Utah Jazz 85 at Dallas Mavericks 96
The Dallas Mavericks' record books are scripted with routine big game performances from Dirk Nowitzki, but not even No. 41 had accomplished what the superstar did when the team needed him most Tuesday night.
With the Mavericks down as many as 16, Nowitzki put on his superhero cape once again and took the team for a ride with a team record 29-point fourth quarter to push Dallas to a 96-85 win over the Utah Jazz. The record was the most any Maverick has ever scored in a period, as Nowitzki posted 40 points on the night. In the win, the Mavericks overcame a 39-percent shooting night and 17 turnovers, outscoring Utah 44-18 in the fourth quarter.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
Nowitzki's legendary 4th quarter lifted Dallas to the win
"Dirk put us on his back and showed us why he's the MVP," sixth man Jason Terry said.
"We just looked for a spark there and we had to get something going," Nowitzki said. "Once I made a couple of shots and got to the line some, the ball was just finding me somehow."
And when the ball find it's way to Nowitzki, he found a way to put the ball in the basket.
The Mavericks saw no need to change things up, once again starting a lineup of Jason Kidd, Quinton Ross, Shawn Marion, Nowitzki and Erick Dampier. That lineup has started all four games for Dallas this season.
The Mavericks fought through an early case of the turnover bug and a cold-shooting start with a strong effort on the defensive end. Four turnovers in the first six minutes of play left Dallas down one (7-6) midway through the period.
Dallas' six total turnovers in the quarter, mostly unforced errors, pushed Utah to a 20-17 lead at the end of the first quarter. Both teams struggled putting the ball in the basket, as the Mavs' 35 percent shooting just edged the Jazz and their 33 percent after one.
The stagnant Mavericks got a boost of energy when J.J. Barea and the Dallas reserves entered the game. After his three-point play tied the game earlier in the second quarter, Barea's 3-pointer with 8:58 left in the half gave Dallas a 26-23 advantage.
The Jazz then turned to Deron Williams, whose back-to-back scores over Barea prompted a Dallas timeout with 5:45 remaining as Utah surged ahead 32-28. The Mavs rallied with Terry playing alongside the starters, minus Ross, but the Jazz went into the half up 37-35 in a low-scoring affair. Ross left the game with a bruised lower back injury in the first half and never returned.
The Mavericks were led by Kidd's eight first half points, while Utah's Andrei Kirilenko led all scorers with nine.
Dallas' 32 percent shooting was just bettered by Utah's 34 percent, as both teams struggled to connected on routine shots. Both squads committed seven turnovers in the first half.
"We were in it defensively all night long," Terry said. "Offensively we struggled and it was getting to us a little bit. We were frustrated, but we didn't let out defensive effort lack and that's what kept us in the game."
The normally reluctant-scoring, pass-first Kidd continued to look for his own offense in the third quarter and the Mavericks continued to stick around due to it.
"I can’t overstate the effect that Kidd has on games as a competitor and as a guy that just knows what winning is about and how to facilitate it," Carlisle said.
But not even Kidd's scoring was enough to keep Dallas close after Utah took a 56-48 lead on a Williams 3-pointer. Marion's thunderous dunk in transition brought life into the sold-out Dallas arena of 19,725 and the Maverick team, but the excitement was very short-lived.
Using a 22-6 run to close the third quarter (starting at the 8-minute mark), Utah took a 67-52 lead in the final period.
The Mavs quickly fell behind by 16 in the fourth, but slowly crawled back into the game at the free throw line and by milking the Nowitzki versus Mehmet Okur matchup. Nowitzki's driving score over Okur cut the deficit to 77-69 with 6:03 remaining. No. 41 was just beginning his heroics on the night.
"The biggest thing that happened was Dirk got us in the bonus early in the fourth," Carlisle said. "That started a chain reaction of plays where stops led to good decisions, which led to aggressive plays, which led to him going to the free throw line time after time after time."
"It was big that we got in the bonus really quickly. When you get in the bonus and get to the foul line, you're able to cut into the lead without losing time. So that was big."
The 7-footer rained in 14 straight Dallas points, after his 3-pointer cut the Utah advantage to 79-76 with 4:41 left. Nowitzki's finger-roll layup tied the game at 83-all, leading to a Jazz timeout with 2:38 remaining.
"Twenty-five years in this, I’ve seen a lot of amazing things happen. To be honest, it wasn’t looking great, but we just needed a couple good things to happen offensively for us," Carlisle said.
Nowitzki's jumper in the lane gave Dallas an 85-83 lead with 2:05 left, and gave the sharpshooter the franchise record for points in any quarter. It was a record that had stood since March 24, 1984, when Mark Aguirre scored 24 points in a period.
"For us, once we saw him (Nowitzki) get rolling we said let's pick up our effort defensively," Terry said.
"We said we weren't going to lose this game," Marion said. "Then he got it going and he couldn't stop going."
With the Mavericks playing stifling defense late, the big man played facilitator, finding Kidd on the wing for a game-clinching 3-pointer, giving Dallas a 90-83 advantage with just 50.7 seconds remaining.
"It was great in two aspect," Kidd said. "It was great to watch Dirk. I had a great seat, and then to watch the team stay together and not fragment and fight. We played well for one quarter and found a way to win."
With the comeback in hand, Nowitzki and the Mavericks finished the game off at the charity stripe. Nowitzki left the game to a standing ovation with 28.2 left on the clock.
All told, Nowitzki scored 25 points during the Mavericks' 36-9 run from the 8:19-mark of the fourth until the end of the game. Nowitzki added 11 rebounds, five blocks and five assists. He lived at the foul line, knocking down 15-of-16 at the charity stripe.
Kidd added 19 points and six assists, while Marion and Terry finished with 10 points. Dampier concentrated on the grunt work, with 12 rebounds and six blcks.
Now, winners of three straight, the Mavericks head to New Orleans for a battle with the Hornets on the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday night. The game will air locally on FSN Southwest and nationally on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. CT.
Dallas returns home to host the Toronto Rapters at the American Airlines Center on Saturday night, with tickets still available. For ticket information call (214) 747-MAVS. The game will air on KTXA 21, KTXA 21 HD and HD NET at 7:30 p.m. CT.
The Mavs have also introduced the “MavsU” program, designed to offer college and university students an opportunity to attend Mavs games at a discounted rate. The Mavericks and Genghis Grill have teamed to offer discounted tickets to students for many upcoming games.
To purchase any MavsU ticket and receive a coupon for a free bowl at Genghis simply call 214-747-MAVS or visit Mavs.com.
Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.
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