Mavericks extend lead in NBA playoffs, Bulls bounce back

Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points to lead Dallas to a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points to lead Dallas to a 93-81 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, handing the Mavericks a 2-0 lead over the NBA champions in their Western Conference second-round series . Shawn Marion on Wednesday added 14 points and Jason Kidd scored 10 for the Mavericks, who delivered a solid defensive performance and got another strong shooting night from Nowitzki.
\"We came to compete, and we came to make something happen here,\" Marion said. \"We made our presence felt on both ends of the floor tonight. We did a good job of handling their pressure and just going out there and doing what we\'ve been doing all postseason, just playing good defense and just playing our style of play.\"
The victory puts the Mavericks in the driving seat against the two-time defending champions Lakers.
Only three NBA teams have come back to win a best-of-seven series after dropping the first two games at home, and the Lakers will have their work cut out when the Mavericks host game three on Friday and game four on Sunday.
\"It\'s a challenge, that\'s for sure,\" Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.
Kobe Bryant scored 23 points for the Lakers, who had not lost the first two games of a post-season series since the 2008 NBA finals. That also marked their last playoff series defeat.
The Mavericks held the advantage for much of the game and pulled away with a late 9-0 scoring run.
J.J. Barea was key in the burst, which included a shot straight over Andrew Bynum. Barea finished with 12 points and four assists.
Even Bryant, famous for his late-game heroics, could not find an answer. He was scoreless in the fourth quarter until he hit two free throws with less than four minutes to play.
Bynum had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Los Angeles. Pau Gasol had 13 points and 10 rebounds, but the Lakers failed to gain control of the contest.
Meanwhile, Derrick Rose lived up to his new Most Valuable Player status, scoring 25 points to help Chicago bounce back with an 86-73 victory over Atlanta in game two of their Eastern Conference series.
Joakim Noah added 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls, who were shocked in game one on their home floor but looked more like the team that led the league with 62 regular-season victories.
They led by as many as 14 points and after the Hawks fought to trim the deficit to six the Bulls ended the contest on a 9-2 scoring run.
The best-of-seven second-round series is now tied 1-1 as it shifts to Atlanta for games three and four on Friday and Sunday.
Rose\'s night began with NBA commissioner David Stern presenting him with the MVP trophy.
The 22-year-old point guard, who became the youngest player to win the coveted award, promptly scored 16 points in the first half.
Rose\'s shooting touch abandoned him after that, although he did make four of six free throws.
He insisted his drop in offensive production had nothing to do with his sore left ankle. He sprained the ankle in the first round against Indiana and aggravated the injury when he twisted it late in game one.
\"Shots I normally hit, they just didn\'t fall tonight,\" Rose said. \"The way that they\'re playing me, I\'m going to continue to shoot.\"
Noah helped fill the void, as did Luol Deng, who scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half and finished with 12 rebounds.
Carlos Boozer, still battling a toe injury, chipped in eight points and 11 rebounds for Chicago, who won despite shooting just 39 percent thanks to solid defense and rebounding.
After the Hawks edged them in rebounding in game one, Chicago dominated on the boards 58-39.
While home fans voiced frustration with Boozer\'s quiet night, Noah said that was unfair.
\"With Carlos, I think people have to understand he\'s playing through an injury right now, and he\'s giving us what he\'s got,\" Noah said. \"He\'s somebody who has an unbelievable presence and he opens up a lot of things for a lot of us.
\"I think that sometimes people are quick to bash one player, but this is a team. And we know that we need Carlos to get to where we want to go. I think Taj (Gibson) does an excellent job, but we need everybody.\"
Jeff Teague scored 21 points for Atlanta, but Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford, the heroes of the game one victory, struggled.
The winner of the series will face either Miami or Boston in the Eastern Conference finals for a chance to take on a team from the West for the NBA crown. Miami lead their series 2-0.