The Lakers seized the lead from the Mavericks in the second quarter and never trailed again, but the bigger story may be the ankle injury suffered by star guard Kobe Bryant.
Bryant rolled his ankle early in the game, and he did return in the third quarter, but he was less than impressive in his efforts.
Bryant finished the game shooting 6-of-20 from the field with 16 points, and although he did contribute in the fourth quarter, it's clear that he was uncomfortable on his ankle.
Thank god for Andrew Bynum.
Some of Bryant's biggest games have been against the Mavericks, and some observers were expecting Bryant to stamp the beginning of the Lakers' three-peat march with this game.
Instead, Bryant's extra night of shooting after the Miami loss didn't pay off early, and the ankle injury robbed Bryant late.
But it really didn't matter, because on this night Bynum was the best player on the court.
The Lakers oft-injured center scored 22 points and collected 15 rebounds while dominating the paint and illustrating his value to the Lakers when healthy.
And the Lakers may need a healthy Bynum because there is no telling what the extent of Bryant's injury may really be.
Bryant did return for the third quarter, but that's just the type of player he is.
I also happened to see Bryant's ankle incident several times on instant replay, and if he was lucky to get off with only tweaking it, then the Lakers should thank their lucky stars.
The last thing the Lakers need at this point of the season is a nagging injury to their best player, but if there is any consolation, it is found in the fact that Bynum is playing his best bask...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
