Mar 21, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) sinks a shot as he is fouled by Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd (2) during the third quarter at the American Airlines Center. The Lakers defeated the Mavericks 109-93. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

The Lakers arrived at the American Airlines Arena, following a brutal loss to Houston just the prior evening. They were hungry. They were playing the team that ousted them in the playoffs last season on their way to a title. Pardon me, the team that SWEPT them in the second round on their way to a title. Kobe ( 30 points) knows that. Pau Gasol (27 points, 9 rebounds) recognizes that. Even with their dear friend and former teammate Lamar Odom now donning the white, blue and shade of green, the Lakser see red – and they take it to them.

It was as if the Mavericks, aside from Dirk (26 points, 10 boards) and Jason Terry (23 points), didn’t even exist last night. Beaubois misfired on all cylinders. Odom, again, was a non-factor. Jason Kidd finished with 2 assists. There was absolutely no flow to their offensive game while the Lakers ran them out of their own building. The Lakers put up 25 assists to the Mavs 15. 46 rebounds to the Mavs 29. 58% shooting to the Mavs 43%. They came out strong with a 2 point lead after the 1st quarter. Then the Lakers continued playing and the Mavs thought the game had ended. 30-15, Lakers in the second quarter – heading into halftime with a 13 point lead, on the road, where they have been atrocious. But not last night. Everyone thought, including myself, the Mavs had turned the corner. On their way to securing a first round home court series. Tonight proved otherwise. Ramon Sessions outplayed every guard on the Dallas roster, and he’s only been with the Lakers for 5 days. He put up 17 points and 9 assists, off the bench, on 7-8 shooting. This guys struggles to shoot 40% on the season and he is just getting used to wearing the purple and gold, yet he continuously got in the lane and generated wide open looks for his teammates, which in turn set himself up for some easy looks.

The Mavs travel to San Antonio and then to Houston for a back-to-back Friday and Saturday. The good thing is that the travel is

Mar 21, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) and shooting guard Jason Terry (31) finish the game on the bench during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at the American Airlines Center. The Lakers defeated the Mavericks 109-93. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

quite light, considering they are all within the Texas triangle. The bad news is the San Antonio is looking fierce and Houston just beat a Lakers team that demolished you in your own house. We’ll see if the Mavs can respond to an embarrassing home loss and improve on the road.

Feb 22, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol (16) in action against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

Did I mention the hot shooting of Dirk Nowitzki as of late? Averaging 28.5 ppg in his last four, the German national is straight killing it. With shades of last seasons remarkable playoff run in the Mavs last two victories (vs. San Antonio & Denver), they also moved up in the West standings on an idle Tuesday with Memphis losing to Sacramento. They currently occupy the 5th seed heading into tonight’s matchup with the 3rd seed Lakers.  Lamar Odom, if you’re mind is still in that bald head of yours, this is exactly the game that you get jacked up for. Playing your former teammates in your NEW house. If you continue to just lazily go through the motions, even they will lose respect for you. Everyone’s wondering where the activity in your play has gone. If you left it in LA, tell Kobe you forgot it when you left, I’m sure he’s more than willing to return the swagger to it’s rightful owner.

The Mavericks may be one of the only teams in the league that can counteract the Lakers length in the middle. They can throw big bodies at Bynum and Gasol. They have Mahinmi, Haywood, Odom, Dirk – all 7 footers who can defend on the block and make the Lakers bigs work on the defensive end as well. Also, the Lakers are still learning on the fly after acquiring Ramon Sessions to run the PG position, however the Mavs are beginning to hit their stride at the right time. This is a huge matchup because any small losing streak at this point in the season can see you fall from 3rd to 8th in the West. The Mavericks are moving up. Will they continue that trend tonight? Will they contribute to the season-long Lakers ineptitude on the road (9-15)? The Mavs are percentage points away from the 4 seed as they currently stand at 27-20 while the LA Clippers are 26-19, however they both only sit 1.5 game behind the Lakers. A win tonight would allow the Mavs to creep closer and closer to their goal of a home court first round playoff series. Stay tuned for Postgame report, right here at The Smoking Cuban…