Kobe Bryant drops 52 at Mavericks, 30 in 4th Quarter, OT

Kobe Bryant was a one-man gang for the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring a game-high 30 of his 52 points in the fourth quarter and in overtime, as the Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks, 108-104, in overtime.

The game, played in front of the Los Angeles faithful, showcased Kobe Bryant once again, as Kobe scored the last 14 points for the Los Angeles Lakers in the fourth quarter to help push the game into overtime. Along with his 52 points, Kobe Bryant grabbed 11 rebounds and made 20 free throws in the victory.

With the win, the Los Angeles Lakers continue their winning ways. The Lakers have now won 11 of their last 12 games and show no signs of letting up in the super-competitive NBA Western Conference. The victory brings the Los Angeles Lakers to 42-18, while the Dallas Mavericks fell to 39-21.

Jason Kidd hit for 15 points and had 11 assists in the Dallas Mavericks’ loss, while Dirk Nowitzki clicked for 30 points and 13 rebounds. The game was splintered at times, getting physical at points. Gone are the days when the NBA Western Conference didn’t play defense, or at least didn’t try to play defense. If you don’t play defense and play defense well, you’re not even going to make the playoffs at this rate in the NBA West.

Kobe Bryant dueled last year’s NBA MVP Dirk Nowitzki and made it look easy. Kobe Bryant took a big step in my book to win his first NBA MVP award in the impressive win.