Dallas 57, Lakers 51 at the half

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle made no secret about his team's strategy against the Lakers.

``They've gotten so much better defensively that if you let them get set up, it's very hard to get shots,'' Carlisle said before the game.

In other words, the Mavericks intend to run at every opportunity they get. In the first half, they got out in transition frequently, which is why they were able to build a 57-51 halftime lead and why they were able to shoot a blistering 58.5 percent from the field.