Mavericks 102 Lakers 98: Game 31 Recap

The Lead
Led by a season high in scoring from Rondo, the Mavs get by the Kobe-less Lakers as Dirk moves another notch up the all-time scoring list.

Box Score 

Leaders
Mavs
Points: Rondo, 21
Rebounds: Chandler, 12
Assists: Ellis, Rondo, 7
+-: Chandler, +11
Lakers
Points: Boozer, 18
Rebounds: Davis, 11
Assists: Lin, 7
+-: Boozer, +7

Game Ball
Rajon Rondo
21 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 10-17 FG

X-Factor
Charlie Villanueva
13 points, 4 blocks, 5-9 FG, 3-6 3PT

Goat Horns
Wesley Johnson
11 points, 3-14 FG

Play of the Game
With a jumper on the first possession of the third quarter,  Dirk Nowitzki passed Elvin Hayes for 8th on the NBA's all-time scoring list with a career total currently of 27,322 points.

Stat of the Game
The Mavs take of advantage of one of the league's worst defenses to score 56 points in the paint compared to the Lakers total of only 30.

Of Note

• Kobe Bryant missed his third straight game for the Lakers due to rest his sore body.
• Dirk and Monta Ellis both missed shootaround due to illness, but both were in the starting lineup.
• The Mavs have taken five in a row over the Lakers, their longest ever winning streak against the L.A.
• Rebounding allowed the Lakers to stay close, as they outrebounded Dallas 63-40 including 24 offensive rebounds.
• The 21 points for Rajon Rondo was a season high. He scored 20 points for the Celtics against OKC on November 12th.

Grades
Nowitzki: B
Parsons: B+
Chandler: A
Ellis: A-
Rondo: A
Harris: B
Villanueva: A
Smith: C+
Jefferson: B-
Barea: C

Quote of Note
"I told him I was going to catch him. That's going to be tough."
Dirk on what he told Kobe postgame after Bryant congratulated him for passing Elivn Hayes.

Tweet of the Night

Tyson, walking off floor with his son and Dirk, to his son: "Say congratulations to him! He's one of the all-time greats."
— Bobby Karalla (@bobbykaralla) December 27, 2014

Next Up
The Mavericks (21-10) stay at home for a tough challenge from Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder (15-16), who may have MVP Kevin Durant ready to return to action.