Kobe Bryant to Mark Cuban: 'Amnesty THAT'

Nothing fazes Kobe Bryant. Not Mark Cuban. Not national television. Certainly not Jae Crowder's defense or Darren Collison's speed.

After Cuban explained Sunday why he suggested the Lakers cut their star, Bryant provided a brilliant counterpoint in a 103-99 win against Cuban's Dallas Mavericks. He finished with 38 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists as the Lakers won their third in a row and improved to 8-3 in February.

"Amnesty THAT," Bryant tweeted after the game, referring to the amnesty clause that Cuban suggested would let the Lakers avoid paying his contract.

"I'm sure if (Cuban) wants to amnesty Dirk (Nowitzki), that's something we'll be willing to entertain," Bryant told news reporters after the game.

Cuban later fired back with his own tweet: "Nice to know there is a least one team and their players, outside of the Mavs, that listen to everything I say," he posted.

Bryant talked trash with his game, too. And he took over late. His two best moments came in the final 20 minutes.

First, he found himself isolated in a two-on-one Mavericks fast break with Shawn Marion and Collison. Bryant isn't the consistently elite defender he once was, but he can step his game up when necessary. Collison learned that the hard way, as Bryant jumped with perfect timing to block a right-handed layup.

Bryant is best when left to his own devices, best when he isn't asked to rely on teammates. He showed that in the fourth quarter, after a screen and a few Lakers cuts didn't lead to anything on an offensive possession. Bryant found himself matched up against Crowder, an athletic, harassing defender.

So he stepped about two feet behind the three-point line and launched one.

Of course he made it.

"It was very intense," Crowder said of guarding Bryant. "From the crowd standpoint, from the player standpoint, from the officiating. You could tell."

Bryant spent much of the game going back and forth with Nowitzki, who has starred for the Mavericks for about as long as Bryant has for the Lakers. They each had 24 points through three quarters, then Bryant dropped 14 in the fourth.

"He's been the best player in my decade," said Nowitzki, who had 30 points and 13 rebounds, both season highs. "I've been in the NBA a long time and he's the one player I love to watch. It was a big game on the national TV stage. It was a fun one. We just came up a little bit short."

Maybe this performance will shut up Cuban?

Nah.

Contributing: The Associated Press