Rick Carlisle has said that a late run of shots from Monta Ellis gave the Dallas Mavericks "a spark" in their win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The guard scored 10 points from five straight shots late on to seal the 110-97 victory and end their four-game losing streak at home.
The head coach told reporters: "Monta had a rough game to that point offensively, although he had quite a few assists. We needed a spark, he made plays. That spurt, that got us the win.
"I actually looked for us to play a lot better from start to finish. It just didn't go that way. It just was a struggling night."
Ellis finished the game with 16 points and nine assists.
