2012 NBA Standings: Home Court Is Likely Out Of Reach For Mavericks

With the Mavericks loss to the Lakers on Sunday, home court advantage for the Mavericks is likely not going to happen. Dallas is sitting 3.5 games behind the Clippers with only five games left in the regular season. It seems that the Mavericks are likely going to be at best the No. 5 seed once the season ends in a week and a half.

There is a small chance that the Mavericks could fall out of the playoff race all together as they are 2.5 games ahead of the Phoenix Suns, but with only a handful of games left that seems unlikely.

For more on the Mavericks go check out Mavs Moneyball and for more news and notes from around the NBA head over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.

Mavericks Vs. Lakers Final: Dallas Loses OT Thriller

In a back-and-forth OT game, the Dallas Mavericks fell 112-108 to the LA Lakers on Sunday afternoon.

Despite, or possibly because of, Kobe Bryant's absence, the Lakers offense came out of half-time humming, as they finished shooting 45.2% from the floor while handing out 27 assists to only 7 turnovers.

Dirk Nowitzki, who missed a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, was off his game all day, as he finished with 24 points on 9-28 shooting.

LA was able to use their size to bludgeon Dallas on the backboards, finishing with 15 offensive rebounds.

With Rodrigue Beaubois unable to play and Brandan Wright rendered less effective due to the Lakers massive front-line, the Mavericks had to play extremely small to jump-start their offense, going with the perimeter trio of Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Delonte West all through overtime.

It's a tough loss for Dallas, as the Mavericks fall to 34-27 and only 1 game ahead of the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets for eighth place in the West.

For more analysis and coverage of the Mavs loss, head over to Mavs Moneyball.

Mavericks Vs. Lakers: Dallas Up 54-48 At The Half

Despite a slow start from Dirk Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks rode a balanced offensive attack to a 54-48 half-time lead over the LA Lakers in a game with huge playoff implications for both teams.

Delonte West, who had 16 points on 8-11 shooting, was the star of the first half, as the 6'3 combo guard continues to reward coach Rick Carlisle's decision to insert him into the starting line-up.

The Lakers, meanwhile, have struggled to score efficiently without Kobe Bryant, with Andrew Bynum shooting 4-13 from the floor and Pau Gasol going 1-4.

A big part of that has been Brendan Haywood's interior defense, as he has used his 7'0 275 frame to prevent LA's seven-footers from establishing deep post position.

However, the Lakers bigs misses have also allowed them to scoop up 8 offensive rebounds, which has kept LA in the game in the first half.

For more news and updates from the Mavericks game against the Lakers, stay tuned to SB Nation Dallas' exclusive story stream as well as Mavs Moneyball.

NBA Standings 2012: Who Would The Mavs Rather Face In The Playoffs? Clippers Or Lakers?

With the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz all losing their last games, the Dallas Mavericks are now one step closer to a clinched playoff berth in the NBA's Western Conference. The Mavericks are now 1.5 games back of the No. 5 ranked Memphis Grizzlies, and Dallas is on a collision course with a team from Los Angeles, either the Lakers or Clippers.

So Mavericks fans, who would you prefer to see? Kobe Bryant and the Lake Show or Blake Griffin and Lob City? Lakers versus Mavericks tips off in a few hours, let us know your thoughts.

For more on this game Mavericks fans should check out Mavs Moneyball and Lakers fans should visit Silver Screen And Roll. For more news and notes from around the NBA head over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.

Mavericks Vs. Lakers Time, TV, Radio Info And More

The Dallas Mavericks travel to Los Angeles hoping to avoid a season sweep at the hands of the Lakers in a potential Western Conference Playoffs preview.

Mavericks Vs. Lakers: Kobe Bryant Unlikely To Play Sunday

The biggest star in Sunday's NBA showdown will likely be on the sidelines for the Lakers.