LA Lakers squeezed out a win today against Dallas, 86-76. Both teams came out of the gates strong but a late game push by LA Lakers was just enough to hold off Dallas. Coach Andreas Helmle said, "This game is really a sign of things to come. We come out and play hard every night. Things are looking up, and the fans of LA Lakers have a lot to look forward to after this victory."

In the Dallas locker room after the game, players were in a somber mood. Even after the great team performance led by Schmidt, they still come up short. "We deserved to win. That was our game - we just need to be able to put our opposition away when we have them down. We really were the better team." said Schmidt after the game.

LA Lakers was led by Miller (21 points, 21 boards, 1 assists, a steal, 2 blocks), Keeney (16 points, 11 boards, 1 assists, a block), Olguin (11 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, a block). Dallas was led by Schmidt (16 points, 12 assists), Gleeson (14 points, 2 assists, a block), Watson (14 points).

LA Lakers improve to 29-15 with today's victory. They hold at #1 in the Pacific and remain at #3 overall in the Western Conference. With the defeat, Dallas fall to 23-20 and 13-10 at home. They remain at #2 in the Southwest and hold at #8 overall in the Western Conference.

box score LA Lakers* roster Dallas roster