Derek Fisher Hits Game Winner, Odom Returns In Lakers vs Mavericks Showdown

Monday night’s NBA Marthin Luther King celebration day was highlighted by a Western Conference semifinals rematch between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Maverick, what fans got instead was one of the worst 48 minutes of basketball seen all year long in the NBA. With Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki taking most of the night off, it was Derek Fisher who emerged as the surprise hero with his tie snapping 3 pointer with 3.3 seconds left that would end up winning the match for the Lakers.

Lakers vs Mavs

The Lakers were coming off a loss to their inner city rivals, a rivalry that has intensified this season with the Clippers having their strongest squad in their history. Kobe Bryant was eager to continue his 40 point streak which stood at 4 consecutive matches going into the game, but he couldn’t get his shot going all night ending up with 14 points on 7-22 shooting.

For the Dallas Mavericks, all eyes were on the return of Lamar Odom – who got a warm standing ovation from Lakers fans following his years of service to the organization. Despite starting the night positively, Lamar continued his poor play this season by going 4-12 and not even being on the court in the waning minutes.

The Dallas Mavericks held the Lakers to just 7 points in the third quarter, 1 point above what would have been a franchise record low for the Lakers. Despite leading for much of the game, Dallas couldn’t hold on to their lead in the fourth with the Lakers’ defense being the difference from more than a half year ago when Dallas was able to sweep the Lakers in the playoffs.

The final possession of the game came with the score tied and Kobe Bryant being isolated at the center of the court on the 3 point line. Instead of taking one of his patented contested jumpshots, Kobe elected to pass the ball to Derek Fisher who was hot all fourth quarter long, and the Little Rock product showed no remorse in hitting a cold blooded three from distance. In the end Derek Fisher’s game winner was the difference in the final score of 73-70 in favor of the homeside Lakers who are now 10-5 while the recently re-surging Mavericks fell to 8-6.