The Lakers led by eight with 7:35 to play, but a flurry of three-pointers brought the Mavs back and they eventually won Game 3, 98-92.
Earlier this season, the Mavs signed Peja Stojakovic for his shooting and after a dreadful first half, he scored 11 points in the fourth quarter (4-of-6 from the field, 3-of-4 from 3PT) to catalyze the Mavs’ comeback.
But without Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs wouldn’t even be here. He was brilliant tonight, hitting 12-of-19 shots for 32 points. Jason Terry was huge down the stretch, scoring seven points in the final two minutes, including a big three-pointer with 2:00 remaining that gave the Mavs a two-point lead.
Pau Gasol (12 points on 5-of-13 shooting) is going to take most of the criticism for the loss, but Kobe Bryant didn’t touch the ball on two crucial Laker possessions down the stretch. One ended in a missed shot by Lamar Odom and then on the following possession (with the Lakers trailing by four with 0:18 remaining), Derek Fisher threw the ball over Odom’s outstretched hand.
