Lakers' 30-Point Comeback vs. Mavericks - December 6, 2002

On December 6, 2002, the Los Angeles Lakers produced one of the greatest comebacks in franchise history, rallying from 30 points behind to defeat the Dallas Mavericks 105-103 at Staples Center.

Dallas entered the game with a remarkable 17-1 record, while the three-time defending NBA champion Lakers were struggling at 7-13. For more than two quarters, the difference between the teams appeared enormous.

The Mavericks led 64-36 at halftime and scored the first basket of the third quarter to take a 66-36 lead. Even after the Lakers began to recover, Dallas still held an 88-61 advantage entering the fourth quarter.

Then the game completely changed. Los Angeles outscored Dallas 44-15 in the fourth quarter, with Kobe Bryant scoring 21 points in the period. Bryant completed the comeback by hitting the go-ahead jumper with 8.4 seconds remaining, giving the Lakers an incredible 105-103 victory.

Dallas entered Staples Center with the NBA's best record at 17-1 and looked every bit like the league's dominant team during the first half.

The Mavericks led 29-24 after the opening quarter. The Lakers briefly pulled within one point early in the second, but Dallas responded with a devastating run.

The Mavericks outscored Los Angeles 35-12 in the second quarter. Dallas finished the half with a 15-0 run and carried a commanding 64-36 advantage into the locker room.

The Lakers were booed by their home crowd as they left the floor.

Any hope that halftime would immediately change the game disappeared when Adrian Griffin opened the third quarter with a basket.

That pushed Dallas' lead to 66-36, the Mavericks' largest advantage of the night and the Lakers' maximum 30-point deficit.

Los Angeles made some progress during the third quarter, but Dallas rebuilt much of its advantage late in the period. The Mavericks entered the fourth quarter leading 88-61.

With only 12 minutes remaining, the Lakers still needed to overcome 27 points.

Kobe Bryant had scored only six points through the first three quarters. He had made just two of his 11 field-goal attempts.

Then came the fourth quarter.

Bryant scored 21 points in the final period, transforming what had looked like a certain Dallas victory into one of the most memorable Lakers comebacks of the era.

He finished the night with 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Bryant made 10 of 19 shots overall after his late scoring explosion.

The Lakers as a team were nearly unstoppable in the fourth quarter, shooting 16-for-18 from the field while scoring 44 points.

Steve Nash's driving layup gave Dallas a 92-69 lead with 9:25 remaining. The Mavericks were still ahead by 23 points and appeared to have stopped Los Angeles' momentum.

Instead, the Lakers scored the next 15 points.

The run cut the deficit from 92-69 to 92-84 and brought Staples Center back to life. Dallas went nearly four minutes without scoring as the Lakers turned the game into a genuine contest.

With Shaquille O'Neal controlling the paint and Bryant attacking from the perimeter, Dallas could no longer slow the rally.

The Lakers continued closing the gap until Brian Shaw hit a three-pointer with 1:28 remaining to tie the game at 100-100.

Robert Horry then made a free throw to give Los Angeles its first lead, 101-100.

Former Laker Nick Van Exel immediately answered with a three-pointer, putting Dallas back in front 103-101 with 1:04 remaining.

Only seconds later, Shaw hit a jumper off a Horry assist to tie the game again at 103.

Steve Nash then lost the ball with 30.2 seconds remaining, with Shaquille O'Neal credited with the steal. That gave the Lakers an opportunity to take the lead.

With the score tied 103-103, the Lakers put the ball in Bryant's hands.

With 8.4 seconds remaining, Bryant connected on a 16-foot jumper to give Los Angeles a 105-103 lead.

Dallas had one final opportunity. Michael Finley attempted a three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left but missed. Devean George secured the defensive rebound, completing the remarkable Lakers victory.

Los Angeles had gone from 30 points behind to two points ahead - a 32-point swing.

While Bryant provided the dramatic fourth-quarter scoring, Shaquille O'Neal was essential throughout the game.

O'Neal finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. He made eight of 12 field-goal attempts and attempted 18 free throws.

Robert Horry added 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Brian Shaw scored eight points, including the critical late three-pointer and the basket that tied the game at 103.

The Lakers also dominated the rebounding battle, finishing with 50 rebounds compared with only 31 for Dallas.

Nick Van Exel led Dallas with 25 points off the bench, making five of eight three-pointers against his former team.

Steve Nash scored 22 points and handed out seven assists, while Dirk Nowitzki finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Nowitzki made all four of his three-point attempts.

Dallas finished 15-for-25 from three-point range, an excellent 60 percent. But the Mavericks made only 33 field goals overall and were overwhelmed by the Lakers' extraordinary fourth-quarter shooting.

Michael Finley endured a difficult shooting night, finishing with 11 points on 4-for-19 shooting.

The final quarter remains the defining statistical feature of the comeback.

Dallas entered the fourth leading 88-61.

Over the final 12 minutes, Los Angeles scored 44 points while Dallas managed only 15. The Lakers made 16 of their 18 field-goal attempts in the period, including four of six from three-point range.

Bryant scored 21 of those 44 points. Brian Shaw added eight, Shaquille O'Neal scored seven and Devean George added five.

The Lakers erased the entire 27-point fourth-quarter deficit and still had enough time to take a two-point lead before the final buzzer.

The circumstances made the comeback even more remarkable. Los Angeles had won three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 through 2002 but had struggled badly to begin the 2002-03 season.

The Lakers entered the night just 7-13. Dallas, meanwhile, was 17-1 and had established itself as one of the league's elite teams.

The victory improved Los Angeles to 8-13 and dropped Dallas to 17-2.

At the time, the 30-point rally established a new Lakers franchise record for the largest deficit overcome in a victory, surpassing a 25-point comeback against the Chicago Bulls in 1979.

The Lakers' 30-point rally remains one of the largest comeback victories in NBA history.

It was not quite enough to match Utah's legendary comeback against Denver on November 27, 1996, when the Jazz rallied from 36 points behind to win 107-103.

View Utah's 36-point comeback against Denver »

What made the Lakers' comeback especially dramatic was how late it occurred. Los Angeles was still down 27 points when the fourth quarter began and had only 12 minutes to erase the deficit.

Date: December 6, 2002

Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

Attendance: 18,997

Final Score: Los Angeles Lakers 105, Dallas Mavericks 103

Largest Lakers Deficit: 30 points

Score at Largest Deficit: Dallas 66, Los Angeles 36

Halftime Score: Dallas 64, Los Angeles 36

Score Entering 4th: Dallas 88, Los Angeles 61

Fourth Quarter: Lakers 44, Mavericks 15

Lakers Record After Game: 8-13

Mavericks Record After Game: 17-2

Lakers Leading Scorer: Kobe Bryant - 27 points

Dallas Leading Scorer: Nick Van Exel - 25 points

Leading Rebounder: Dirk Nowitzki - 12 rebounds

Kobe Bryant in 4th Quarter: 21 points

Winning Basket: Kobe Bryant - 16-foot jumper with 8.4 seconds remaining

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