Kidd: Odom makes Lakers 'a little better'

The Dallas Mavericks don't necessarily think that Ron Artest's suspension for Game 3 will hurt the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle and point guard Jason Kidd pointed out that Artest's absence, which is his punishment for a blatant cheap shot at J.J. Barea in the final minute of the Mavs' Game 2 win, might mean more minutes for Sixth Man of the Year Lamar Odom.

"Odom will probably play more, and he's one of their best players," said Carlisle, whose team took a 2-0 lead in the series with a pair of wins at the Staples Center. "That could be a positive thing for them."

Added Kidd: "It probably puts Lamar on the floor a little bit more. Maybe that makes them a little bit better in that sense, because you're talking about an All-Star who puts a lot of pressure, being able to handle the ball and shoot the 3. We'll see what they do differently, but they've still got Kobe [Bryant], [Andrew] Bynum and [Pau] Gasol, so we've got to be ready."