Dirk Nowitzki hit two go-ahead free throws with 19.5 seconds left and Jason Kidd made a key steal to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 96-94 victory over the host Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Monday night.

Kobe Bryant’s last-second, game-winning 3-point attempt for the Lakers bounced off the rim. Bryant scored 36 points, but made a costly turnover with 20.9 seconds left prior to Nowitzki’s free throws which gave Dallas a 95-94 lead.

Nowitzki finished with 28 points and 14 rebounds.

Kidd stole the ball from Paul Gasol, and hit one of two free throws with 3.1 seconds left. Gasol was trying to hand the ball to Bryant, who was bumped and fell.

Game 2 is Wednesday in Los Angeles.

Gasol had 15 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, and Lamar Odom had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers.

Jason Terry added 15 points and Kidd had 11 assists for the Mavericks.

The Lakers built a 16-point third-quarter lead thanks to a 21-2 run. Los Angeles finished the first half with a 14-2 spurt and scored the first seven points of the second half.

Dallas eventually pulled within 80-79 on Nowitzki’s 3-pointer with 9:03 to play, but did not catch the Lakers until Nowitzki's free throws.