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Archive for 12.04.2003
Laker Win Eighth Straight, Rout Mavs 114-103
12.04.03
In a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score, the Lakers continued their domination over the Mavericks, as they cruised to their eighth straight win, 114-103 in Dallas on Thursday night.
For the second straight night, Shaquille O’Neal was a monster on the defensive end. He controlled the defensive glass, blocked shots, and forced the Mavs into several ill-advised shots. He finished the game with 25 points, 19 rebounds, five assists, and three blocked shots.
The Lakers took the lead from opening tip, and getting up by as much 27-11 in the first quarter. They led the game 51-42 at halftime, and Dallas never really seriously challenged the rest of the way.
The Mavs struggled from the floor all game, as the Lakers’ defense held the high-scoring team to 37.4% shooting (37-of-99) from the field. The Lakers shot 44.2% (38-of-86) from the floor and made 31-of-40 (77.5%) from the charity stripe.
Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 32 points. Gary Payton scored 17 and dished out eight assists, and Karl Malone added 11 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
Steve Nash led Dallas with 30 points and eight assists, and was the recipient of two stitches after being hit in the mouth with a Malone elbow in the third quarter. The Mavs played without leading scorer Dirk Nowitski, who has an inured ankle.
The Lakers have now beaten the Mavericks 46 of the last 51 times the two teams have met. The Lakers current eight-game winning streak is their longest in two seasons.
The Lakers next game is Sunday night at Staples Center against the Utah Jazz.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
Lakers Beat Spurs Again, 90-86
12.04.03
For the third time this season, the Los Angeles Lakers have rediscovered their winning ways against the San Antonio Spurs. This time, they beat the champs 90-86 at the SBC Center in San Antonio on Wednesday night.
The Lakers used a stifling fourth quarter defense to turn a nine-point third quarter deficit into a four-point victory. The Spurs shot only 16.7% (3-of-18) from the field in the final quarter, and Shaquille O’Neal contributed five of his game-high nine blocks in the quarter to seal the win.
Devean George, who kept the Lakers in the game with some early hot shooting, finished with 18 points on 7-of-13 from the field, and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Karl Malone scored 16 and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Gary Payton added 16 points and six assists.
The Spurs led the game in the first half by as many as 15 points, but simply could not hold the lead as the Lakers applied defensive pressure throughout the second half. After shooting over 50% from the field for most of the game, the Spurs finished at only 41.7%, the Lakers at 42.3%. The Lakers also forced 20 San Antonio miscues, turning them into 22 points.
The win was the Lakers seventh in a row, and they now own the season series against the Spurs, who dropped to 9-10 with the fourth consecutive loss. The Lakers are an NBA-best 15-3, 5-3 on the road.
Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 30 points and 15 rebounds, but he missed all five of his shots in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers finish up their two-game Texas trip tonight at Dallas, where the Mavs will most likely be without All-Star forward Dirk Nowitski, who is nursing a sore ankle.
Link: LakerStats.com Box Score
Link: NBA.com Recap
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