At the end of the first quarter, Kobe Bryant has taken eight shots, but if it'd been up to him he would've taken even more. He hit six of them and has scored 13 in total, but it probably wouldn't hurt the Los Angeles Lakers' chances of surviving against the Dallas Mavericks if one of his teammates could convert as well. The rest of L.A.'s roster: two-of-11.

It will satisfy the traditional Lakers-hater or just Kobe-hater to know Dallas is leading 27-23 at the end of the first and has done so by spreading the ball around. Eight Mavs have scored. Tyson Chandler leads with five, backed by four each for Dirk Nowiztki and Shawn Marion.

Dallas hit four of its seven three-point attempts, while the Lakers whiffed on all five of their deep tries.

Be sure to check out our Lakers vs. Mavericks hub for full series coverage. For more on the Lakers, visit Silver Screen And Roll and SB Nation Los Angeles. For more on the Mavericks, visit Mavs Moneyball and SB Nation Dallas.