On a night where all of Lakerdom celebrated the career and past accomplishments of Shaquille O'Neal, the center's one-time running buddy and rival delivered a performance that kept alive the possibility — however slight — that this year's dysfunctional and damaged Los Angeles Lakers could get the chance to inflict some damage of their own come the postseason. Kobe Bryant scored 23 points on 8 for 18 shooting, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished 11 assists, notching the 19th triple-double of his illustrious career, to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a much-needed 101-81 win over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday. He even played some defense, snagging four steals, blocking two shots and consistently making solid weak-side rotations to help his bigs in the paint. (Now let's keep those rotations coming, Kobe, huh?) In a game L.A. had to have, Bryant answered the call, giving his listing Lakers a shot in the arm in the race for the West's eighth and final playoff slot ... and, in the process, possibly consigning the Mavericks to their first lottery trip since the summer of 2000, months after Mark Cuban bought the long moribund franchise and elevated it to the level of the NBA's elite organizations.
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