DIRK Nowitzki came out firing, nabbing the 30,000-point mark in over a quarter, as the surging Dallas Mavericks asserted their mastery over the hapless Los Angeles Lakers with another romp, 122-111, at the American Airlines Center on Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time).
Nowitzki tied a career mark of 18 first quarter points, then opened the second quarter with an airball—the only glitch in what was a historic night for the 7-foot German. With a 15-foot fadeaway at the 10:58 mark of the period, the 38-year-old forward set his place as the sixth member of the 30,000-point club along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant.
He finished with 25 points, all before the halftime break, as Dallas carried a 31-point lead after two quarters and was poised to deal the Lakers another embarrassing rout after a Laker-franchise record 49-point loss at the hands of the Mavs last January 22.
Dallas went on to win their 14th straight over Los Angeles with another season series sweep, as the Lakers got in too deep of a hole and managed to get as close as 11 in garbage time.
Seven players scored in double figures for the Mavs, winners of three straight games to improve to 27-36. Aside from Nowitzki, Seth Curry finished with 18 points, Yogi Ferrell had 16, while Wes Matthews added 15.
The Lakers (19-45) lost eight in a row despite getting 22 points apiece from D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson. Julius Randle also had a triple-double with 13 markers, 18 rebounds and 10 assists.