Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry star as the Los Angeles Lakers lose third straight
All-star Dirk Nowitzki notched up a game-high 32 points and clutched 9 rebounds to spearhead the Dallas Mavericks to an electrifying 98-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at the American Airlines Centre on Friday night. Jason
Terry provided a substantial support down the stretch with his 23 points as the Mavericks took 3-0 lead in the Western Conference semi-final series.
Lakers starting five headed out aggressively and romped with 14-10 run in the preliminary seven minutes of the first quarter. However, Nowitzki struck back with a three point play for the Mavs and then followed it with two successive
3-pointers to snatch a 19-16 lead. Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom strived to keep the Lakers in the hunt and propelled them to a 24-20 lead. The Mavs however responded yet again; this time with a 9-0 run to procure a 29-24 lead. Pau Gasol finished the first quarter
with a 3-point play as the teams headed to the second frame with a 29-27 score line.
Terry carried the action in the second quarter and with 5:26 to go till the break buried a scorching blow from beyond the arc to amplify the lead 44-38. The Lakers however made a strong comeback and reclaimed the advantage 51-47
as the game progressed into the first half.
The Lakers continued to dominate the proceedings in the third quarter, leaving few options for the Mavericks to strike back. Shannon Brown was the only bench player to land a tip shot in the period and the action was led by the
Lakers starters. In spite of Tyson Chandler and Terry’s aggressive assail to lift the momentum for the Mavericks before entering the fourth quarter, the Lakers had a dominant third quarter and they wrapped up a comprehensive 72-66 advantage.
Dallas however once again scorched the Lakers in the defining moments of the game. The Mavericks were simply unstoppable from the long distance in the final 12 minutes and landed five sizzling blows from downtown to power their
way back into the game. Their last trey handed them a 91-89 lead with less than 2 minutes remaining in the game. Odom turnaround jump shot tied the game on the Lakers’ ensuing possession but Nowitzki again gave Dallas the lead with a driving hook shot. Terry
then followed with four consecutive shots from the free throw line to effectively seal the game.
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