After getting thumped by the Chicago Bulls on Christmas day, the Los Angeles Lakers were back in action Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks. The last time these two teams met, the Mavericks crushed the Lakers by 34 points, but this time it was a much closer game, but Dallas still came out with a victory, 102-98.

Despite shooting 36.4 percent for the game and Dallas shooting 50.6 percent, the Lakers kept it close throughout the entire contest.

“Honestly, I don’t know how we were still in that game. I don’t think we played a very good basketball game,” point guard Ronnie Price said after the contest.

However, rebounding was the biggest reason the Lakers hung around in this one, as they out-rebounded the Mavericks, 63-40. It was mainly on the offensive glass where the Lakers dominated Dallas. They grabbed 24 offensive rebounds compared to Dallas’ six.

Turnovers and poor shooting took their toll on the Lakers, though. After only turning it over four times against the Bulls, the Lakers had 16 miscues in this one. Also, the Lakers allowed the Mavericks to score 56 points in the paint, which was pretty much layup after layup.

The Lakers were without Kobe Bryant for a third consecutive time. Bryant sat out again due to soreness. He says his body is not ready yet, and he may sit out for another week.

Without Kobe, the Lakers had good balance offensively. Carlos Boozer led the way again with 18 points and eight rebounds. Nick Young, who was quiet for most of the game, hit 4 threes in the fourth quarter and finished with 15 points and five rebounds. Wayne Ellington and Wesley Johnson each put in 12, while Jordan Hill added 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Ed Davis chipped in with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

The Lakers went down by 16 with 3:56 remaining in the game, but they made a last minute push and cut the Mavericks lead to four with nine seconds left. The Lakers fouled Richard Jefferson, who split his costless throws. With four seconds left, the Lakers went for a two to cut the lead to three, and they quickly fouled Monta Ellis.

Ellis hit 1-of-2 costless throws which sealed the game for his team. He finished with 15 points, seven assists, and three steals. Newly acquired Rajon Rondo led the way for the Mavs with 21 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. The Mavericks are still trying to find chemistry with Rondo.

Dirk Nowitzki had 14 points and eight rebounds, as he passed Elvin Hayes for eighth on the all-time scoring list. He is now 88 points away from passing Moses Malone for seventh on the list.

Tyson Chandler recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds on 5-of-7 shooting. He was the beneficiary of multiple alley-oop passes from Rondo. Meanwhile, Chandler Parsons had a quiet game, scoring 12 points in 33 minutes. Charlie Villanueva gave the Mavericks a huge boost late in this game by hitting a couple of threes, as he finished his night with 13 points.

The Lakers looked significantly well throughout most of the game. They were just inefficient on the offensive end. They started the game missing their first four shots and were down, 10-0. They started the third quarter similarly, as they couldn’t buy a basket for the first four minutes and 14 seconds.

Not having a veteran leader like Kobe Bryant could do that to a young team. The energy and effort has been there for the Lakers, but their inability to score has hurt them in the last two games.

After the game, Byron Scott was asked about the absence of Kobe Bryant. “We would love to have him in the lineup. I don’t know what they (players) think, like I said to the people that think we’re better off without him, they’re a bunch of idiots,” Scott said. “If our players think we’re better off without him I think these three games prove that we do need him on the floor.”

The Lakers have now lost two straight games, as they drop to 9-21 on the season. The Mavericks are 2-2 since the Rondo trade, as they improve their overall record to 21-10.

The Lakers will be back in action on Sunday, December 28th, against the Phoenix Suns. The Mavericks’ next game is on Sunday as well, as they will go up against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that is desperately fighting for a playoff spot.