Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks: Game Grades and Player Analysis

Los Angeles Lakers (6-7) at Dallas Mavericks (7-6)

Time: 8:30 PM EST

TV: TWC Sportsnet (Los Angeles Lakers), FOX Sports Southwest (Dallas Mavericks)

Venue: American Airlines Center

The Lakers thumped the Mavericks 115-89, improving to 7-7 and dropping the Mavericks to 7-7. Let's get to the player grades for both teams.

Point Guard: Darius Morris—B-

OVERALL GAME GRADE: B-

You have to be somewhat impressed with Darius Morris' play. With Steve Nash and Steve Blake both out, he has been called upon to handle point guard duties for the Lakers, and he has done an admirable job. He looked confident out there and only did what was asked of him. He might end up being a pretty solid reserve for Los Angeles this season.

Q4—C-

Morris put forth a rather underwhelming fourth quarter performance, but fortunately it meant absolutely nothing. Plus, the kid played well prior to the final period.

Q3—C+

After two solid quarters of play, Darius Morris was pretty mediocre in the third, doing nothing eye-opening or noteworthy. Still, for a guy who came into this season as a fourth-string point guard, you've got to give him credit. He has played pretty well overall.

Q2—A-

Another fine quarter from Darius Morris. This time, he had an and-one, and once again he played solid, intelligent basketball. Steve Blake's backup job may be in jeopardy once he returns from injury.

Q1—B

You have to like how Darius Morris played early. He didn't try to do too much and played within himself. The kid also played some fine defense.

Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant—A

OVERALL GRADE: A

Kobe Bryant didn't put up monster numbers (19 points, five assists, three rebounds), but he shot the ball well (6-of-11) and, most importantly, got his teammates involved. The Lakers are 1-4 this season when Kobe scores 30 points. This team is at its best when guys like Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard are also getting touches.

Q4—N/A

No fourth quarter action for Kobe Bryant as the Lakers were dusting off the Mavericks.

Q3—B+

Kobe Bryant only picked up two points off free throws in the third quarter, but with a lead this big, he didn't have to do much. He seems very intent on continuing to get his teammates involved, and that is when the Lakers are at their very best.

Q2—A+

Bryant was simply brilliant in the first half. After playing the role of facilitator in the first quarter, Bryant decided to take matters into his own hands in the second, scoring 15 points off 6-of-10 shooting and hitting a three to end the half. Kobe has 17 points and five dimes at halftime.

Q1—A

Kobe played the role of distributor in the first quarter. The veteran did not attempt a single shot in the first 12 minutes, scoring two points off of free throws and dishing out four assists. Besides, it's not like Bryant needed to score much with Metta World Peace draining four three-pointers and pouring in 16 first quarter points.

Small Forward: Metta World Peace—A

OVERALL GAME GRADE: A

Let's give Metta World Peace an "A" just for that first quarter alone. He came out and set the tone immediately on both ends, scoring for L.A. and completely taking O.J. Mayo out of the game for Dallas.

Q4—C

In limited time in the fourth, World Peace picked up a couple of fouls. Still, it didn't mean anything at this point, as the game was already well in hand.

Q3—B

More of the same as in the second quarter. World Peace didn't do much offensively, but he played solid defense and didn't do anything that could cost the Lakers.

Q2—B

World Peace was a bit quieter here, but he still helped limit Mayo. Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, this is already a great game by World Peace.

Q1—A+

Man, World Peace was on fire in the first quarter. The man formerly known as Ron Artest finished with 16 points, hitting four threes and absolutely dominating O.J. Mayo on both ends of the floor.

Power Forward: Pau Gasol—A-

OVERALL GAME GRADE: A-

Pau Gasol was solid, finishing a rebound shy of a double-double. He did most of his work in the first quarter, as it was very obvious that the Lakers were making a concerted effort to get him the ball early on. This could prove to be big for Gasol's confidence, as Bryant recently criticized his conditioning, not to mention the fact that Pau's two games before this one were pretty awful.

Q4—N/A

Pau Gasol didn't even play in the fourth quarter tonight. No sense in playing him when the Lakers are blowing the Mavericks out of the building.

Q3—B+

Pau Gasol didn't match his level of play from the first quarter, but he is still played very well. The Spaniard scored five points and collected five rebounds in the third period and is looking worlds more confident than he did in the last two games.

Q2—B

After a great first quarter, Pau Gasol took it easy in limited time in the second. Or, as Kobe would say, he "coasted." Nonetheless, it was a very solid first half for Gasol overall, especially considering how poor his previous two games were.

Q1—A+

Pau Gasol was nothing short of magnificent in the first period, putting in eight points (more than he scored in the entire game against the Memphis Grizzlies), four rebounds, and two assists. Gasol was extremely active and was clearly looking to assert himself early on. Looks like Kobe's criticism of Pau is working.

Center: Dwight Howard—B-

OVERALL GAME GRADE: B-

It is a process for Dwight Howard. He is still getting used to playing in his new surroundings, and he is still recovering from back surgery. He was solid, scoring 15 points, grabbing seven rebounds and coming up with five steals. Howard was also a presence in the paint, deterring the Mavericks from getting inside. The scary thing is that Howard is still a ways away from fully hitting his stride.

Q4—B+

Another solid quarter for Dwight Howard in the fourth, as he was made plays all over the floor, including diving into the stands to save a loose ball. It looked like Dwight was having fun out there, and that may be the most important factor for Howard outside of his health.

Q3—A-

This was, by far, Dwight Howard's best quarter of the game thus far, as he scored nine points and was even hitting some free throws. Still, Howard's rebound total is at four, and it has to be a bit of a concern that he is not hitting the glass with more authority. We're used to seeing 15 boards a game from Dwight.

Q2—B

Howard was much more active in the second period than the first, and while he was still struggling a bit, he started look a bit more comfortable. It's also hard to ignore Howard's impact inside defensively, as the Mavericks are settling for a lot of jump shots.

Q1—D+

Howard was off to another slow start, shooting only 1-of-5 from the floor and failing to even grab a rebound in the first quarter. Whether it's the after effects of back surgery getting to him or what, Howard just did not look like the same dominant force we saw in Orlando all those years.

6th Man: Antawn Jamison—A

OVERALL GAME GRADE: A

What a performance by Antawn Jamison. The sixth man finished with 19 points and 15 boards to pace the Lakers' bench. Jamison is still capable of these types of games throughout the course of an 82-game season, and that is why Los Angeles signed him. He could end up being one of the biggest steals of the summer if he can even come close to matching the level of play he did tonight as the year goes on.

Q4—B

Jamison finished off a great performance with a four-point fourth quarter. Unlike the first three periods, Jamison wasn't crashing the glass. But hey, it isn't like the Lakers needed him to.

Q3—A-

While Antawn Jamison wasn't as phenomenal as he was in the first two periods, Jamison still brought it in the third quarter, snatching four more rebounds to give him a game total of 15 and making another nice cut for a layup at the end of the period. This was easily Jamison's best game as a Laker.

Q2—A

After a nice first quarter, Jamison carried that momentum into the second, adding five more points and seven more boards to give him halftime totals of 11 points and 11 rebounds. Who would have thought Jamison would have a double-double in the first half?

Q1 -- A

Antawn Jamison came off the bench and immediately provided a spark for the Lakers, making a couple of nice cuts for layups and hitting two free throws for six first quarter points. Jamison also pulled down four rebounds in what was a very good all-around performance in the first 12 minutes. Jamison is going to prove to be a great pickup for Los Angeles.

Rest of Los Angeles Lakers' Bench—B

OVERALL GAME GRADE: B

Outside of Jamison, no one on the Lakers' bench did all that much, but it's not like they were needed.

Q4—B

Devin Ebanks came in and drained a three, and even guys like Earl Clark and Robert Sacre got minutes.

Q3—B-

Chris Duhon canned a three in the third and did a solid job running point.

Q2—B+

Gotta love Jodie Meeks' contributions by putting in six second-quarter points. Jordan Hill and Chris Duhon got some minutes, as well.

Q1—B

The Lakers' bench didn't have to do much in the first quarter, but when the reserves were on the floor, they did nothing negative. That means the Lakers' pine deserves a B early.

Mike D'Antoni—A

I'm not sure how much credit Mike D'Antoni really deserves for this win, because his guys played lights-out, but let's give D'Antoni props for having his guys prepared after two consecutive losses. He clearly had a positive influence on the team, and it will be interesting to see if that continues going forward.

Los Angeles Lakers—A+

The Lakers administered a good old-fashioned butt-whooping to the Mavericks. They dominated Dallas in all phases of the game, especially on the boards, where they out-rebounded the Mavs 61-39. Los Angeles' frontcourt was clearly a factor in this one, from Howard all the way down to Jamison.

It was a fantastic performance for the Lakers—by far their best of the season. This is the type of thing we expected from these guys when the year started. Just wait until Steve Nash gets healthy.

Point Guard: Darren Collison—D

OVERALL GAME GRADE: D

Yeah, this was a pretty bad night for Darren Collison. He is still young and will experience some growing pains, but he was just plain awful tonight. This was probably the kid's worst game of the season. That being said, no one else on the Mavericks played all that well tonight, so he deserves a pass.

Q4—D-

A nightmarish night finally came to an end for Collison. He shot 0-of-4 from the field and was essentially nonexistent in every other phase of the game.

Q3—D+

It didn't get any better for Darren Collison, as the young point guard continued to struggle in the third. After three quarters of play, the UCLA product was only 1-of-6 from the floor overall.

Q2—C

It was more of the same from Darren Collison in the second quarter. When he was actually on the floor, anyway. Collison only totaled 12 first half minutes, and his impact wasn't any greater or less in the second period than it was in the first. For a kid who was having a very solid year coming in, this was a very disappointing first half for the Mavericks' floor general.

Q1—C

It was a very quiet first quarter for Darren Collison, as he finished with two points and a dime. His impact was not really felt, and he looks to be a bit uncomfortable out there early.

Shooting Guard: O.J. Mayo—D+

OVERALL GAME GRADE: D+

O.J. Mayo came into this game averaging 22.2 points per game. He scored 13 in this game, and he did it off of 5-of-15 shooting. He also took some wild shots, and that was exactly the reason why he wore out his welcome in Memphis. Still, Mayo was playing outstandingly well before this one, so one would assume he will bounce back.

Q4—C-

Mayo took two shots in the fourth quarter, and he hit one of them, and that happened to be a three-point play. Other than that, Mayo continued his less than stellar level of play in the final period.

Q3—D

O.J. Mayo didn't do much of anything in the third, only hitting two free throws. He  struggled from the floor all night and didn't can a three-pointer up to this point, despite coming into this game shooting 56.8 percent from beyond the arc. Again, if Mayo doesn't score, the Mavericks are in trouble, as they just don't have many other reliable scorers on the team.

Q2—C

Mayo was a bit better in the second period, hitting two of his five shot attempts and looking more under control. That said, he had only six points at the half, and with Dirk Nowitzki out, the Mavericks need more production than that out of Mayo.

Q1—D-

It was a miserable first quarter for Mayo, as he shot 1-of-4 from the field and was absolutely torched by World Peace on the defensive end. Mayo leads the NBA in three-point field goals, so look for him to get on track as the game goes on. If not, Dallas is in deep trouble.

Small Forward: Shawn Marion—C

OVERALL GAME GRADE: C

Shawn Marion did finish with 10 points and eight boards, both better than his season averages, but they were what I like to call empty numbers. Marion did nothing early on to help stop the bleeding, and for being such a defensive stopper, he certainly let Bryant have his way in the second quarter.

Q4—B

In limited fourth quarter floor time, Marion had a three-point play and nailed a three for six points. This was certainly his most efficient quarter of the night, even if he only played five-and-a-half minutes.

Q3—C-

Marion was a bit better in the third, but he still didn't do anything worth mentioning. It has been a rather below average night for Marion overall, as he isn't even playing his usual lockdown defense. At least he grabbed some rebounds.

Q2—D

This was a pretty abysmal quarter for Shawn Marion, as he turned the ball over numerous times and was burned by 13 points from Bryant on the other end. Marion's main job is to thwart Kobe, and he didn't even come close to doing that in those 12 minutes. It was a pretty poor first half overall for The Matrix.

Q1—C

Shawn Marion is a defensive wizard, but his Mavericks team gave up 36 first quarter points, and Marion did nothing to prevent it. He didn't do anything offensively either.

Power Forward: Elton Brand—D-

OVERALL GAME GRADE: D-

No points and five fouls in 17 minutes. Is there any more that needs to be said?

Q4—D-

All Brand did in this quarter was pick up another foul. Someone put this poor guy out of his misery already.

Q3—F

Elton Brand picked up three fouls in about two minutes, resulting in Dallas being in the penalty with about 9:40 to play in the third quarter. Brand certainly deserves an "F" for that. It just wasn't Brand's night.

Q2—D

Another scoreless quarter for Brand, and another quarter where his impact went virtually unnoticed. There really isn't much else to say.

Q1—D

Brand was held scoreless in the first quarter, and his lack of size just created all sorts of problems for the Mavericks in the paint. Dallas needs Dirk Nowitzki back in the worst way, as they cannot afford to have and old and beaten up Brand playing starter minutes inside.

Center: Brandan Wright—B

OVERALL GAME GRADE: B

Brandan Wright only tallied 13 minutes, but in those 13 minutes, he was active and actually looked like he cared out there, unlike many of the other Dallas players. It's sort of confusing why Rick Carlisle decided not to let him stay on the floor after a nice first quarter.

Q4—C

Wright played seven minutes in the third after not playing at all in the previous two quarters, but he did nothing. It's a bit puzzling why Carlisle decided not to play him after his solid six-point first period, but it's not like he would have made much of a difference anyway.

Q3—N/A

Another DNP in a quarter for Wright. Come on, Rick Carlisle. Your team is getting smacked. Get Wright in there for some energy at least.

Q2 -- N/A

Brandan Wright, who started this game in place of Chris Kaman, did not play in the second quarter.

Q1 -- A-

Brandan Wright got off to a nice start, hitting some jumpers and totaling six first quarter points off 3-of-5 shooting. Of course, he did allow Gasol to really get going early on, so it wasn't an entirely great first period for the North Carolina product.

6th Man: Vince Carter—A-

OVERALL GAME GRADE: A-

Vince Carter was one of the lone bright spots for the Mavs, as he finished with 16 points and nailed four threes, three coming in the third quarter. Unfortunately, he did not get to build on that point total in the fourth, as Carlisle decided to keep him on the bench.

Q4—N/A

After three quarters of inspired play, Carter sat on the bench in the fourth.

Q3—A

Carter lit it up in the third, scoring nine points on three treys to at least help Dallas put forth a somewhat respectable performance down the stretch. Carter had 16 points total in this one, about three better than his season average.

Q2—B

Carter had two points in the quarter and really didn't do much else. That said, he had the best plus/minus stat for the Mavericks in the first half with a -4, so it's hard to give him anything less than a B for his second quarter performance. Plus, he is right in line to hit on his season average of just over 13 points per game.

Q1—B

Carter came in and nailed a three right off the bat for the Mavericks, and he also hit a couple of foul shots. Vinsanity was also very active early, constantly moving with or without the ball and trying to provide some offense for the Dirk Nowitzki-less Mavs. Solid first period.

Rest of Dallas Mavericks' Bench—B-

OVERALL GAME GRADE: B-

Give Jae Crowder, Bernard James, and Rodrigue Beaubois some props for finishing with 30 points between them. The bench would have earned a better grade had it not been for Chris Kaman shooting 2-of-12 from the floor.

Q4—B

It's tough to stay in the game mentally when you're getting blasted, but let's give some credit to guys like Crowder, James, and Rodrigue Beaubois for staying with it and playing hard in the fourth. Kaman is another story, as he misfired jump shot after jump shot.

Q3—A-

The bench did a heck of a job in the third, with Crowder putting in seven points and Beaubois and James providing a spark to cut into the L.A. lead ever so slightly. If there is one positive the Mavericks can take from this, it is that their bench certainly has the potential to be pretty solid this season.

Q2 -- D-

Crowder hit a three. That's about the only positive thing I can remember the Mavericks' bench doing in the second quarter, as the second unit was absolutely dominated by the Lakers and did nothing to stop Los Angeles from gaining a 27-point edge. Beaubois shot 1-of-4 from the floor.

Q1 -- B-

Kaman did a nice job off the pine, scoring four points and playing some solid post defense. Other than him, no one else did much to write home about, but they also did not allow the game to get completely out of hand.

Rick Carlisle—C

There really wasn't much Rick Carlisle could do about this, as his team was clearly overmatched from the start. He emptied his bench and tried just about everything, but the Mavericks were just no match for the Lakers tonight. Again, though, I question the decision to take Wright out of the game after he played so well early on.

Dallas Mavericks—D-

Plain and simple, the Mavericks were dreadful tonight. I'm not even sure Dirk Nowitzki would have made that big of a difference given how poorly Dallas played. The Mavs shot 37 percent from the floor and seemed out of this one right from the get-go.

On the bright side, the Mavericks are still 7-7, and Nowitzki is working his way back. This team is still a playoff hopeful, regardless.