Kobe Bryant poured in 36 points but could not hit the pull up three at the buzzer as Dallas ran away with a 96-94 victory after being behind all game. A double double from Nowitzki of 28 points and 14 rebounds, a couple of mistakes from LA in the last seconds and a steal from Jason Kidd meant the Mavs lead the series 1-0.
In the other game of the night, Atlanta gets the better start in its series against Chicago. The Hawks won conference semi-final Game 1 103-95 behind 34 points from Joe Johnson and 22 from Jamal Crawford.