Mavericks fall to Lakers in OT, 112-108

Nobody likes a complainer. Least of all me. But it's hard not to be just a tad bit upset over two huge blown calls in overtime. And yes, I am aware that blaming refs for a loss is a cop-out, because really if it comes down to their calls, you clearly didn't do a good enough job to win anyway. Usually. But totally missing basket interference on a three and then totally missing a player stepping out of bounds before a shot is damn near unforgivable. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure Matt Barnes was involved in both of those plays.

We (I) can also be mad at Jason Terry for missing that last layup so badly and ponder why he chose to do that instead of his signature pull-up jumper until our heads explode. But no amount of pondering can erase the fact that Dirk Nowitzki had a piss poor first half and the Lakers were on the receiving end of some pretty meh referee calls. Oh, and the Lakers outscored Dallas in the paint 50-32. SO there's also that. I'm done complaining.

Onto some bullets:

• Dirk scored just 5 points in the first half. He was oh-fer a bajillion for a while there. But the shooter that he is, once he watched a pretty three fall in he went off and didn't turn back. He finished with 24 points and 14 rebounds, leading his team in both of those categories.
• Despite screwing the pooch on that last play, Jason Terry had a great game otherwise, going 5-6 from three and dishing out 4 assists (and zero turnovers!?!).
• Speaking of turnovers, the Mavericks FINALLY had a game where they took good care of the ball, committing just six. Lately it feels like we've been watching the Mavericks fall apart at the seams, throwing errant passes left and right. It was a pleasant change of pace to see them maintain control.
• It was frustrating to watch Dallas lead for nearly the entire game, only to allow another team to sneak in, yet again. To be fair, Andrew Bynum had a slow start and came to life in the second half, propelling the Lakers to the win with his 23 points. But still, it's becoming a bit overplayed, don't you think?
• Tomorrow night, Dallas will face the Jazz, who are 31-30 and haven't beaten the Mavericks this season. Actually they haven't beaten the Mavericks in a long while. Yet apparently Utah is favored. Hooray for lowered expectations.