Mavericks-Bobcats Recap

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)



Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Charlotte Bobcats 97 at Dallas Mavericks 98 F/OT

There was a patriotic midst in the air at the American Airlines Center on Saturday night.

Over 150 soldiers from Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and Fort Hood Army Base filled the arena floor seats and lower level, after season ticket holders gave up their chairs for the sixth annual "Seats for Soldiers" night.

The Mavericks didn't have to look far for inspiration for their third straight win, as the military heroes sitting courtside looked on to witness Dirk Nowitzki save his best theatrics for clutch time. With swingman Josh Howard sitting the game out to rest his surgically-repaired left ankle, the Mavs' 7-foot caped crusader saved the day and willed his team to a victory on a game-winning fadeaway jumper with 1.8 seconds left in a 98-97 overtime thriller against the Charlotte Bobcats.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
"The definition of a franchise player is one who wants the responsibility for winning or losing," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "(Nowitzki) wants the ball in his hands when the game is being decided and the only thing he's thinking about when he gets the ball is finding a way to win the game."

"That's why Dirk is going to be one of the all-time greatest."

The Bobcats entered Dallas without ever beating the Mavericks in the franchise's short existence. Dallas came out the gates quickly in the first quarter to ensure that trend didn't change. After jumping out to an early 12-point lead, the Mavericks took a 26-20 edge at the end of one after a Drew Gooden tip-in with .7 seconds left in the quarter. Led by J.J. Barea and Erick Dampier, Dallas shot lights-out in the period, hitting on 12-of-23 shots from the field. The Bobcats countered with isolation plays for Stephen Jackson, who scored nine first quarter points to keep Charlotte close.

In a rugged second quarter, all of the loose balls seemed to find their way into the Bobcats' hands. After Charlotte's furious comeback and a 13-4 run, the Mavericks found themselves down 39-30 midway through the second. Outscoring Dallas 26-17 in the period, Charlotte took a 46-43 advantage into the halftime break. The Mavs shot just 7-of-18 in the second quarter.

"(The Bobcats) came in and put up a good fight," forward Shawn Marion said. "They're a team that never stops."

Despite shooting 46 percent and holding Charlotte to just 43 percent in the first half, Dallas could do little to stop Jackson, Raymond Felton and Gerald Wallace, all of which scored in double figures in the half. Barea and Dampier each posted 10 points to led the Mavs in scoring at the intermission.

"I told the guys at halftime, this is a persistent team we're playing," Carlisle said. "They're playing well and it's going to be a gut-check game."

And the Mavs definitely took the Bobcats' best punch square in the gut in the second half.

Dallas never got on track in the third quarter, falling behind by as much as 11 in the period. With the Mavs struggling to connect from the outside and the Bobcats' defense shutting down the lane, Nowitzki single-handily kept Dallas close with 10 points in the quarter. Still Charlotte took a 70-62 lead into the fourth quarter, with Jackson scoring the final 11 points for the Bobcats in the third.

"It was an ugly, ugly night," Nowitzki said. "We couldn't really get anything going."

The Port Arthur, Texas native's assault continued as he banked in a 3-pointer early in the fourth, giving him 14 straight Charlotte points. It was nothing new for Carlisle, who coached Jackson in Indiana.

"(Jackson) is from Texas. He plays well in this state. Believe me, I know, I coached and worked with him. When he gets near home, the ball goes in the basket. He's just a major impact player," Carlisle said.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks attempted to muster up a comeback at the charity stripe, milking their arrival in the bonus with trips to the foul line. Down six inside the last two minutes, the Mavs' comeback train didn't make any stops on the way to the finish line, going to Nowitzki and No. 41's height advantage over a defending Jackson.

Climbing to within two, 85-83, with 25.2 seconds remaining, Carlisle drew up a play for Nowitzki to work over Boris Diaw one-on-one. No. 41's hanging fadeaway from outside the lane got the shooter's roll with 10.9 seconds remaining. The 7-footer then forced a steal as time expired at the other end, sending the game into overtime knotted at 85-all.

It was only a prelude to the events that would transpire next.

"It came down to, really, just a back-and-forth game at the end of regulation and overtime. And the team that dug a little deeper was going to find a way, and that's exactly what happened," Carlisle said.

A dunk-tip from Dampier at the 2:43-mark of the extra period put Dallas ahead 89-88, followed by another rain-making jumper from Nowitzki. After Jason Terry was handed a technical foul in a scrum with Felton, the Bobcats reeled off three straight points to tie the game at 91-91. Felton's jumper over Terry then gave the Bobcats a 93-92 edge with 56.7 seconds remaining. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year then came right back with a jumper of his own with 48.9 ticks on the game clock to put Dallas back ahead by one. A Marion foul then sent Wallace to the line, where the versatile forward calmly knocked down a pair to put Charlotte back in front.

As he did at the end of regulation, Nowitzki poured in another fallaway jumper over Diaw's outstretched arm to put Dallas back ahead, 96-95, before Wallace once again nailed a pair of free throws. But No. 41 would have the last laugh on this night, nailing a 10-footer once again over Diaw with 1.8 seconds left.

"I just looked at the clock, took a couple of dribbles and pulled up," Nowitzki said of the final play.

"(Diaw) is a stronger guy, and I probably should have taken him off the dribble a little bit more. But I settled for some jumpers, and a couple of them went in."

Charlotte went to Jackson on the subsequent possession, but his desperation 3-pointer came up short of the rim, as the Mavs left their home floor with the one-point win.

"We had three guys converge on Jackson, and we made him take a tough shot. And we get out of here alive," Carlisle said.

As Dallas has shown an ability to do this season, the Mavs won while shooting just under 40 percent. The Mavericks' 50-44 rebounding edge helped with their shooting struggles.

While Nowitzki's game-winner and game-high 36 points on 14-of-34 shooting will grab the headlines, the dirty work that Dampier and Marion provided powered the Mavs to the win.

After his 20-point, 17-rebound night against the Heat, Dampier's follow-up performance was just as dominate, as the big man posted 14 points while grabbing 18 rebounds.

"Dampier put together two monster games and I thought it was just critical that he did, knowing how this team was going to play," Carlisle said.

Marion's 15 points and 15 rebounds where equally as impressive.

"(Marion) is finding a way to play a major role without scoring a lot of points," Carlisle added. "He's not used to that, and I've got a lot of respect for the fact that he's just doing it because he wants to win."

"For the most part, we're just trying to find our niches and that's what we have to do," Marion said. "Everybody has to contribute. It's not one person, it's a team effort out there, and everybody has to do their part. We did that tonight."

Terry (11) and Barea (10) made it five Mavericks in double figures. Jackson's 28 points led Charlotte, while Wallace added 23 points and 16 boards. Felton finished with 20 points in the loss.


Dallas goes for its fourth straight win on Monday night, when the New Orleans Hornets visit the American Airlines Center. The game will air locally on KTXA 21 and KTXA HD, and nationally on NBA TV at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.

The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.

Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.

Mavericks-Bobcats Preview

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)


Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Charlotte Bobcats (9-12) at Dallas Mavericks (16-7)

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

To the Dallas Mavericks, it has taken an eternity to get to this point, though the team has only played 23 regular season games.

It's been more of a pipe dream than a reality since Training Camp, but the Mavericks are finally health and their full array of talents can finally be on display at one time. With the last two pieces of the puzzle, Josh Howard and Quinton Ross, back and in place, the image of how explosive and balanced the Mavericks are became very clear Friday night in a 106-93 road win over the Miami Heat.

The Mavs shared the ball, accumulating 30 assists on their 39 made field goals in the win.

"We have a lot of weapons out there, especially with Josh (Howard) coming back now, so we were just moving the ball and taking what was there," leading-scorer Dirk Nowitzki said.

Now the Mavericks hope that trend continues against the Charlotte Bobcats just 24 hours later. That should be a daunting task against a much-improved Charlotte ball club.

Though they sit three games under .500, if the playoffs started today then the Bobcats would be the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. However, Charlotte has been abysmal on the road this season, losing nine of their first 10 games away from home. The Bobcats also have history working against them, as the franchise has never beaten the Mavericks.

Charlotte does have a new swagger about themselves of late though, after the acquisition of Stephen Jackson via trade from Golden State on Nov. 16. Since the deal, the Bobcats have won six of their last nine, as Jackson has posted 18.5 points per game since joining their team.

(Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)

With the disgruntled yet talented swingman in blue and orange, the Bobcats have increased their scoring from a league-worst 82.4 points per game to 95.7 with Jackson in uniform. With Jackson playing next to one of the league's most improved players and the third leading rebounder, Gerald Wallace, the Bobcats are more imposing than their record would indicate.

Still the Mavericks are filled with confidence as well headed into the match.

"We're a good team -- we can compete with anyone in this league," center Erick Dampier. "We just have to go out there and do the job defensively, and we will have a chance to win."

Dampier and Dallas have plenty of reason to be confident. With the big man in the paint posting career numbers, scoring 20 points and snatching 17 rebounds on Friday night, the Mavs appear to be a formidable foe for any challenger. The Mavericks had five scorers in double figures against the Heat and they look to duplicate that feat against the Bobcats.

"When you have five or six guys in double figures you know it was a good offensive night," Nowitzki said.

The Mavs-Bobcats matchup will take place on Saturday night with over 500 members of the armed forces filling the American Airlines Center floor seats and lower level, as season ticket holders gave up their chairs for the sixth annual "Seats for Soldiers" night. The game will air on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.

The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.

Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.

Mavericks-Heat Recap

(Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
Total team effort powers Mavs past the Heat


Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks 106 at Miami Heat 93

Having battled through many nagging injuries at the onset of the season, the Dallas Mavericks have welcomed the month of December as they have seemingly become healthier by the day.

The Mavs took a step closer to being 100 percent when swingman Josh Howard rejoined the team on Tuesday night to play in his fourth game of the season, pouring in 20 points in 26 minutes in his return against the Phoenix Suns, in a 102-101 win. Friday night against the Miami Heat, reserve guard Quinton Ross was also available after missing eight games with a lower back injury, though the Mavericks wouldn't need him on this night. With their full compliment of players available, the Mavericks got a total team effort Friday night to take the flame out of the Heat with a wire-to-wire 106-93 win.

"We're looking for the best way to win games," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said after the win. "We're looking for the best way to have the right kind of rotation. This is a good win for us, against a team that's a very tough team to play."

"We wanted to start off well and get everybody involved," forward Dirk Nowitzki said.

Mission accomlished Mr. Nowitzki.

(Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

For the second straight game, Carlisle went with a starting lineup of Jason Kidd, J.J. Barea, Shawn Marion, Nowitzki and Erick Dampier. Wearing the alternate royal blue uniforms, the Dallas defense forced Miami into 0-for-10 shooting to begin the game. Meanwhile, the Mavs' offense capitalized at the other end, jumping out to an early 13-1 advantage. Leading by as much as 17 before Miami's Dwyane Wade began to catch fire, Dallas took a 30-18 lead at the end of one.

Miami shot just 32 percent (7-of-22) in the first quarter. Led by Dampier's dominance inside, in addition to Nowitzki and Barea on the perimeter, the Mavs shot a staggering 59 percent in the period. Barea came out particularly aggressive, as the Puerto Rico native put on a show in front of family and friends in the same city where he played his senior year of high school ball.

"I love it down here," Barea said. "A lot of people from Puerto Rico came up and it was great. I saw the flags out there and my family was here. I went to one year of high school here, so it was a good time."

With the Mavericks' reserves in the game to start the second quarter, the Heat climbed back into the ball game, cutting the margin to as little as three. When the starters returned to the court, Carlisle continuously called Nowitzki's and Dampier's numbers. No. 41 and No. 25 responded, helping the Mavs take a 53-46 lead into the half.

Nowitzki led Dallas with 16 first half points, while Dampier was just one board short of a double-double through the first 24 minutes with 10 points and nine rebounds. Wade and Udonis Haslem matched each other with 13-point outputs to lead Miami at the half. After the hot start, Dallas cooled down to 49 percent shooting through the first two periods, while Miami connected on 42 percent.

The Dallas advantage quickly went back into double figures in the early minutes of the third quarter, as Kidd found the touch from behind the 3-point arch. With Marion and Dampier scoring at will above the rim, the Mavs received a bit of a scare in the period when Marion limped off the court after stepping on Dampier's foot. When the forward went out, albeit briefly after having his left ankle re-taped, Howard stepped in and showed no ill effects on his surgically-repaired left ankle, as Dallas took an 84-73 edge into the fourth.

"We'll have to see where things are tomorrow. Shawn was able to come back in the game, and that was big for us. But we didn't want to put him back in at the end, and so we'll evaluate it tomorrow," Carlisle said.

"Offensively, I thought we were just moving the ball and playing together," Nowitzki said. "We have a lot of weapons out there, especially with Josh coming back now, so we were just moving the ball and taking what was there."

Not allowing Wade to take over the game in the final period, the Mavericks answered every Heat attempt to get back in the game. Outscoring Miami 22-20 in the fourth, Dallas put the lid on the 13-point victory.

(Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

Forcing Wade into 8-of-24 from the floor to claim his game-high 28 points, the Dallas defense held Miami to just 40 percent shooting. The Heat hit just 2-of-12 from behind the 3-point arch.

"I think all night we did a decent job on Wade," Nowitzki said. "Obviously he gets his points because he's so gifted and talented, but we tried to bother him on his shot, keep him out of the lane and keep a body and a half on him in transition. I think we did a decent job tonight."

"Dwyane Wade got his average but he's one of the best players in this league, he's going to do that to make his team better. So, we just went out there and did the job defensively and we were able to come out victorious," Dampier said.

Meanwhile, Nowitzki posted a team-high 25 points, but his teammate in the middle of the lineup may have had the biggest impact on the night. Dampier's 20-point, 17-rebound night stabilized the Mavericks in the painted area when Nowitzki saw the double team.

"With them double-teaming, you're going to give up something, whether it be something around the basket or an open shot outside. When they double-teamed Dirk tonight, he hit guys for open shots or he hit me for easy baskets around the basket," Dampier said.

Jason Terry (16), Barea (12) and Marion all joined the starting frontline in double figures. Barea matched Kidd with 10 assists, to claim his second career double-double.

"J. Kidd is still to us one of the best passers in the game, and that's what he does," Nowitzki said. "And J.J. was aggressive today. He played in front of his family here and he played high school basketball here, so it's good for him to get a double-double and really get into the lane and dish the ball out and help some guys around him make shots. So that was big."

With everyone feeling the sharing spirit this holiday season, the Mavs dished out 30 assists on their 39 field goals, finishing the night shooting 49 percent to overcome Miami's 46-42 rebounding edge.

"Miami does a great job on initial defensive action, so you're going to have to move it to get good shots. Fortunately for us, our shot making was good through the majority of the game and when you move the ball and make shots you get a lot of assists," Carlisle said.

In his second game back, Howard score five points in 23 minutes off the bench. Ross never saw action on the night.



Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, Dallas will try to run its winning streak to three when the Mavs return home to host the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night. Over 500 members of the armed forces will fill the American Airlines Center floor seats and lower level, as season ticket holders gave up their chairs for the sixth annual "Seats for Soldiers" night. The game will air on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.

The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.

Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.

Mavericks-Heat Preview

(Photo by Victor Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)


Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks (15-7) at Miami Heat (11-9)

As the Dallas Mavericks enter Miami to do battle with the Heat, many thoughts come to mind of the 2006 Finals series between the two squads.

After the Heat walked away with the NBA title that season, you would think the Mavericks would feel incomplete every time they see Miami on the schedule. For Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki, it's the team camaraderie that developed during that historic playoff stretch, and not the Finals loss, that sticks out in No. 41's mind.

"I don't think I'll ever forget about the Finals run we had," Nowitzki said. "I think we had so much fun leading up to the Finals, those two months were amazing. And so, it's still to this day one of the greatest disappointments of my career. But I don't think it's necessarily with Miami, but just the Finals run that I'll remember."

So when the Mavs meet the Heat on Friday night, Dallas will be looking at the opposing sidelines seeing the 2009-10 version of Miami, and not the one that snatched the Larry O'Brien trophy away from the Mavericks' grasps.

"I think we've all moved on from it, but they have a great young team, building around one of the best players in the league. It should be a challenge," Nowitzki said.

(Photo by Victor Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

That player that Nowitzki spoke of was Miami's Dwyane Wade. The two superstars are playing like MVP contenders, as both average 27.0 points per game while playing 38.5 minutes a contest. Wade has done most of his damage at the charity stripe, attempting a league-high 11.2 free throws a game.

"(Wade) is a great player and he's playing at a stratospheric level right now," Mavs coach Carlisle said. "He's the major focal point of their team and he can do so many things."

"You want to try to contain him, you have to have help ready and you want to try to keep him off the free throw line as much as possible."

Containing Wade is a tough task for any team, but Dallas will try to both limit the superstar's opportunities and keep his supporting cast from stepping up to win the game. Miami's role players are viewed by many as the league's most overachieving group.

"They do a great job there with their guys. They've had some injuries from time to time, but (Jermaine O'Neal) has really worked hard to get his knee back to where he's playing at a high level. (Michael Beasley) has been starting and putting up numbers, and they have the right guys surrounding their best players. They have a bunch of guys that can make threes. They're very tough to play," Carlisle said.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks are hoping to continue to have swingman Josh Howard on the court and not in street clothes, after the former All-Star battled through the pain in his surgically-repaired left ankle to score 20 points in Dallas' 102-101 win over Phoenix. It was only Howard's fourth game of the season.

With the Mavericks playing a weekend back-to-back, No. 5's status for one or both games is still up in the air.

"I'm not going to say which game (Howard) is going to play or not play, and I'm not going to say he's not going to play one of the games. That we may play by ear," Carlisle said.

What may benefit Howard's playing status most could be the possible return of reserve guard Quinton Ross. Ross hasn't played since leaving a 111-103 loss to Golden State on Nov. 24, after playing just 13 minutes before sustaining a lower back injury. The Dallas native went through a full practice on Thursday and is expected to be active on Friday night.

The Mavericks-Heat matchup on Friday night will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 6:30 p.m. CT. Dallas is 8-4 on the road this season.

Dallas returns home to host the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night, with that game airing on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.

The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.

Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.

Mavericks Practice Report (12/10/09)

(Photo by Victor Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)


Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Mavericks Practice Report

The Dallas Mavericks still feel the third-degree burn sustained from the 2006 NBA Finals loss to the Miami Heat.

(Photo by Victor Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

Falling in six games against the Heat, a vengeful Dallas squad looks to every matchup against Miami as a bit of revenge, though nothing measures up to holding the Larry O'Brien trophy.

"Everyday," sixth man Jason Terry said when asked if he still thinks about the Finals loss. "The fire is definitely brewing in our belly, so we'll see what happens when we get down there."

Dallas still admittedly feels haunted by its past demons at Miami's American Airlines Arena. As they head into Miami on Friday night, the Ghost of Christmas past has reappeared for the Mavericks.

"Going down there, the weather is good, but getting back in that arena just brings back old memories. I don't think we'll ever get that taste out of our mouths until we get a championship down here in Dallas."

The Mavs can't erase all of those old memories with a win in Miami, but another road victory would be nice to have just the same. Dallas is 8-4 thus far away from the American Airlines Center this season, showing an ability to battle both home oppositions and hostile crowds.

"We're able to focus in," Terry said. "We come in, there's no pressure, and we kind of relish the moment of being in someone else's arena and really putting it to them."

If Dallas is to claim their ninth road win of the season, stopping the Heat's Dwyane Wade is a must.

"(Wade) is the major focal point of their team and he can do so many things," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "You want to try to contain him, you have to have help ready and you want to try to keep him off the free throw line as much as possible. He's a great player and he's playing at the stratospheric level right now."

Keeping Wade off the foul line is easier said than done. The NBA's fifth leading scorer (27.0 ppg) attempts a league-high 11.2 free throws a contest.

"(Foul line) are bad words around here," Terry said after Wade reached the charity stripe countless times on controversial calls in the Finals series. "Those words and D-Wade together is not a good mix. I think for us, we just want to contain him and make him take tough shots."

The Mavericks are also hoping to counter Wade with a heavy dose of a healthy Josh Howard, after the swingman returned to the court from his ailing surgically-repaired ankle injury to score 20 points in Dallas' 102-101 win over Phoenix.

As Howard continues to inch back to 100 percent, his status for Friday is up in the air, as the team prepares for a back-to-back.

"We'll see. I'm not going to say which game he (Howard) is going to play or not play, and I'm not going to say he's not going to play one of the games. That we may play by ear," Carlisle said.

"I think we'll know where we are probably after Friday night."



Dallas could also have reserve guard Quinton Ross back from a lower back injury, after the Dallas native went through a full practice on Thursday. Ross hasn't played since leaving a 111-103 loss to Golden State early with soreness in his lower back on Nov. 24.

The Mavericks-Heat matchup on Friday night will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 6:30 p.m. CT.

Dallas then returns home to host the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday, with that game airing on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.

The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.

Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.

Mavericks Practice Report (12/09/09)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Mavericks Practice Report

Certain players have an impact on an NBA game that is immeasurable by statistics.

While Josh Howard fills up a stat sheet when he's on the court, his presence alone in the Dallas lineup means more than points and rebounds to the Mavericks.

Getting No. 5 back on the court for just his fourth game of the season, after re-aggravating his surgically-repaired left ankle, was key for the Mavericks on Tuesday night. Howard's 20-point night, while playing 26 minutes off the bench, helped Dallas edge the Phoenix Suns 102-101. But just having the swingman back on the hardwood next to his teammates was enough, forward Dirk Nowitzki said.

(Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images)

"He (Howard) looked great to me," Nowitzki said. "He was active. He didn't look like he was favoring one leg and he had some big baskets for us in the fourth quarter."

Howard scored 16 of his 20 in the second half, providing a penetrator and slasher that Dallas sorely missed while he was sidelined.

"I think Josh developed himself into a great all-around player over his career. In the beginning he was a great slasher and now he has a great all-around game. He can take a guy off the dribble, he can post up some if a smaller guy is in on him, he's a good spot-up shooter -- he hit a couple of threes last night," Nowitzki said.

"He gives us versatility offensively. He can do a lot of things. And definitely, we need another guy out there, especially in the fourth quarters to create his own shot so the defense just can't concentrate on myself and Jet (Jason Terry)."

For now, Howard is putting in more work than everyone else just to simply be able to hit the court when it's game time. Going through a full-contact practice, then undergoing treatment and conditioning exercises, Howard is putting in the work daily to get back to 100 percent, though he admits that he will have to play through soreness in the ankle for much of the season.

"It's a combination of hard work and treatment, so it's going to be an ongoing process," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "Surgery and rehab are two of the steps, and then getting back to playing is the beginning of another process. It's going to be work, but he's put in an enormous amount of time and hard work getting to the point of where he's at. Obviously, it paved great dividends for us last night as a team."

"It's important that he has some space between games, but he was out here and did all the stuff that we did. We like where he's at. And it's going to be more work, but he's going to keep working and he'll get where he needs to be."

For now the plan remains for Howard to come along slowly in a reserve role, until he is able to step back into his starting shooting guard spot. With J.J. Barea's 14-point night as a starter against Phoenix, the decision to bring Howard back slowly is a lot easier for Carlisle and the coaching staff. Playing it by ear, the Mavs also expect for Howard to see action in only 1-of-2 games on back-to-backs.

"There's no set schedule on getting him back as a starter," Carlisle said of Howard returning to the first unit. "When you start, you're going to get that extra dose of minutes, just because there's that non-stop first six minutes of the half, there's no timeouts and those minutes get eaten up real quick. We didn't want to put him in that position again. We'll go game to game, and we'll kind of see where we are with it."

Howard and the Mavericks now prepare for a weekend back-to-back, first traveling to battle the Miami Heat on Friday night, with the game airing on Fox Sports Southwest at 6:30 p.m. CT.

Dallas then returns home to host the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday, with that game airing on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.

The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.

Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.

Mavericks-Suns Recap

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Phoenix Suns 101 at Dallas Mavericks 102

Riding a two-game skid, the Dallas Mavericks needed both a boost of energy and someone to create more scoring opportunities coming into their matchup with the Phoenix Suns.

The return of swingman Josh Howard supplied both, as No. 5 played in just his fourth game of the season and his first since Nov. 11, after battling a nagging surgically-repaired left ankle. Scoring 16 of his season-high 20 points in the second half while playing 26 minutes in a reserve role, Howard helped the Mavericks survive a 48-minute heavyweight bout, ending with Dallas claiming a 102-101 home win by the slimmest of margins.

"First game back in a month and coming off the bench, you have to get your rhythm back," Howard said of his return. "Just keep working at it. (The left ankle) is going to be sore the rest of the year. It's something I'm going to have to deal with and just keep playing. Hopefully one day it will go away, but for the most part, I feel great."

"He (Howard) is a remarkable athlete," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's put in an unbelievable amount of work the last month to prepare for this. His rhythm was off a little bit early, you could tell, but he was able to get to the free throw line a couple times and created contact and made some free throws and got into the game that way. Then in the second half, we hit a spell there where he was the only offense we had going. He really kept us afloat. It shows you how important he is to our team and he just showed a lot of guts tonight, too."

Howard began the night on the sidelines, as J.J. Barea got the start for the first time this season next to Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki and Erick Dampier.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

It has always been Howard's custom to handle the first quarter scoring for the Mavericks, but with the former All-Star on the bench, Barea had that covered early. When Howard entered the game at the 5:07-mark of the first period, he proved that he had plenty of lift in that left ankle with an above-the-rim block on Grant Hill. Still the Mavericks couldn't match the output coming from Steve Nash, Jason Richardson and the Suns' perimeter scorers, as Phoenix took a 29-23 lead after one.

"J.J. played extremely well and this was a matchup-driven decision to start him. He has matched up and has played well against this team and he kept us going again early when we were struggling. I thought that he battled hard, Nash is an extremely difficult guy to guard, obviously. But his combination of offense and energy helped us," Carlisle said.

The Mavericks shot just 7-of-23 (30 percent) in the first quarter, while the Suns hit on just under 58 percent of their shots.

Dallas came charging back in the second quarter behind Barea and Nowitzki, using a 7-0 run to take a 43-42 edge with 4:15 remaining in the first half. Despite outscoring Phoenix 26-21 in the second quarter, Dallas entered the intermission down 50-49.

Nowitzki led all scorers at the half with 16 points, while Barea added 14, but the Mavs' 38 percent shooting and 11 turnovers were their downfall in the first 24 minutes of play. At the other end, the Suns shot 45 percent and had only three giveaways.

"We're making it a little bit tougher than we need, but the one thing that's consistent right now is we're playing defense," Kidd said. "If we weren't playing defense, we wouldn't have a chance to win."

Like two prize fighters, the two squads exchanged blows and the lead early in the third quarter. With Howard coming to life and Nowitzki pouring in 13 points in the period, Dallas went ahead with a 9-2 run the last 1:46 of game time to take a 77-70 advantage into the fourth.

The Mavericks' lead grew to 10, 82-72, on a corner 3-pointer from Howard with 9:35 remaining in the game. Once the Suns crept to within five, Howard once again responded by finding the open cutting lanes during a stretch in which No. 5 scored nine consecutive Dallas points.

(Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images)

"I just found the open shot and knocked it down. It was stuff that I had been working on when I was trying to get back to myself. That was about it," Howard said.

"He (Howard) brings a certain type of force to our game," Carlisle said. "He is the best cutter that we have. He is a great runner and he is probably our best driver. He is a dead-eye shooter from mid-range and he makes spot up threes. So, he is invaluable, because all those things come into play over the course of our games somehow or another."

Up 92-87, the Mavs made a statement on the defensive end as Kidd took a charge square in the chest to stop Richardson's one-man fastbreak with 2:28 on the game clock.

"I was just trying to guess which way he was going to go and I guessed right. We were struggling there and we couldn't make a shot, and our defense has helped us win some ball games here early in the season. To get that charge and for them not be able to get the basket was big," Kidd said.

The Suns didn't fade into the night, as Nash brought Phoenix to within 96-93 with a 3-pointer over Nowitzki's outstretched arm with 47.4 seconds remaining. The Mavs answered right back at the other end, as Nowitzki found Kidd on the wing out of a double-team for a long two-pointer with 26.9 seconds left. The saga continued to unfold as Richardson nailed a three of his own with 21.8 ticks remaining and Dallas up 98-96. The two teams then played the free throw game, as Jason Terry went 2-for-2 at the charity stripe, before Nash continued to keep the Suns alive with yet another three with just 7.9 seconds left. After a Phoenix foul, Terry once again calmly knocked down two at the foul line.

"Our guys did a great job in the last minute," Carlisle said while praising his team. "I mean, they hit three extremely difficult shots. Richardson’s three, he makes it look relatively easy, but I'm telling you that is a brutally hard shot and then Nash hit two that he makes look routine. You know, that team has got some of the best shot-makers you will ever see in this game, and there execution was great, so we had to make sure we were making free throws and doing the right things defensively from a strategic standpoint."

With Nash connecting on two more free throws to cut the Dallas advantage to 102-101, the Suns once again sent Terry to the line. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year missed on the first of two foul shots and intentionally missed on the second with 2.4 seconds on the clock, leaving Amar'e Stoudemire to force up a desperation 65-foot heave which came up short of the rim to secure the one-point Dallas win.

"Jet’s (Terry’s) intentional miss at the free throw line was a huge play because he grazed the rim in such a way where Stoudemire had to kind of double-hitch and then put it on the floor, and that probably burned a half a second or a quarter of a second, which in that situation when you are flinging up a 65-foot shot it makes a difference. So, we had to be precise to win the game tonight," Carlisle said.

After the rough start, the Mavericks finished the night shooting 45 percent, while the Suns hit on 44 percent at the other end. Dallas also out-rebounded Phoenix 42-40.

Nash led the Suns with 27 points, while Richardson added 25 and Stoudemire posted 20.

Posting a game-high 33 points, Nowitzki eclipsed the 30-point plateau for the seventh time this season. Terry (15), Barea (14) and Marion (10) joined Nowitzki and Howard in double-figures, though after the game all anyone could talk about was the play of No. 5.

"It really helped tonight to have Josh back out on the floor and his ability to take guys off the dribble, which he did a good job of tonight," Nowitzki said. "He hit some big shots for us tonight and had some big plays, so it was definitely good to see him back. Once he gets a good rhythm going, we'll be a really tough team to beat."

"Josh played great," Kidd said. "You know, 20 points is much needed for our offense. I thought he played great defensively, too, so it's good to have No. 5 back."



The Mavericks now prepare for a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday night, in which Howard is expected to play 1-of-2. Dallas travels to Miami to battle the Heat on Friday night, with the game airing on Fox Sports Southwest at 6:30 p.m. CT.

The Mavs then return home to host the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday, with that game airing on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.

The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.

Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.

Mavericks-Suns Preview

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Phoenix Suns (15-6) at Dallas Mavericks (14-7)

Tuesday night's matchup with the Phoenix Suns could be just what the doctor ordered for the Dallas Mavericks.

Struggling to put up offensive numbers during their two-game skid, the Mavs figure to break out of their recent shooting slump against the Suns. While Phoenix is the second-highest scoring team in the league (109.33 ppg), they also give up the fourth most points at the other end (105.95 ppg). That sounds like the prescription to cure all of Dallas' ailments.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)


"On paper, this should be a good offensive output for both teams," Mavs point guard Jason Kidd said. "But the big thing is, whoever gets stops will end up winning. Hopefully that can be us."

"I think in this game, there's going to be a lot of opportunities to get out and run. We just have to finish the play, and if we can do that hopefully it puts us in a position to win the ball game."

Against Phoenix the Mavericks will definitely be looking to run, turning defensive stops into transition offense. Dallas will also have to be mindful of not playing a "windshield wiper" game, getting into a back-and-forth with the run-and-gun Suns. To do so the Mavs will have to dominate the glass, especially on the defensive end, according to Mavs coach Rick Carlisle.

"In recent games, our defensive rebounding has been a problem, so we've tried to address that the last couple days," Carlisle said.

The coach says a strong effort from the Mavericks on the defensive end will lead to better numbers offensively. Dallas will definitely need a quality defensive night if they are to slow down the high-octane Suns.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

"They're a great offensive team and I like what they've done, they've added some other pieces. (Channing Frye) is having a great year. He shoots the three great. (Steve Nash) is still playing at a tremendously high level. Amar'e Stoudemire just looks great, so you have to be on your game to have a chance against them," Carlisle said of the matchup.

While Carlisle will be looking for more effort at the defensive end, the players know that they must attack the rim more and stop settling for jump shots in their offensive sets.

"I think we have to get more aggressive," former Sun Shawn Marion said. "I think we've had the tendency to settle, and that's costing us -- frustrating us because we're getting good looks that just aren't going in. I think if we attack the basket more, and be aggressive from there, it opens up everything else."

The Mavericks-Suns matchup will air on KTXA 21, KTXA HD and HD NET at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.




The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.

Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.

Mavericks Practice Report (12/07/09)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Mavericks Practice Report

A grueling 82-game schedule is always filled with peaks and valleys. The key is to be peaking at the right time, and not to allow a valley to turn into the Grand Canyon.

The Dallas Mavericks weren't too high when they were playing their best, and now with the team on a two-game skid, they aren't too low.

At the root of the problem has been the Mavericks' offense, which has struggled to put the ball in the basket the past two games. It is an easily fixable problem, superstar Dirk Nowitzki said.

"Shooting the ball the way we did the last couple of games, we have to figure something out," Nowitzki said. "We hold a team to 80 at home (in a 80-75 loss to Atlanta) and we can't find a way to win, that's pretty disappointing."

"We have to execute a lot better, get good shots and get to the line. We'll be alright. We'll keep working, we're going to take shots if they're there, if not move with pick-and-rolls and just get the ball hopping a little more."

(Photo by Tim Heitman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Now, more so than ever, the Mavericks feel like they have to be aggressive in their efforts to score at the rim. Admittedly confessing to falling in love with the jump shot of late, Dallas hopes to change that against the Phoenix Suns when the two squads face off at the American Airlines Center on Tuesday night.

"You can't be tentative ever in this league. You can't lose your confidence. The next shot is coming your way and you have to step right into it, like you've made 10 in a row," Nowitzki said.

But against the Suns, Dallas will have to look to be aggressive while not playing right into the run-and-gun style that Phoenix displays at both ends.

"We just have to play our game," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "Our game is to be aggressive, but we have to do better defensively and in the rebounding department."

Dallas will also be keying in on former Mav and two-time MVP Steve Nash, who is playing like he could add a third piece of hardware to his trophy case this season. Slowing the fast-breaking Suns down will start with limiting Nash's role in the Phoenix offense, Carlisle said.

"It's hard to take him (Nash) out because he's so good, but he certainly is the fulcrum of their team in so many ways," Carlisle said.

Stopping Nash will be atop the Mavericks' priority list when the two teams meet, but not allowing the pass-first point guard to get his teammates involved will be a challenge all night long. To combat the Suns' top-scoring offense, Dallas plans to make Phoenix work on both ends of the floor. That translates into making the Suns play defense, which has been like a foreign language for the No. 2 team in the Pacific Division standings.

"When you're guarding them you have to make sure you contest their shots and make them play defense -- put pressure on them as well," former Sun Shawn Marion said. "You have to do the same thing they're doing at you most of the time. It's a matter of who's going to play some defense and who's going to stop each other."

The Mavericks-Suns matchup will air on KTXA 21, KTXA HD and HD NET at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.



The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.

Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.