Bryant’s 40 Not Enough, Mavericks Hold Off Lakers 112-105

Dirk Nowitzki matched Josh Howard’s 26 and 10 rebounds, as Dallas won for the 10th time in 12 games.

Kobe Bryant, no matter what he tries to do, just couldn’t pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat. Even though the Los Angeles Lakers guard scored 40 points Friday, it simply wasn’t enough as the Dallas Mavericks held off a pesky Los Angeles squad, earning a 112-105 victory at Dallas.

Both teams shot reasonably well, especially Los Angeles (56.2%); Dallas shot 47.6%. The first half was what you’d expect from both squads - lots of scoring; Dallas would go into halftime leading 56-55. The Mavericks would break the game open in the third quarter with an 11-0 run; the Lakers, who led much of the first half, would not recover from the Mavericks onslaught. Dallas was led by Josh Howard and Dirk Nowitski with 26 each - with both grabbing 10 rebounds. Devin Harris scored 18, while Jason Terry added 15, including 4 three-pointers.

Los Angeles was led by the aforementioned Bryant with 40 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, while Jordan Farmar added 18 with 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Dallas (29-13) continues their homestand by hosting the Denver Nuggets Sunday, while Los Angeles (27-14) returns home to host the Cleveland Cavaliers - also on Sunday.