The Los Angeles Lakers can move step closer to their postseason dreams Sunday in a matchup against the Dallas Mavericks at 1 p.m. ET.
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While giving a eulogy for late owner Jerry Buss on Thursday, Bryant challenged his teammates to honor his memory by continuing to improve, saying the Lakers were "playing for something bigger than ourselves, bigger than a single season."
Los Angeles (27-29) is below .500 this late in the season for the first time since 1993-94, one of five times the franchise didn't reach the playoffs since its founding in Minneapolis in 1948-49. The Lakers are just outside of position for another postseason berth in the Western Conference but have helped their chances by winning 10 of 14.
Bryant, who recently guaranteed that his team would make the playoffs, scored 11 of his 40 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes Friday to help the Lakers pull away in a 111-107 victory over visiting Portland.
Meanwhile, Dallas, one spot behind Los Angeles in the West, defeated New Orleans 104-100 on Friday for its fifth win in six games. Vince Carter made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 6.5 seconds left and finished with 22 points while Dirk Nowitzki had a team-best 25, one shy of matching his best performance since returning from knee surgery.
Having Nowitzki available might help the Mavericks beat the Lakers for only the second time since sweeping them out of the 2011 playoffs en route to their only NBA title. He's averaging 24.9 points in his last 10 games against Los Angeles, including the postseason.
