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Lakers Outmaneuver MavericksDallas Takes Off Early, But Loses PaceDALLAS, TX, 11:46 p.m. PST February 20, 2001 -- Shaquille O'Neal playfully ended his feud with Hack-a-Shaq enthusiast and cancer survivor Don Nelson, then defused the strategy by sinking 11-of-15 free throws to lead the Los Angeles Lakers past the Dallas Mavericks 119-109 Tuesday night. O'Neal had 29 points and 11 rebounds and Kobe Bryant, who didn't make a field goal the first quarter and a half, added 19 points and seven assists as the Lakers spoiled Nelson's return from prostate cancer surgery. Nelson celebrated his comeback from a 52-day, 21-game absence in his typical, lighthearted style: Prior to tip-off, he wore a red foam ball on his nose so he'd look like "a clown," which is what O'Neal called him the last time the teams met. O'Neal was upset then because Dallas sent him to the foul line 20 times. He and Nelson had since made up and O'Neal was even in on the pregame joke. The Lakers center actually took the toy off Nelson's nose and placed it on his own. The Mavericks fed off the excitement of that stunt to take an early 10-point lead. Their up-tempo attack limited O'Neal, and he didn't take a free throw in the first quarter. But O'Neal's presence grew and Bryant, whose first point was Los Angeles' 40th, eventually kicked in, too. He scored 10 points in the third quarter as the Lakers' lead peaked at 18. O'Neal took his fair share of abuse from the Mavericks, getting fouled 59 seconds into the first quarter, 54 seconds into the second quarter and 11 seconds into the fourth quarter. He even had to do a cartwheel to save himself from injury following one foul by Christian Laettner in the fourth quarter. But O'Neal had the last laugh as he sank five straight free throws in the second period and 6-of-8 in the second half. Bryant, who hurt his right leg in a collision with O'Neal with 2:33 left but continued to play, was 9-of-10 from the line as Los Angeles made 84 percent of its foul shots. Rick Fox tied his season-high with 22 points as the Lakers improved to 3-2 on a six-game road trip that concludes Wednesday night in San Antonio. Los Angeles also has won 22 of 23 against Dallas. Steve Nash led the Mavericks with a career-high 31 points and had seven assists. Michael Finley had 22 points, including devastating dunks over Bryant and Mike Penberthy. Dirk Nowitzki scored 25. Dallas had its five-game home winning streak snapped.
Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
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