The Los Angeles Lakers (29-18) were able to shake off an embarrassing loss to the Houston Rockets the night before and defeat the Dallas Mavericks (27-21) on the road last night for a 109-93 victory.
Behind strong performances from Kobe Bryant (30 points, five rebounds, four assists), Pau Gasol (27 points, nine rebounds), and Ramon Sessions (17 points, nine assists, five rebounds), the Mavericks were unable to overcome the tenacious defense and offensive firepower of the Lakers despite solid performances from the Mavs’ longest tenured members. Dirk Nowitzki (26 points, 10 rebounds, four assists) and Jason Terry (23 points) each played well, but were no match for the Lakers last night.
Although the Lakers trailed 29-27 after the first quarter, Bryant and Gasol had gotten off to solid starts. Kobe had 10 points and Pau had eight, while Ramon Sessions came off the bench to add five points and four assists in under six minutes of play.
With Ramon Sessions leading the bench into the second quarter, the Lakers reserves played well. Add in Kobe Bryant and some solid defense, and the Lakers outscored the Mavericks in the third quarter, 30-15, for a comfortable 57-44 point lead.
Despite 11 points by Bryant in the third, the Lakers were not able to sustain the 13 point lead they created in the first half, but still led by eight, 80-72.
Unlike too many times in the past to want to recall, the Lakers managed to maintain their lead in the fourth quarter and even add to it. Pau Gasol and Ramon Sessions played exceptionally well, and the Lakers cruised to a 109-93 victory.
The Numbers
Bryant (11-18), Gasol (13-16), and Sessions (7-8, 3-4 from three) all were extremely efficient last night. Bryant, as stated above, finished with 30 points, five boards, and four assists; Gasol had 27 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists; and Sessions tallied 17 points, nine assists, and five rebounds in a balanced effort for the Lakers. Matt Barnes dropped in 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds off the bench while Andrew Bynum had nine points (on 4-5 shooting), seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Metta World Peace (four rebounds, three assists) and Troy Murphy each scored four points; World Peace had a solid defensive game, however, as did many of the Lakers. Steve Blake had just three points and two assists in 17 minutes of play. Darius Morris and newly acquired Jordan Hill each scored two points in garbage time.
As for the Mavericks, no players besides Nowitzki and Terry had big games. Vince Carter scored nine points, Ian Mahinmi had eight points and seven rebounds, and Brandan Wright scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds. Jason Kidd and Rodrigue Beaubois (five assists, three rebounds) scored six points apiece. Former Laker Lamar Odom scored just one point, grabbed one rebound, dished out one assist, and stole the ball once in 24 minutes of play.
Now, let’s break down the victory.
Next Page: The Breakdown
Here are a few aspects of last night’s 109-93 victory we will analyze:
Rebounds – Unlike the loss on Tuesday to the Houston Rockets, the Lakers absolutely dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Mavs, 46-29. The biggest surprise was that neither of the Lakers’ premier big men had huge rebounding nights. But, with 10 combined rebounds from Bryant and Sessions along with Matt Barnes’ nine boards, the Lakers were able to crash the glass by committee. This must continue for the Lakers, as once in a while, even when Gasol and Bynum have big rebounding nights, as a team they still get out-rebounded.
Defense – It won’t show up in the stat sheet, but the Lakers played very solid defense at times, enabling Los Angeles to expand its lead and eventually win. They seem to play very solid defense against playoff-bound teams but not against average or below-average teams. However, the fact that they won against a solid team on the road is a good sign for the Lakers. Perhaps they play horribly against bad teams on the road, but at least they proved they have the ability to get road wins.
Ball Movement/Balanced Scoring – The Lakers played a solid all-around game, and really shared the ball. They dished out 25 assists as a team compared with just 15 for the Mavericks. With so many great individual scorers, the Lakers don’t always move the ball as well as they could. At times, the game will slow down and perhaps it is best to dump the ball into the post and let Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol go to work or even let Kobe Bryant isolate against a helpless defender, but overall when the Lakers are playing together and looking for each other, they are extremely tough to beat.
Pau Gasol/Andrew Bynum – Pau Gasol played an excellent game, and looked as if he was in playoff form. He appears to finally be at ease after the trade deadline passed and he was named team co-captain along with Bryant. Andrew Bynum didn’t have a dominant game, but the Mavericks’ defense double-teamed him as soon as he touched the ball. He still has room for improvement when faced with double-teams, but the fact that Gasol stepped up speaks volumes. Bynum may be the second option on this team, but Gasol is still the second best player on the floor and still more skilled than Bynum.
Bynum has finally arrived as a dominant force in the NBA, and will likely average better numbers than Gasol from here on out due to his aggressiveness and physical nature, but Gasol will still need to take over at times and be as aggressive as he was during the three long runs to the Finals. Bynum was still efficient (4-5 from the field) last night, but when he is unable to have the kind of night he would like, it is encouraging to see Gasol step up and play the way he is capable of. He will be called on much more in the playoffs, so it was great to see that the Spaniard still has it.
Ramon Sessions/Bench – Mostly everyone is wondering when Ramon Sessions will begin to start games, or why Mike Brown is choosing to bring him off the bench. In less than 30 minutes of play, the guy had 17 points, nine boards, and five assists. However, he has provided a huge spark for the reserves, especially Matt Barnes, whom he seems to have a natural chemistry with. The two of them bring a new element to the Lakers that really bothers other teams.
Despite coming off the bench, Sessions was on the floor towards the end of the game, which is most important. Eventually, he should be the starting point guard for this team, but for now it appears to bring a different dynamic to the team by having him spark the second unit and play well with the starters as well. Steve Blake hasn’t been producing much as a starter however, and prior to acquiring Sessions, Blake was playing well off the bench; often dishing out 5+ assists even though he wasn’t scoring much. This might speed up Mike Brown’s decision to start Sessions. Either way, Sessions keeps looking better and better with time.
Kobe Bryant – What more can we say about the Black Mamba that hasn’t already been said? He’s always criticized when he shoots poorly or misses a big shot, but doesn’t always get the praise when he plays well. Well, last night he played extremely well; shooting efficiently, playing within the offense, and hitting all kinds of crazy shots. We’ve stated in the past how we all take him for granted and should truly appreciate the greatness we are witnessing, so we might as well do it again. This season for the Lakers has had many distractions whether it’s been trades, trade rumors, or questions and/or comments of “what’s wrong with the Lakers.” Kobe Bryant won’t be around forever, so let’s all enjoy and appreciate the M-V-P type of year we are all witnessing.
The good thing about the year that Kobe is having is that his team–although they have their ups-and-downs–looks like a formidable opponent for anyone. And that is a true sign of an M-V-P.