DALLAS -- Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki put on an old-fashioned shootout Sunday afternoon at American Airlines Center. At times it was easy to forget that this wasn't a battle of two Western Conference powerhouses, but rather a desperation game for both the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks to get a little closer to playoff contention.

Both teams entered the game chasing eighth-place Houston and in a near-dead heat for ninth place. The Lakers came in with two more wins than Dallas, but with the same number of losses. Los Angeles leaned heavily on Bryant, who scored 38 points one game after notching 40, including a free throw with 4.5 seconds left to seal the Lakers' 103-99 victory.

"It's difficult, it's obviously difficult," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of slowing Bryant, who outscored Nowitzki 14-6 in the decisive fourth quarter. "He hit some very difficult shots. We ran at him a few times [to double-team] and [Steve] Nash hit a 3. It's tough when he's going like that."

Nowitzki, had one of his best games of his abbreviated and mostly disappointing season due to arthroscopic knee surgery prior to the start of the season. He set a season-high with 28 points, but managed just four shot attempts in the final period. He also missed a critical free throw on a 1-and-1 that would have pushed Dallas to within one point with 1:04 to go.

"I've got to make that free throw," Nowitzki said.

Bryant then swished a long jumper over single coverage and Metta World Peace made 1 of 2 free throws for a 102-99 lead with 16.8 seconds to go. Dallas called a timeout and inbounded in the front court. Nowitzki received the pass, but lost control while being hounded by World Peace. The Mavs maintained possession, but O.J. Mayo missed a contested 3-pointer from the corner.

Nowitzki had a tough fourth quarter, getting off just five shot attempts while picking up a technical foul with 5:48 to go after emphatically waving his arm in disgust over a no-call with World Peace defending his shot attempt. Nash made the technical free throw to put the Lakers ahead, 90-88.

Dwight Howard, who struggled with early foul trouble and finished with nine points and 13 rebounds, then made 3 of 4 free throws for a 91-90 lead.

Mayo's forgettable game (eight points on 2 of 9 shooting) got worse when he drew a technical foul after getting whistled on a Bryant drive. It turned into a three-point play and put the Lakers up, 94-90.

Then it was the Bryant show again with the superstar swishing a couple of difficult jumpers and then assisting off a double team on a Nash 3-pointer for a 99-95 lead with 1:42 to go. Nash made 4 of 5 from 3-point range and finished with 20 points.