Lakers 103, Mavericks 99: Kobe Bryant scored 14 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter and added 12 rebounds and seven assists as visiting Los Angeles held off Dallas to pick up its third straight win.

Steve Nash added 20 points and Antawn Jamison scored 13 off the bench for the Lakers, who pulled within a game of .500 at 28-29 and moved to 2 1/2 games behind the Houston Rockets for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference.

Dirk Nowitzki put together his best game since returning from knee surgery with 30 points and 13 rebounds and Vince Carter scored 15 for the Mavericks. O.J. Mayo was held to eight points on 2-of-9 shooting and missed a tying 3-point attempt in the final seconds as Dallas dropped two games behind Los Angeles.

The Lakers took a five-point lead early in the fourth quarter before Jae Crowder’s 3-pointer capped a 7-0 run and put the Mavericks back on top. Bryant responded with a deep 3-pointer over Crowder and scored on three straight possessions as it went back and forth.

Dallas was called for a pair of technical fouls for arguing with referees and Los Angeles took advantage with a 7-0 run to go back on top 94-90. Carter ended the drought for the Mavericks but Bryant responded with a jumper and Nash drained a 3-pointer on the next possession to keep the Lakers on top.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Dallas C Chris Kaman (concussion) returned after a 10-game absence and collected four points and four rebounds in eight minutes off the bench. … Los Angeles has won eight of its last 11 games and will try to get back to .500 for the first time since Dec. 28 when it visits the Denver Nuggets on Monday. … Lakers C Dwight Howard was held to nine points but grabbed 13 rebounds and hit three free throws to put Los Angeles on top with 4:01 left.