Mavs take Game 1 from Lakers

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 96-94 Monday night in the opening game of their 2nd round NBA Playoff series.  The Mavericks, who had never before won a playoff game in Los Angeles, trailed by as many as 16 points before rallying to take the lead with just 19.5 seconds left.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 28 points to lead the Mavericks, 11 of them coming in the 4th quarter.  He also snagged 14 rebounds.

Jason Kidd had 11 assists to go with his 7 points and 3 steals, but it was his 4th quarter defense against Kobe Bryant that proved his worth.  Dallas allowed L.A. to score only 2 points in the final 3 1/2 minutes of play.

Jason Terry came of the bench to score 15.  The Dallas bench as a team outscored the Lakers bench 40-25.

Game 2 will be in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.