LOS ANGELES, January 4 – Seven Lakers players scored in double figures Sunday as NBA champions Los Angeles routed Western Conference rivals Dallas 131-96.
Jordan Farmer led the Lakers with 24 points, while Andrew Bynum added 19 on 8 of 8 shooting with five rebounds and four assists.
Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom chipped in 15 points apiece, Odom adding 15 rebounds and Bryant eight assists, while Sasha Vujacic and Shannon Brown each scored 11 and Derek Fisher added 10 as the Lakers shot 63 percent from the field.
The Lakers’ victory over the second-best team in the Western Conference marked the biggest margin of victory ever between the two teams, surpassing the Lakers’ 33-point victory on December 1, 1993.
And it marked a change from the Lakers’ recent run of cliff-hangers, including a 109-108 victory over Sacramento on Friday courtesy of Bryant’s buzzer-beating three-pointer.
Dirk Nowitzki had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Mavericks, who otherwise endured a woeful shooting night. Jason Kidd epitomized their problems, going scoreless in 26 minutes.
One dark spot for the Lakers was an injury to Pau Gasol, who strained his left hamstring seven minutes into the first quarter. He didn’t return to the game and was expected to have a further tests on Monday.
