The Dallas Mavericks made a statement last night in the Los Angeles Staples Center. A winning recipe of stable defense anchored by Tyson Chandler, coupled with proficient offense led by Dirk Nowitzki, resulted in a 93-81 victory for the road team. The Mavs return home for Game 3 and 4 with a dominant 2-0 series lead over the Lakers. Here is more from the AP and espn.com, followed by more blogging from Scott.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points, Shawn Marion added 14 and the Dallas Mavericks stunned the erratic Los Angeles Lakers 93-81 in Game 2 on Wednesday night, taking a 2-0 second-round lead over the two-time defending champions with consecutive road wins.

Mavs take decisive series lead

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Dallas continues to prove they aren't the same old Mavericks. Soft, mentally weak, choke artists...you get the picture. Over the last decade, these are derogatory basketball terms used to describe the Mavericks. This postseason, one can replace these terms with hard nosed, mentally tough, unyielding, etc.

Tyson Chandler was a quiet offseason addition in the NBA world. He made plenty of noise all season though. His defensive intensity and on-court toughness have been a welcome addition to Mark Cuban's squad. Dirk Nowitzki is as confident as he's ever been in his 12 year career.

The Lakers were a favorite to repeat as champs this year. Now they're halfway to playoff elimination as the series moves to North Texas. Games 3 and 4 are set for Friday and Sunday.

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