The defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers shoot for
their second straight win in the young season when they welcome the Dallas
Mavericks to Staples Center.
Dallas has historically always had a miserable time against the Lakers in
Hollywood, dropping 33 of its last 36 road contests to LA.
The Lakers received their championship rings and raised their 15th title
banner to the rafters at Staples Center on Tuesday before a sterling
performance from Finals MVP Kobe Bryant as the Lakers beat the Clippers,
99-92, in the season-opener for both teams.
In what was a starry night, Bryant didn't disappoint as he poured in 33
points, pulled down eight rebounds and had four steals. Andrew Bynum
celebrated his 22nd birthday by chipping in 26 points and 13 rebounds, while
newlywed Lamar Odom tacked on 16 points and 13 boards for the Lakers.
"This was a fun night with the ring ceremony," said Bynum. "I can't wait to
put it on. The ceremony energized me."
Ron Artest, who left Houston to join the Lakers in the offseason, struggled
offensively with just 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting.
"Kobe played great and Bynum played great. I'm trying to focus on all aspects
of the game," said Artest. "On a one to 10 scale of feeling comfortable with
the offense, it was a 10."
The Lakers brought out ex-stars Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Norm Nixon, A.C.
Green and Michael Cooper, among others from championship runs for a ceremony
prior to the game. NBA commissioner David Stern handed out the rings.
Bryant, the Finals MVP from LA's series victory over the Orlando Magic in
June, shot 11-of-26 from the field. He heard the chants of "MVP!, MVP!" during
the fourth quarter when the defending champs pulled away to beat the Clippers
for a ninth straight time.
The Mavs, meanwhile, dropped their opener in Dallas on Tuesday when
Washington's Gilbert Arenas returned with a vengeance, scoring 29 points as
the Wizards opened the Flip Saunders era with a 102-91 victory over the
Mavericks.
Arenas had three surgeries on his left knee over the past two years and played
in just 15 games in that stretch. Healthy again, Arenas hit 10-of-21 shots
from the field and dished out nine assists.
Dirk Nowitzki poured in 34 points and had nine rebounds for Dallas, which
struggled by shooting 39.5 percent from the field. Shawn Marion, obtained in
an offseason deal, finished with 16 points and seven boards.
"Our game is a lot of Dirk and then the other guys trying to find their way
and get the ball inside, penetrating and moving the ball," said Mavs guard
Jason Terry. "We missed some jumpers, but we can't blame that. The training
camp has been all about defense and we can't be happy about our defensive
performance tonight."
The Mavericks, who have reached the postseason nine consecutive years and has
won at least 50 games in each of those campaigns, continue to play without
star forward Josh Howard, who is recovering from offseason ankle surgery.
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