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Tuesday, Apr. 18 8:30pm ET
Finley, Nash key Dallas' upset of L.A. | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
DALLAS (AP) -- Dallas Mavericks coach Don Nelson tried everything to stop Shaquille O'Neal earlier this season. Nelson double and triple-teamed the Los Angeles Lakers center. He had his players foul O'Neal relentlessly. He even tried running a small lineup against the 7-footer, playing him with players eight and nine inches shorter. None of it worked. O'Neal averaged 30 points and 14 rebounds as the Lakers won all three games. On Tuesday night, Nelson opted to combine several strategies, sometimes sending two or three players over, playing him straight up with a center, and even employing a little "Hack-a-Shaq." It still didn't work, but at least the Mavericks ended a 19-game losing streak to the Lakers with a 112-102 victory. "Our game plan was sensational and the guys carried it out with no preparation," Nelson said. "We just met before the game and went over our strategies. They did a great job." Nelson delayed employing "Hack-a-Shaq" until the final minute of the third quarter, but it keyed a third-quarter run that put Dallas in control. After Shawn Bradley knocked O'Neal to the floor with a hard foul, 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard Damon Jones came into the game with just over a minute left. His sole purpose was to foul O'Neal, who entered shooting 52 percent from the free-throw line. Twice Jones grabbed O'Neal around the waist away from the ball, the second time coming before the ball even crossed midcourt. O'Neal missed six straight free throws in the final 49 seconds of the quarter. Dallas finished the quarter with a 6-0 run for an 80-75 lead. "We know every team is going to be after us and we just have to be ready for it," said O'Neal, who finished with 38 points and 20 rebounds, but went just 8-for-19 on free throws. Cedric Ceballos capped a 9-1 run with a layup to give the Mavericks a 101-88 lead with 3:45 left. Los Angeles got no closer than six the rest of the way. Michael Finley scored 25 points and Steve Nash added 23 for the Mavericks, who beat the Lakers for the first time since April 5, 1995. It was Dallas' eighth win in nine games. "This is a big win because they're a good team and not many teams have been beating them lately," Mavericks guard Erick Strickland said. "They played well, but we just fought them off." Before unleashing Jones, Nelson played a center against O'Neal, something he had not done much this season. Nelson kept Bradley mostly on the bench in the first three games, opting to guard O'Neal with smaller players, including Strickland. This time Bradley got the start and played virtually even with O'Neal for the first 19 minutes. Bradley opened the game with three straight jumpers from the top of the key, then took O'Neal off the dribble for a short jump-hook. Bradley left with 11:10 left in the second quarter, having outscored O'Neal 10-8. O'Neal finished the half with 14 points and 10 rebounds, but Dallas trailed by just two. "We didn't let them (the centers) play low," Nelson said. "The other guys understood what we were doing and took their shot blocker away. They did a great job of getting to the rim." Ceballos finished with 21 points in 23 minutes, and Finley added five assists and four rebounds. The Lakers' Kobe Bryant had 16 points and 14 rebounds, but shot just 7-for-20. "We had poor execution on defense and the offense wasn't so great," Lakers forward Glen Rice said. "We had an opportunity to go out and beat a team, but we just didn't get the job done." Game notesWith 47 minutes played Michael Finley has 3,416 on the season, breaking his team record of 3,394 in 1997-98. ... Energetic new Mavericks owner Mark Cuban addressed the crowd before and after the game, the team's last at home this season. ... The Lakers had won their last eight games in Dallas. ... The Lakers, the highest-drawing visiting team in the league, drew a sellout of 18,190 Tuesday night. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard LA Lakers Clubhouse Dallas Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 114 Washington 81
Dallas 112
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