Mavs Beat Lakers
LOS ANGELES — Rick Carlisle passed Don Nelson on the Dallas Mavericks’ all-time wins list, then took a page out of the playbook of the former coach.
“Nellie’s one of the greatest coaches,” Carlisle said. “In his honor tonight, I’m going to crack open a beer and drink one to him.”
Forward Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds, making 10 of 13 shots from the floor, and the Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers for the eighth consecutive time, rolling to a 103-93 victory Sunday night at Staples Center.
“Just kept stepping into shots and guys finding me,” said Nowitzki, who made three of five from behind the 3-point stripe. “It was fun. I thought we were decent defensively, trying to keep them out of the lane. They’ve got a lot of guys who like to penetrate. Tried to rebound, and then we would just go.”
Center Zaza Pachulia added 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Mavericks (2-1), who had six players score in double figures.
“We knew the game was going to get a little ratty,” Carlisle said. “We knew we had to keep turnovers down. I think we only had (11), which is a good number on the road.”
The Mavericks had three of their starters return. Forward Chandler Parsons (right knee surgery) made his season debut, while guard Deron Williams (left knee sprain) and Wesley Matthews (rest) returned from
one-game absences.
Parsons was ineffective, compiling two points, three rebounds and three assists in 11 minutes. Williams finished with 11 points and eight assists, while Matthews had 10 points.
Guard Raymond Felton also scored 11 for Dallas, and guard J.J Barea came off the bench to chip in 10 points and seven assists.
Forward Julius Randle finished with 22 points, 15 points, four assists and four steals to lead the Lakers (0-3). Randle is the first player to put up such numbers since Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love did so last Dec. 15, and he is one of only six players to accomplish the feat in the past five seasons.
“He put the ball on the floor like no other power forward in this league,” Nowitzki said. “He’s strong, he’s athletic, he can finish. He’s a tough matchup for a lot of fours in this league, so his future is very bright.”
Forward Kobe Bryant had 15 points on 3-of-15 shooting, while reserve guard Lou Williams scored 13.
“I’m getting the shots I want, I’m just not making them,” said Bryant, who made all seven of his free throws. “I suck right now. I’m the 200th-best player in the league right now. I freaking suck.
“The guys are giving me the ball. It’s their job to facilitate, and it’s my job to finish. I just gotta do the responsible thing and make ’em for them.
Dallas hit 46 percent of its shots (40-for-87) from the floor, while Los Angeles made just 36.5 percent (31-for-85).
Despite their struggles in the first half, the Lakers, who began the game in a 15-0 hole, were only down 54-45 at intermission. They managed just 30.2 percent shooting compared to 43.8 percent for the Mavericks. Dallas also connected on nine of 17 (52.9 percent) 3-pointers to four of 16 (25 percent) for Los Angeles before the break.
However, the Lakers enjoyed a considerable edge on free throws, hitting 15 of 19 (78.9 percent) to three of four for the Mavericks. Overall, Los Angeles made 21 of 28 (75 percent) from the line to 12 of 16 (75 percent) for Dallas.
In the third, the Lakers cut the deficit to 64-57 after a 3-point basket by rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell with 5:18 to go, but the Mavericks subsequently pulled away. Dallas closed on a 17-7 run for a 81-64 advantage heading into the fourth.
Two free throws by Williams pulled Los Angeles within 97-91 with 2:27 remaining, but that was the closest the Lakers would get.
