DALLAS -- Shawn Marion only has eight points on 3-of-11 shooting, but that's just one fewer point than Kobe Bryant, who needed a circus shot to get his third bucket of the game with a minute to go in the quarter. Kobe's nine points and three field goals are the numbers Marion cares most about.

Bryant is leading the NBA at 29.0 points a game, yet he can't get going against Marion and the Mavs. He had 14 in the first meeting in L.A., and now he'll have to do work in the fourth quarter just to match that.

With 5:12 left in the quarter, Kobe dribbled on the perimeter with the shot clock ticking down. Marion stripped him and it lead to a Dirk Nowitzki 3-pointer to cut L.A.'s lead to 63-62. With 2:47 to go, Kobe again had nowhere to go with Marion on him and he clanked a long baseline jumper that led to a Yi Jianlian dunk for a 68-66 lead.

Jianlian, playing for the absent Lamar Odom (family matter), also hit a step-back jumper just inside the 3-point line.

Kobe finally got his highlight play with Jason Kidd on him with just more than a minute to go. Driving, Kobe banked in a circus shot, got fouled, but missed the free throw, still giving L.A. the lead back at 72-70.

Jason Terry, cold all night, hit a short jumper to tie it.

Dirk is 6-of-16 for 15 points. Pau Gasol and Vince Carter still lead all scorers with 20 each.