Lamar Odom failed to produce a game-swinging performance, but what he did get in his return to the Staples Center on Monday was much needed closure.

After the Dallas Mavericks suffered a 73-70 loss on his return after being traded by the Lakers in the off-season, Odom put a positive spin on the result.

Now it won't feel weird the next time I come back, the versatile forward told reporters, having scored 10 points in the defeat.

I don't want to take anything away from my time here, but in order for me to succeed, I have to move on.

Odom was the Lakers 'X-Factor' in three trips to the NBA Finals in seven years, but his spell with the team ended on a sour note after a vetoed trade left the two-time champion feeling unwanted.

Los Angeles shipped Odom in a deal designed to land the Lakers point guard Chris Paul, but when the NBA disallowed the transaction a stung Odom requested he be traded officially.

Clearly unsettled by the twists and turns of his eventual departure, Odom has struggled to adjust to his new home in Dallas in the early going this season.

He entered Monday's contest against the Lakers averaging just 6.8 points and five rebounds per game, below the standards that earned him the Sixth Man of the Year Award last season.

But in his homecoming, Odom found the kind of overwhelming appreciation that just might revive his performance.

When he entered the game midway through the first quarter, the crowd greeted him with a lengthy standing ovation while his former team mates greeted him with hugs and heartfelt words.

Lamar is still a part of the heart and soul of this team. What he's done while he was here he deserves that type of ovation and recognition by our fans, said Los Angeles veteran guard Derek Fisher, who hit Monday's game-winning shot.

Lamar is going to be fine. I think he struggled with the situation early but he'll get through this fine.

For the first time this season, Odom seems to agree that better days lay ahead.

I can't get back what I've done here, he said. I plan on succeeding in this next chapter in my life.

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