Lakers 101, Mavericks 98

Yeah well, every 13-game win streak needs to be broken at some point. Maybe by the 13th game. That seems to make sense. The Mavericks simply CANNOT figure out the Lakers on the road. It just can't be done. And it wasn't really Kobe's doing this time, though he came alive in the fourth quarter. The Mavs played far better than they usually do, and if Smush Parker doesn't stuff Jason Terry on a layup, maybe the recap has a different story to tell. But he did stuff him, and Devean George did miss a 3-pointer at the end of the game (how fitting, ex-Laker). Tough game, but the Mavs are still hot. Nowitzki's 29 and 13 led the way for the Mavs, as he has been dominating play recently. That's fine with me, good to see him not sit around, content with Josh Howard running the show. Howard did add another 20 points, however. The shooting just wasn't close, the Lakers got 55% and the Mavs got 42%. The defense was just not there, which is usually the case in Los Angeles. Oh well. Up next - the Jazz in Utah. Another tough one. We'll see.