Dirk’s big night sparks Mavericks past Lakers in LA

Why Mavs won: The Mavs set the tone early Sunday night by tallying the game’s first 15 points and went on to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 103-93. From there it was just a matter of coasting and holding off the mild threats the Lakers tossed their way. The Lakers got within 64-57 of the Mavs with 5:18 left in the third quarter. But the Mavs finished the quarter on a 17-7 run and packed an 81-64 lead into the fourth quarter. The Lakers also inched to within 97-91 of the Mavs with less than three minutes left in the game. But baskets by Raymond Felton and J. J. Barea padded the Mavs’ lead to 101-91 with 1:23 remaining.

Key players: Dirk Nowitzki poured in 15 of his 25 points in the first half. Chandler Parsons played his first game of the season and finished with two points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal in 12 minutes. He was 1-of-6 from the field and only played in the first half. Zaza Pachulia continued his bright start as he collected 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Key stat: After sitting Thursday’s game against the LA Clippers with a sprained left knee, Deron Williams started against the Lakers and wound up with 11 points, five rebounds and eight assists in 31 minutes. The Mavs got 39 points and 18 rebounds from their bench, led by Raymond Felton, who finished with 11 points. For his 25 points, Dirk Nowitzki was 10-of-13 from the field in 31 minutes.

Records: Mavs 2-1; Lakers 0-3

This story was originally published November 1, 2015 at 11:15 PM with the headline "Dirk’s big night sparks Mavericks past Lakers in LA."