+1
The Dallas Mavericks nearly pulled off a late comeback before falling to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, 96-91.
The Los Angeles Lakers have had plenty of minor problems this season, but their issues away from the Staples Center seem like they might be the most difficult to fix. The NBA trade rumors will end once the trade deadline comes and goes, but winning road games doesn't seem to be as easy of a fix.
The Lakers have won just five of their 16 games when they aren't the home team this season, a stark contrast to their 14-2 record at home. It's difficult to pinpoint the exact problem, but answers might be found on Wednesday night as Kobe Bryant and Co. take on Dirk Nowitzki's Dallas Mavericks in a showdown scheduled for 9:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Bryant and the Lakers were solid their last time out, holding the Portland Trail Blazers to just seven points in the first quarter before cruising to victory in Los Angeles. Bryant didn't get the answers he wanted before the game, though, as general manager Mitch Kupchak went on record to say he doesn't plan to take Pau Gasol off the trading block — a decision Bryant thinks has been distracting his 7-foot center.
The Mavericks don't have quite as much drama surrounding them, as evidenced by seven wins in their last eight outings. They'll look to continue building on that momentum on Wednesday, considering it'll be their last game before the NBA takes a break for All-Star weekend.
If the Lakers are able to get past their road woes and self-made drama, they might have a chance to beat the Mavericks. It doesn't seem like they've got an easy path to victory, though.
For more on the Lakers, check out Silver Screen and Roll. SB Nation's Mavericks site is housed over at Mavs Moneyball.
Lakers Vs. Mavericks Final Score: Los Angeles Hangs On Despite Free Throw Woes
Leading by seven with under a minute to go, it seemed the Los Angeles Lakers would walk out of Dallas with an easy win over the Mavericks. Easy, at least by comparison when considering the back-and-forth nature of the game. But then the free-throw troubles popped up as just about everyone struggled from the charity stripe in crunch time, giving the Mavericks an opening.
Two Matt Barnes misses led to a Jason Terry three and the lead was suddenly four. Kobe Bryant followed with two misses of his own, leading to a Dirk Nowitzki tip-in. Suddenly the seven-point lead was two with just under 30 seconds to go.
Derek Fisher found himself trapped on the sideline on the Lakers' next possession, only to find a wide-open Pau Gasol in the lane. Gasol went up and took a forearm shiver to the neck from Brendan Haywood, though the foul was surprisingly not ruled a flagrant. And, again, the misses came as both of Gasol's free throws were off the mark.
Barnes, however, was able to stop the bleeding, gathering the rebound and sinking both of his attempts from the line, stopping a streak of six-straight misses. Dallas' next two possessions were empty, Fisher added another free throw to seal it, and the Lakers escaped with a 96-91 win.
Nowitzki finished with a game-high 25 points in a losing effort. Gasol led the way for the Lakers with 24 points. Kobe Bryant was off for most of the night, scoring 15 points on just 4-of-15 shooting.
For more on the Lakers, check out Silver Screen and Roll. SB Nation's Mavericks site is housed over at Mavs Moneyball.
Feb 23 12:33a by Brian Floyd - 0 comments