The Dallas Mavericks (5-4) defeated the Los Angeles Lakers (1-8) 90-82 on Friday.
Kobe Bryant had missed the last two games with a back injury and had originally been reported to be out of Friday's contest as well. However, Bryant was healthy enough to take the floor after all, and posted his second-best scoring total of the season with 19 points on a season best 47 percent shooting. Bryant's return sent Metta World Peace back to the bench, where he failed to score over 17 minutes of action.
The Lakers also received a team-best 21 points from Jordan Clarkson, which served as the young guard's best game since his season-high 30-point outburst versus the Nuggets on Nov. 3. Rookie D'Angelo Russell tallied only nine points over 24 minutes, marking the third time in four games that he's failed to score in double digits. Interestingly, Los Angeles lost despite outrebounding the Mavericks 57 to 48, led by Roy Hibbert and Julius Randle's nine and 10 boards, respectively. Besides Bryant and Clarkson, backup guard Louis Williams was the only other Laker to hit double-digit points (10).
The Lakers fell to 1-8 and remain in last place in the Western Conference’s Pacific Division. They head home for a Sunday tilt versus the Pistons.
The Mavericks benefited from an impressive double-double from offseason acquisition Zaza Pachulia, who posted 18 points and 16 rebounds. It was another forgettable performance for the Lakers' frontcourt, who came into Friday night's contest ranked last in scoring surrendered to opposing centers at an average of 24.6 points per game. Deron Williams supplemented Pachulia's contributions with 13 points, seven rebounds, and three steals, while Dwight Powell pitched in with another highly efficient performance off the bench. Powell tallied 10 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and a steal in just 22 minutes, and was the only other Dallas player with double-digit points.
The Mavericks improved their record to 5-4 and move into second place in the Western Conference's Southwest Division. They now travel to Houston for a Saturday night showdown with the Rockets.
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