Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki, right, drives toward the basket as Los Angeles forward Pau Gasol defends during the first half of Game 2 of a Western Conference semifinal Wednesday in Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES — Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks let loose with a few primal howls as they left the court, cutting through the scattered boos and gloomy silence at Staples Center.

After back-to-back wins over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavericks are headed home with something coach Rick Carlisle insists they expected.

These longtime playoff disappointments have a golden opportunity to knock out the two-time defending champions.

Nowitzki scored 24 points, Shawn Marion added 14 and the Mavericks stunned the erratic Lakers 93-81 in Game 2 on Wednesday night, taking a 2-0 second-round lead with consecutive road wins.

Jason Kidd scored 10 points for the Mavericks, who pushed the Lakers halfway to playoff elimination with Nowitzki’s stellar shooting, another steady defensive performance, and a decisive 9-0 fourth-quarter run. Dallas did nothing spectacularly well, yet was significantly better than the cold-shooting Lakers on both ends.

“We came to compete, and we came to make something happen here,” Marion said. “We made our presence felt on both ends of the floor tonight. We did a good job of handling their pressure and just going out there and doing what we’ve been doing all postseason, just playing good defense and just playing our style of play.”

Kobe Bryant scored 23 points for the Lakers, who hadn’t lost the first two games of a playoff series since the 2008 NBA finals — also the last series they lost. Only three NBA teams have come back to win a best-of-seven series after losing the first two at home, where dismayed fans sent the Lakers off with boos and jeers.

“We came here to win two games,” Carlisle said. “We’re going to need every gun blazing and throw the kitchen sink at these guys when they come to our place.”

Game 3 is Friday night in Dallas.

Los Angeles missed its first 15 three-point attempts in Game 2, only avoiding its first playoff game without a three-pointer since May 8, 2001, on Bryant’s three with 2:43 left. Los Angeles finished two for 20 on three-pointers, but the Lakers also appeared simply exhausted during long stretches of their 75th playoff game in the last four seasons.

“I saw guys tired out there, but I don’t think it’s contagious from two years ago or three years,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “Really poor second half on our part tonight. Just really a rugged third quarter for our team, had a hard time getting going.”

Los Angeles also could be short-handed in Dallas: Ron Artest was ejected with 24.4 seconds left for apparently clotheslining Dallas guard J.J. Barea, possibly leading to a suspension. Even Jackson conceded “there’s a good chance” he won’t have Artest on Friday.

“It’s not a basketball play, so we’ll see what happens,” Barea said.

After years of playoff underachievement during owner Mark Cuban’s tenure, the Mavericks certainly appear primed to change their reputation.

Dallas, which won just one playoff series in the past four years before this spring, was more aggressive and inventive than the champs, maintaining a steady lead before breaking it open with nine straight points down the stretch in the rally led by Barea, who highlighted it with an impressive short shot directly over Andrew Bynum. Barea had 12 points and four assists.

Cuban led the cheers behind Dallas’ bench as the Mavs pulled away in the fourth quarter. Not even Bryant could save the Lakers, going scoreless in the fourth until hitting two free throws with 3:11 to play.

Also on Wednesday:

Bulls 86

Hawks 73

CHICAGO — Newly crowned MVP Derrick Rose scored 25 points, Joakim Noah added 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Chicago beat Atlanta in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals to tie the series.

The top-seeded Bulls shook off a dismal performance in the opener and looked more like the team with a league-best 62 wins, building a 14-point lead and ending the game on a 9-2 run after the Hawks got within six.

Jeff Teague had another good game filling in for the injured Kirk Hinrich with 21 points, but Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford struggled after coming up big in the opener for Atlanta. Johnson’s output dipped from 34 points to 16, while Crawford had 11 after pouring in 22 in Game 1.