Brown was especially effective, scoring 10 points, and Bynum added eight to draw Los Angeles into a tie at 37, with Bryant returning during that run. But the Mavs dominated the final 4 1/2 minutes, outscoring the Lakers 15-8.

Notes: Lakers F Pau Gasol(notes) missed his second game with a strained right hamstring. The team is hopeful he can return Sunday against Atlanta. … The Mavs were without F Josh Howard(notes) (left ankle surgery) and F Tim Thomas(notes) (right knee surgery).

Updated Oct 31, 2:32 am EDT
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348 Comments

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  1. crawfish
    348. Posted by crawfish Thu Nov 5 11:10am EST

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    wvh8;km6giL-F,pg'bop-v'8ogvnjo my6gibL wmy6gms,dndkdkgikd,d,mdmdmjsuujsuususummmdmmddd
  2. Ranardre
    347. Posted by Ranardre Mon Nov 2 3:02am EST

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    Kobe Jordan
  3. Basketballfan
    346. Posted by Basketballfan Sun Nov 1 3:58pm EST

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    celtics are not the greatest franchise, look at your stat again, 20 nba finals appearances compared to 30, which would you rather have?? Lakers have consistently gotten to the finals, yes they had some off years, but the celtics had huge dry spells. And it was the start of the 07/08 year when the 'celtic' fans came back after their 24-58 season... ouch.
  4. AnthonyM
    345. Posted by AnthonyM Sun Nov 1 2:58pm EST

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    Ron Artest sucks. The Lakers should have kept Ariza.
  5. AnthonyM
    344. Posted by AnthonyM Sun Nov 1 2:57pm EST

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    Ron Artest sucks
  6. Math_Maestro
    343. Posted by Math_Maestro Sun Nov 1 2:36am EST

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    DALLAS "STOLE HOME COURT" in their two wins @ Los Angeles! 1st against the Lakers, Friday, October 30th, 2009 & Saturday, October 31st, 2009, in this "YOUNG" NBA Season, that is yet to be one week!
    I know that this sees "Out Of Order" but the "NEW" Oklahoma Cith Thunder have won their first two games of the 2009-2010 Season! ALSO!
    Dallas, Texs [Dallas Mavericks] & Oklahoma City, Oklahoma [Oklahoma City Thunder] should be "Battle Of the Axe" Contendors, especially because they are closer, than NCAA's Oklahoma Sooners & Texas Longhorns!
  7. Lynell
    342. Posted by Lynell Sun Nov 1 1:36am EDT

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    that's probably our most signature win this season so far...and not to mention the LAKERS was favorites to win...this mavs team is more talented than the one that went to the finals in 06'
  8. Derrick R
    341. Posted by Derrick R Sun Nov 1 12:15am EDT

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    A lot of KObe fans were saying before the season started that their LAKERS will chase history. Heck some of them even predicted a 73-9 record! Well, guess what? Your team just lost. AT HOME! One thing is for sure. They wont get a 41-0 home record this year. Michael Jordan's Bulls did a 40-1 home record in back to back years. And for the 73 wins, there's still some chance.
    You see TO BE THE BEST,YOU GOTTA BEAT THE BEST. You Kobe fans can dream all you want. But he will NOT go down in history as the greatest baller that ever was. When the dusts clears, it will still be all about numbers,facts, achievements. So far, what has your idol done so far? Let's see: just one MVP, a couple of All star MVP,Slam dunk champion,one finals MVP, one NBA ring.(The first 3 will be awarded in history to Shaq). GREATEST???! Magic and Bird has still more achievements than him.
    Here's what your IDOL needs to do to deserve to be the GREATEST. He has to surpass these records.Rookie of the Year, 5 MVP's, 6 Finals MVP, 6 NBA championships (2 three peats), 1 Defensive player of the year, 10 scoring champions, 3 steals leader, 63 playoff points(NBA record), and oh, 72-10 regular season record.
    Impossible??...that's just MICHAEL JORDAN's achievements. Until then, DREAM ON!
  9. <i>jayyolf1</i>
    340. Posted by jayyolf1 Sun Nov 1 12:14am EDT

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    @ Anthony - ahhhhh memories.......Christmas 2008 Beatdown on a FULLY Healthy Boston!!!!! Bwahahahahahahaha Gasol and crew punked y'all on your home floor b**ch!!!!! Best-Christmas-Present-Ever!!!!
  10. HT
    339. Posted by HT Sat Oct 31 11:52pm EDT

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    I'm neither a Celtics or a Lakers fan, but for me, too many years between championships for the Celtics do not make them the greatest franchise of all time. They're the winningest, YES but to be a great franchise, I believe you have to display consistent winning and consistent greatness. Difficult to judge with different eras. Also, being in the NBA Finals, league best records, conference and divisional best records must also count for something too.
  11. Sharon M
    338. Posted by Sharon M Sat Oct 31 11:47pm EDT

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    It was one game! Yes, the Lakers were lousy, it happens, the Mavs played really well!
    Let's wait until their next meeting and then make some judgements!
  12. tony s
    337. Posted by tony s Sat Oct 31 11:37pm EDT

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    The more i read post's from different teams, the more i can see that the l.a fans are some nasty people. never a compliment, ever! never their teams fault when they lose. hey l.a, you saw kobe on the side yelling at the team to step up, give them a break, they're all still hung over from championship summer. hell, lamar got so buzzed that he married that nasty kardashian hoe. they'll come around & will most likely be in the finals again. dallas did win though, fair & square.
    oh, by the way l.a, the celtics will be the 2010 champs. i am not a celtic fan either.
    go lakers, go celtics
  13. Anthony
    336. Posted by Anthony Sat Oct 31 11:00pm EDT

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    Funny thing is the Lakers franchise has been to the Finals 30 times, they've won 15 of those. The Celtics franchise on the other hand has been to the Finals 20 times, and won 17 of them. Now whos the greatest NBA franchise ever. Easy answer.
  14. Anthony
    335. Posted by Anthony Sat Oct 31 10:52pm EDT

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    And if your not a Laker fan, then why proceed to defend them? I'm not a Dallas fan, but everyone in here is ripping on the Mavericks and Dirk, for what? They beat the Lakers fair and square. The Mavs had their best player, and the Lakers had theirs. Each team was missing key players. So its a fair victory for the Mavs. By the way I'm a Celtics fan, you know, the team with the most banners hanging in their gym.
  15. Anthony
    334. Posted by Anthony Sat Oct 31 10:49pm EDT

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    The Mavericks didn't have Josh Howard you #$%# idiot. The Lakers didn't have their Dirk? WTF? Gasol can't shoot like Dirk. Gasol doesn't have an MVP. Each team was missing players. In that fact, Dallas was actually missing two players. Good excuse bro, but that sh!t doesn't work around here. Find another excuse.
  16. GO BACK TO IRELAND STUPID BOSTON KELTICS
    333. Posted by GO BACK TO IRELAND STUPID BOSTON KELTICS Sat Oct 31 10:45pm EDT

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    Hey anthony, who died and made you the mavs defender. I guess you figure to cancel out crying with more CRYING. im not a laker fan and i know a loss is a loss But lakers didnt have their own dirk that is pau gasol so celebrate this win because no championship for the dallas mavricks. MARK CUBAN IS THE BIGGEST CRYBABBY OUT THERE. This is all you mavs fans have anyway, the regular season is all u peoplke really have mavs never do anything special in the playoffs.
  17. Anthony
    332. Posted by Anthony Sat Oct 31 10:27pm EDT

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    I see Laker fans are still on here posting excuses a day after the fact. Kinda funny, kinda sad. Just let it go. A loss is a loss. Can't change it whether you think the refs "fixed" the game or not. Bad calls happen, its called human error. Until robots officiate the game, your always going to have the human error factor. COME LA FANS, YOUR SUPPOSEDLY BETTER THAN THIS. And whats with all the Mavs bashing in here? Calling Dirk all these names. Dirks got an MVP. Hes no slouch. Laker fans just can't take a loss these days. Few years back when the Lakers were stinking it up, none of you fans were here to be found. Ever since they won the championship, you all flood out of the woodwork. Well if your gonna jump on a bandwagon, why not make it the Lakers right? Some of the most fair weather fans in sports right there.
  18. GO BACK TO IRELAND STUPID BOSTON KELTICS
    331. Posted by GO BACK TO IRELAND STUPID BOSTON KELTICS Sat Oct 31 9:56pm EDT

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    Hey PAUL, duh i know its a team sport. In that case blame your gm for not putting good players around dirk. I'm not a lakers fan so dont assume because u make your self lokk stupid. U KNOW WHAT PAUL, your just mad because dallas was 2-0 in the finals then miami won 4 in a row. ha ha ha ha u guys took a raping. STUPID PAUL
  19. Paul
    330. Posted by Paul Sat Oct 31 9:37pm EDT

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    Dumbasses like alexander shouldn't hate on Dallas. Just because we beat your @#$% ass lakers you gotta cry out like a female. The mavs can win a championship!!! Morons like you hate on Dirk thinkin its all his fault when its not because basketball is a team sport 1 man can't do it all. Kobe hasn't dont @#$% without Shaq or Gasol so really how great is Kobe??? think about it
  20. kana
    329. Posted by kana Sat Oct 31 8:50pm EDT

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    326 - It doesn't matter if the Lakers win or lose - the leg crossing act is just embarrassing and painful to watch. There is no justification for grown up men acting like that. Complaining about the officiating is just an excuse. I did not see anything out there from the Lakers last night that impressed me. Did the officials hoist up bad shots (for example those three pointers by Vujacic and Artest)? Did the officials cause Lamar Odom to travel all over the court? Did the officials cause the Lakers to play weak defense? Bottom line is that even when the officiating isn't going well as a championship team you should remain poised and calm. The Lakers didn't do that either last night. I have seen games lost by poor officiating. Last night's game wasn't an example of that. The Lakers simply did not come to play and were too busy crossing their legs and other distractions.
  21. GO BACK TO IRELAND STUPID BOSTON KELTICS
    328. Posted by GO BACK TO IRELAND STUPID BOSTON KELTICS Sat Oct 31 8:20pm EDT

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    The last time a white boy lead a team to a championship was larry bird and we all know that those days are long GONE! Have fun maverick fans. Bunch of IDIOTS! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha h i cant believe mark cuban is keeping old jay kidd around ha ha ha ha haha ha NO BETTER THAN FAT SHAQ
  22. GO BACK TO IRELAND STUPID BOSTON KELTICS
    327. Posted by GO BACK TO IRELAND STUPID BOSTON KELTICS Sat Oct 31 8:17pm EDT

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    A team led by DIRK the JERK will never win a championship in the same way a gasol lead team will never win a championship in the same way a yao ming lead team will never win a championship. These players have to be the #2 guy not the #1 guy. So please maverick fans, in this economy save your money, dont waste it on mavs tickets. Sure the'll make the playoffs but thats it. Until dallas gets a dwane wade, chris paul, tony parker to go along with dirk forget it, jason kidd doesnt count hes been overated his entire carrer. ONE NBA PLAYER SAID IT BEST, I THINK AT THE TIME HE PLAYED FOR PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS "DALLS ISNT GOING TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP BECAUSE THEY HAVE TOO MANY WHITE BOYS ON THEIR TEAM" ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ah aha ha ah aha ah aaha ha ha ah ahaah ah aha ha aha ha ah aha ha ha hahah ah aha ha ah aha a ha hah a ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ah ah a ha ha ah a aha ha ha aha ha aa ha ha ha ha ah aha ha haah
  23. David M
    326. Posted by David M Sat Oct 31 8:15pm EDT

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    jerome a…your an idiot…must be an east coaster
  24. ken
    325. Posted by ken Sat Oct 31 7:59pm EDT

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    post 325, I am not a Dallas hater, but I still think they will not make it to the playoff, even if they do(#8) they will lose in the 1st round, so we'll see what happen next yr when the time comes, no point to argue now.
  25. ken
    324. Posted by ken Sat Oct 31 7:52pm EDT

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    post 319 the leg crossing act was over confident and arrogant on the lakers side, if they had won the game , it would be ok, but they lost, and the bad officiating is a not an excuse, it is a fact. so like I said, this is a good lesson for them to learn, hopefully, if something like this happens again they will come out on top.
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Top Performers

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D. Nowitzki Dirk Nowitzki
5-14,  21 Pts
10 Rebs, 1 Assists
 LA Lakers
A. Bynum Andrew Bynum
6-13,  14 Pts
10 Rebs, 0 Assists

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