Odom misses reunion with Lakers

--Mavs forward Lamar Odom missed Wednesday night's rematch against his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, because of a family matter. Odom, the Sixth Man of the Year for the Lakers last season, has struggled to fit in with the Mavs since arriving in a December salary-dump deal. The 32-year-old Odom admittedly reported in poor condition and has averaged career lows in points (7.7 per game), rebounds (4.5), assists (1.7), field-goal percentage (.357) and minutes (21.4). He had 10 points in last month's meeting last month in Los Angeles, one of just eight games that he's scored in double-figures.

--Injured Mavs guard Delonte West, who last week fractured his right ring finger and had stabilizing pins inserted, said the plan is for the pins to be removed later this week. He said he hopes to begin practicing after the All-Star break. However, he is not expected to be cleared to return to action for several weeks. West, acquired by Dallas in December, has given them valuable minutes at both guard positions. He's averaging 8.3 points, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 22.7 minutes.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"I'm going to relax and enjoy this little break. This has been a quick turnaround." -- Mavs forward Shawn Marion, on the coming All-Star break after a rapid-fire first half of the season.

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