Kobe gives Lakers 100-95 win over Mavs
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-11 15:27

Kobe Bryant scored 36 points and made two huge plays on each end of the court in the last 1:20, giving the Los Angeles Lakers a nice start to a long road trip with a 100-95 victory Thursday night over the Dallas Mavericks.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, right, and guard Chucky Atkins celebrate in the final seconds of their game againist the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas, Thursday, March 10, 2005. The Lakers won,100-95. [AP]

Bryant, who also had nine rebounds, grabbed one of them after Dallas missed two potential go-ahead shots with just over a minute left. He took it all the way for a layup that put the Lakers up by three points, then came back and stripped Dirk Nowitzki from behind on a jump shot.

Bryant scooped up the loose ball and fed Jumaine Jones for a layup, but he missed and Bryant wound up putting it back in for a 98-93 lead with 58 seconds left.

Nowitzki, who scored 25 points but shot just 6-of-19, missed a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left that would have tied it at 98.

Los Angeles, in a tight, three-way race for the West's eighth and final playoff seed, had lost three straight road games. The Lakers play 15 of their final 23 away from home, including six in a row starting with this one.

The Mavericks lost for the fifth time in seven games, even with Nowitzki and Michael Finley — their top two scorers — returning from injuries. Dallas was still short-handed, though, as coach Don Nelson started a three-game layoff to care for his wife, who is recovering from surgery. Erick Dampier (foot) and Jerry Stackhouse (groin) also were out.

Lamar Odom had 15 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers. Chris Mihm added 10 points and seven rebounds, and Chucky Atkins scored 13. Los Angeles was 7-of-16 on 3-pointers after going just 1-of-18 in a win over Dallas last week.

Bryant made his first six free throws to give him a club-record 43 in a row, then missed one. He finished 8-of-10 from the line.

Tierre Brown hit two 3-pointers and scored 10 points for the Lakers after not scoring in the last six games, two of which he didn't even get into.

Alan Henderson had 10 points and a season-high 17 rebounds for Dallas. Josh Howard, who sprained his left ankle when tangled with Bryant, had 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Finley, wearing a long white sleeve on his left leg to protect a bruised calf, was just 4-of-14 for 12 points. Jason Terry went from consecutive 20-point games to 11 points on 5-of-17 shooting.

After swapping the lead 15 times and being tied five times by halftime, the Mavericks grabbed control with a 12-2 surge midway through the third quarter. The Lakers trailed by as many as 12 points then used an 8-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter to move back in front. The five-point margin at the end was their biggest lead of the game.

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