Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas Mavericks' center came firing out of the gates in an attempt to bury the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty in their NBA playoff matchup. Nowitzki scored 11 points in the first quarter, hitting 4-6 shots and both of his three-point attempts, as the Mavs inched-out to a two-point lead, 29-27.
Kobe Bryant was hardly a factor in the early-going, taking just one shot and scoring two points. Andrew Bynum led the Lakers with 10 first quarter points as they attempted to keep pace with Nowitzki and the Mavs. Lamar Odom had six points and Pau Gasol had five points.
Jason Kidd added five points and three assists for Dallas in the first quarter. Bench stud Jason Terry had three points in the first quarter, with Peja Stojakovic chipping in four.