Amazing Laker Comeback Falls Short in Final Home Game

ESPN.com: LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki had 24 points and eight rebounds, Michael Finley added 20 points, and the Dallas Mavericks held off the Los Angeles Lakers 114-112 Sunday for their seventh straight victory and 14th in 16 games since Avery Johnson took over as head coach.

Jason Terry added 17 points and 10 assists for the Mavericks (56-24), who have two games remaining before entering the playoffs with the third-best record in the Western Conference.

The Lakers (34-46) also have two games left in one of their most dismal seasons. They have lost four straight, 17 of 19 and will miss the playoffs for the first time since 1994 and just the fifth in franchise history. They finished with a 22-19 record at home — their worst in 11 years.

Jerry Stackhouse scored 15 points and Josh Howard and Erick Dampier added 13 each for the Mavericks, who shot 49.4 percent.

Kobe Bryant scored 12 of his 33 points in the last four minutes, and also had seven rebounds and nine assists to lead the Lakers. He returned to action after missing Friday night’s 115-106 loss to Sacramento to be with his wife, who had an ectopic pregnancy.

Jumaine Jones added 14 points and nine rebounds, Chris Mihm had 13 points, and Luke Walton scored 12 for the Lakers, who have a 7-40 record when allowing the opposition to score 100 or more points.

Stackhouse made two free throws with 19.3 seconds left to give the Mavericks a nine-point lead, but 3-pointers by Sasha Vujacic and Devean George made it 113-110 with 3.6 seconds remaining.

Stackhouse made another free throw before Bryant was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer with one second to play. He made the first two free throws and intentionally missed the third, but the ball was knocked out of bounds by the Lakers, and Dallas ran out the clock.

The Lakers outscored the Mavericks 22-12 to draw within two points in the third, but Stackhouse scored seven points and Nowitzki, back in action after missing a game with a sore shoulder, added six during a 17-4 run to finish the quarter, giving the Mavericks an 85-70 lead.

The Lakers drew within eight points early in the final period, but a 3-pointer by Keith Van Horn, a basket by Finley and a dunk by Nowitzki made it 95-80 with 7 minutes left.

Bryant scored four quick points to cut Dallas’ lead to 108-102 with 1:07 remaining, and missed a 3-pointer with about 40 seconds left that could have drawn the Lakers within three.

Dallas made nine of its first 10 shots and led by as many as nine points in the first quarter.

With two games left in the season, they Lakers can’t play for much else other than pride. What did feel about their efforts agianst the Mavericks? Sound off in the CL.com Forums!