Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com Mavericks Practice Report (12/19/09)
Now is when the Dallas Mavericks know that they must rally around each other most of all.
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) After losing the team's leading-scorer, Dirk Nowitzki, early in the second quarter of a 116-108 overtime loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday night, the Mavericks realized that each player is going to have to step up if the 7-footer is out for an extended period of time.
Nowitzki's collision with Rockets forward Carl Landry at the 9:28-mark of the second left Landry missing a few teeth and had Nowitzki in the locker room being stitched up after suffering a deep laceration to his right elbow. Though x-rays were negative, the Mavs star did stay home from practice on Saturday, getting a heavy dose of pain medication. Nowitzki is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Cleveland.
"We'll know more tomorrow, I suppose," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said after Saturday's practice.
In a league were injuries can decide the course of a season, the Mavs know if Nowitzki does miss time, the show must go on.
"There's a lot of possibilities (of players seeing game action if Nowitzki misses time). Everybody is going to have to be ready to step up and pick up the slack. We have work ahead of us. We spent some time on some things today, we needed to do -- a lot of tough games coming up."
One benefit that the Mavs have at their disposal is an incredibly deep roster, including at the big positions. Adding veteran players like Tim Thomas and Drew Gooden this offseason, the Mavericks have players that have been in big moments and thrived. They may be asked to thrive again in Nowitzki's stead.
"Whoever is put in that situation is going to have to go out and be aggressive, as a starter or whatever the situation may be," Thomas said. "All and all, it's a team sport. (Nowitzki) is a big part of what we do, of course. The injury, it happened, and whoever coach puts in that void will just have to be aggressive and help the team in whatever fashion they can help."
"That's what you bring veteran guys in for. It's a long season, anything can happen and if something was to happen like that, you just have to rely on your veterans. That's why everybody has to stay ready."
But even as guys were stepping up, extending a tough Rockets team to overtime before falling in the extra period, the injury became just one of Dallas' concerns Friday night.
Drawing six technicals, two ejections and taking issues with controversial calls made by the crew officiating the game, the Mavericks are protesting the loss, citing "multiple misapplications of the rules by the officials."
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) Center Erick Dampier, ejected for the first time in his career, was eventually joined by Carlisle in the locker room before the clock hit all zeroes in the extra period. Dampier received his second technical for allegedly throwing an elbow after a flagrant one was called on an Aaron Brooks foul on the Mavs center.
"I really didn't understand the play," Dampier said. "They say it looks like I threw an elbow but the way he pulled me, the momentum took me. It looked like I threw an elbow, which I really didn't."
"I've never been in that situation before where a player gets fouled and they give him a technical and then they eject him. I don't understand that. Okay, if you're going to eject me, can I shoot my two free throws? And then it was a flagrant."
But Dampier points out that the questionable calls didn't lose the Mavs the game, and the veteran says the team still has to find a way to win despite the calls and despite Nowitzki's injury. The Mavericks may be placed in the same situation on Sunday, as LeBron James and the Cavaliers head into Dallas.
The Mavs will be looking to get back in the win column when they host the Cavs Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. CT. That game will air locally on TXA 21 and TXA HD, and nationally on NBA TV. 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.
Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com Houston Rockets 116 at Dallas Mavericks 108 F/OT
Riding a five-game winning streak, the Dallas Mavericks welcomed the Houston Rockets, whom they had beaten twice already this season, with open arms to begin a four-game home stand on Friday night.
But by the middle of the night, that open embrace would turn into hatred. With Dallas' undisputed leader, Dirk Nowitzki, playing just ten minutes before going down with a deep laceration to his right elbow, the Mavericks fought and scrapped but walked away from their home floor bruised and battered. Even with six Mavs stepping up with double-figure scoring with Nowitzki out, Dallas' winning streak came to a screeching halt, falling in overtime 116-108.
In a game with seven technicals (six on Dallas), one flagrant, two ejections, and the absence of Nowitzki for the better part of three quarters, the Mavs' fight without their captain told the story. Dallas staged a late-game comeback even without their leading-scorer, just to force the game into an extra five-minute period. Still, the Mavs didn't have enough firepower on the court in the extra period.
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) "It was a very physical game out there," forward Shawn Marion said. "A lot of things going on and it was a heated game. It was a game that we could have won, but hey, with the techs and all the scuffles, injuries, we went out fighting. That's all you can ask for."
"Their team battled," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said after the loss. "We got it to overtime. The odds were certainly stacked against us with a couple of minutes to go. I thought we battled to get to overtime. I didn't think we played well. Finding a way to get to overtime over pretty steep odds is positive. But the way we played from start to finish really wasn't what we were wanting to do. That's disappointing."
Already claiming two wins over the Rockets in blowout fashion, the Mavericks came into the third of four meetings knowing that they must improve on their play in the first half. In each of the first two games the Mavericks found themselves down by a double-digit deficit in the first 24 minutes of play.
Behind stellar team defense and the scoring of J.J. Barea, the inserted combo guard in the starting lineup that had sparked the winning streak, the Mavericks were the ones jumping out to a quick advantage. Dallas took a 24-19 lead after one, despite hitting just 10-of-29 shots.
"I think we started the game off pretty good, though. I think we came out very aggressive, but the game was just in a half-court grind," Marion said.
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) In the second quarter, both teams received a scare as star players were injured on the same play. At the 9:28-mark, Dirk Nowitzki's right elbow met Carl Landry's mouth, causing the Mavs star to rush to the locker room to treat a laceration while the Rockets' key contributor left the game with three broken teeth. Before leaving the game with five points, Nowitzki hit 1-of-2 at the foul line, shooting left-handed.
"We didn't know if he was coming back or not. We just had to play," Marion said. "Things happen during the course of the game and you just have to adjust, and for the most part we did."
Meanwhile, with the Mavs' leading-scorer out, the Rockets surged ahead with an 18-5 run to take a 44-33 lead. Dallas closed to within 49-41 to end the half. Houston outscored Dallas 30-17 in the second quarter.
Led by Kyle Lowry's 13 first half points on 5-of-7 shooting, the Rockets out-shot the Mavs in the first half by hitting on 48 percent of their shots while holding Dallas to 32 percent shooting. Barea kept the Mavericks close with 10 point in the half.
With their leader still in the locker room receiving three stitches to start the second half, the Mavericks turned to Barea and Jason Kidd to spark a comeback in the third quarter. Kidd's play-making and Barea's scoring became the theme early in the period, while Erick Dampier's interior defense stabilized the team. But after clawing to within one, the Mavs hit a wall, and the Rockets pushed their lead back up to 73-65 headed into the fourth. At the same time, Nowitzki was officially being ruled out for the remainder of the game, though x-rays were negative.
"When a big star like Dirk is out everybody has to step up," Barea said. "I think we did a good job of that, we just had bad luck."
The fourth quarter began with an aggressive Josh Howard looking to pick up the slack in Nowitzki's stead. A 10-2 run brought Dallas to within one, 80-79, with 8:48 remaining in the game. Howard then got help from sixth man Jason Terry, as the Mavs briefly went in front before Aaron Brooks quieted the Dallas run with a 3-pointer. But the tide changed when Terry was called for a clear path foul on Lowry at the 7:37-mark. The tempers on the court began to boil as well, as Jason Kidd and David Andersen got into a scrum on the court, drawing a technical foul on Carlisle and a double-technical on Kidd and Andersen. Meanwhile, the points continued to rack up for the Rockets, even during a stretch were Dallas hit on eight consecutive field goal attempts.
But the Mavericks' relentlessness finally caught up with their offensive production down the stretch, as Dallas trimmed an eight-point deficit with 2:17 left to just two with one minute of game time remaining. After Brooks split a pair at the foul line, the Mavs found themselves down 100-97 with 19.1 ticks on the clock. After Carlisle's timeout, the ball found its way to Tim Thomas for a game-tying 3-pointer off of a Terry feed with just 10.5 seconds remaining in regulation.
"It was a great play that coach drew up," Thomas said. "Jet (Terry) and I have been talking about that two-man action since I got here. He draws a lot of attention, so it was a great play."
The Dallas defense then forced a turnover, as a driving Brooks fumbled the ball out of bounds. After a long officials' conference, they determined that the clock should read just 0.4 and the possession would be with the Mavericks. It is a decision that the Mavericks will have the league offices in New York review.
With Kidd inbounding, the play went to Shawn Marion, but the forward's desperation tip-shot attempt over Lowry came up short of the rim to send the game into the extra period. The Mavs outscored the Rockets 35-27 in the fourth.
"We were down and we were fighting," Kidd said. "We didn't give in. We had a great look there, at the end of the fourth quarter."
Marion made up for the missed late-game heroics at the defensive end in the overtime, sending a Shane Battier shot back into his face with a block early in the extra five minutes. But the Mavs got down six, on Brooks' jumper with 1:19 on the clock, and never recovered. Just 18 seconds later, a flagrant one was called on Brooks for a blow to Dampier's head. After another officials' review, the Mavs center was ejected for picking up his second technical foul after the crew determined that Dampier threw an elbow in retaliation.
"(The officials) indicated some things, but so it doesn't lead to further confusion, I won't repeat what they said. They'll get it right in New York."
"If they were wrong calls, the technicals will be rescinded. Whatever happens will happen."
Lowry's driving layup with 27.7 ticks left clinched the game for Houston and earned Carlisle his second technical of the night, giving the Mavs coach an exit as well. The Rockets padded their lead at the charity stripe to end the night.
"In overtime, we couldn't get the ball in the basket and they hit some difficult shots. It's a tough loss. We needed to have four or five guys to really play well tonight to get it done, and we never could quite get over the hump. It's disappointing," Carlisle said.
"We want to get stops, get in transition and flow as much as possible. We've got stuff that I thought we executed well and other stuff, not so well. We fought and put ourselves in position to make it a five-minute game and just couldn't win."
With multiple controversial calls handed down late, the Mavericks are planning to protest the loss, citing "multiple misapplications of the rules by the officials."
Still, now the Mavs have their eighth loss on the board and their star player on the mend.
Lowry finished with a game-high 26 points, while Brooks added 25.
Despite a near triple double-from Kidd (eight points, season-high 11 rebounds and 10 assists), 23 points from Barea and double figures from Marion (17), Howard (17), Terry (14) and Thomas (10), the Mavericks clearly missed their go-to scorer.
"We have so many weapons -- this team is deep," Kidd said. "We had our opportunities and we just couldn't get over the hump tonight."
Carlisle may have summed up the game best.
"We're a team, so if one guy goes out, everybody else has got to step forward," Carlisle said. "We made a good effort but the bottom line, when you shoot 42 percent and give up 46 percent shooting, 30 assists and eight 3-pointers -- those numbers add up to a loss. We needed to be better. Simple as that."
Nowitzki's status will be updated at a later date and he is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Cleveland.
"Knowing him, he'll be back sooner than later," Terry said.
Things don't get any easier for Dallas, as the Mavs continue on their four-game home stand when the Cleveland Cavaliers come to the American Airlines Center on Sunday evening. The game will air locally on TXA 21 and TXA HD, and nationally on NBA TV at 6:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
"It's not a one-man team," Kidd said. "That's the beauty of this team -- we have some many guys that put the ball in the basket and play. This is a great opportunity for everybody to pick up the slack or pick up what Dirk normally gives us."
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.
Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com Houston Rockets (14-11) at Dallas Mavericks (19-7)
While a five-game winning streak is turning heads around the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks are keeping their excitement to a minimum.
The Mavericks are quietly confident as they sit atop the Southwest Division after 26 games, knowing that they have yet to play their best basketball. The team is more so focused on not becoming overconfident, with a lot of basketball left on the schedule.
"I think we've played well," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said after the team's morning shootaround Friday morning. "But we're always trying to play better. That continues to be the goal. There's always things when you study your games, even when you win games, there's things you can do better. We have to be careful not to accept things in victory that we wouldn't in defeat, and we'll keep working to get our team playing as well as we can play."
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) The Mavs didn't accept the way they played in their two previous meetings against the Houston Rockets, falling behind by double digits in the first half of both games before staging comebacks to win in routs. The average margin of victory in those two wins was just under 25 points per game, but the first half deficits stick out to the Mavs.
Friday night, with the Rockets in Dallas for the third of four meetings this regular season, the Mavericks know they must come out of the gates quickly to make an early statement to their cross-state rival.
"I think guys just haven't been alert and just not ready to play (in the first halves against the Rockets)," Mavs sixth man Jason Terry said. "But I don't think that's going to be the case tonight. We've put an emphasis on it, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing how we come out and respond to the challenge."
The Mavericks will also try not to put the home crowd through so much suspense, after playing nail-biter after nail-biter at home. Though Dallas is 9-3 at the American Airlines Center, the Mavs admit that they have yet to play their best 48 minutes on the home floor. The Rockets are the perfect opponent to welcome to Dallas with some southern hospitality and home cooking.
"This is a team that is basically a division rival, and they're going to come out fired up. But it's our job, at home, to get this thing turned around. And it only takes one game to really turn it on at home to really get your confidence," Terry said.
Though the Rockets have gotten superstar Tracy McGrady back on the court for limited action, nine months after undergoing microfracture surgery on his left knee, the Dallas defense knows it must first attempt to slow down one of the league's quickest point guards in Aaron Brooks.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) Brooks has tormented Dallas defenders in recent memory, but Mavs guard Jason Kidd says that will have to change if Dallas is going to run its winning streak to six.
"(Brooks) has had a great season up to this point, and so for us, it's just to make him work on the defensive end and just try to take the ball out of his hands on offense -- make him become a play-maker and not some much a guy who can score."
"(Brooks) is a priority," Carlisle said. "One of the reasons that he's so important is because he generates their tempo. He gets them playing fast -- which leads to transition buckets, transition threes, chances to drive and get in the paint. It's just important that we get everybody back and build walls so he can't be taking runs at us and getting open shots."
The team's defense-first mentality has been instrumental for the Mavericks during their recent streak, learning to win when shots aren't falling. Kidd says it is important that the Mavs don't lose their edge on the defensive end in an attempt to blow out the Rockets.
"For us, it's been about defense all year. We can't forget about playing defense. That's helped us win some ugly games and it's helped us win games where both teams were scoring and we got stops. If we're going to try to win a championship, we have to play defense," Kidd said.
Dallas will try to slow Brooks and the Rockets down, while also looking for their sixth straight win, as the Mavs start a four-game home stand on Friday night. The game will air locally on TXA 21 and TXA HD 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.
Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com Mavericks Practice Report (12/17/09)
Any team would be confident while riding a five-game winning streak.
The Dallas Mavericks are not out to be just any team. After a 100-86 road win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Southwest Division-leading Mavericks returned to the practice court for a little fine-tuning. Though there was a little extra bounce in their steps, the Mavericks don't have a loosey-goosey state of mind right now and Mavs coach Rick Carlisle doesn't see one developing with the division rival Houston Rockets coming into Dallas on Friday night.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) "I don't think we're loose," Carlisle said after practice of Thursday. "I think we're playing better basketball, but we've been serious about the task at hand. And I think that's important. The thing about winning is it's great and it gets you energized, but you can't let complacency creep in."
"We want too have fun with this and we want to be a great basketball team, but we have to keep our eye on the ball and know who is coming down the line here."
The Mavericks know the team next in line very well, after falling behind by double digits in both of their two previous games against the Rockets. Dallas did however come back to win each game in blowout fashion, with an average margin of victory just under 25 points per game.
"We've played them twice now, actually played them three times because we played them in exhibition, and so we know all too well what they are capable of. Both regular season games, they hit us for big first half deficits. The first game we were down 17 in the first half and the second game we were down 15-2 to start the game, so we're obviously looking for a better start," Carlisle said.
Still the Mavericks know the Rockets have hung their hat on hard work, leaving behind bruised and outworked opponents in their wake. Dallas can't get outworked by the upstart Rockets at the onset of the game as in the previous meetings, forward Dirk Nowitzki said.
"They really play with a lot of energy," Nowitzki said. "They've got young guys that play hard at both ends of the floor, they compete. Sometimes I think with us being a little older team, a mature team, we sometimes seem to coast a little bit into games. That hurts us against young, athletic teams."
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) Houston is particularly dangerous now that Tracy McGrady is back in the lineup, seeing limited action recently nearly nine months after undergoing microfracture surgery on his left knee.
Though the star is slowly working his way back, his All-Star talent has never been in question.
"(McGrady) is a great player," Carlisle said. "The more he plays, the better he's going to play. The more shots he's going to make, the bigger factor he's going to be. All of us know all too well what he can do. We don't want him to get going on us."
Carlisle is not a big believer that McGrady's return will hinder the Rockets' already balanced offense.
"If you have a great player and you get him back on the court, that's a good thing. He's going to play more and more as it goes along and we're going to have to be ready for him to be out there," Carlisle said.
(Photo by Larry W. Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) Even if McGrady returns to form, the Mavs have shown an ability to shut down the NBA's best and brightest stars of later. In the Mavs win over the Thunder, Shawn Marion and Josh Howard held the league's third leading-scorer, Kevin Durant, to just 12 points. Meanwhile, Jason Kidd was stifling Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook to 6-of-19 shooting.
"We did a really good job on those guys," Carlisle said of shutting down Durant and Westbrook. "Shawn and Josh are two experienced, high level NBA defenders. They really took the challenge -- Durant is third in the league in scoring. Same thing with Kidd and Westbrook."
"We were solid with it, but now we have to move on to the next game. That one is over."
Defensive is becoming the Mavericks' calling card, which was a focus of the team before the season.
"I'm actually surprised by our defense, not only the past five games but the first 26," Nowitzki said. "Overall the consistency defensively has been pretty impressive. That was our goal coming into the season, to be a better defensive team -- compete harder and hold teams in the low 40s (shooting percentage). We did that a bunch of teams, so that's actually been impressive."
Looking for their sixth straight win, the Mavs start a four-game home stand on Friday night when the Rockets enter Dallas for a second time this season. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS. That game will air locally on TXA 21 and TXA HD at 7:30 p.m. CT.
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.
Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com Dallas Mavericks 100 at Oklahoma City Thunder 86
Winners of four straight games, the Dallas Mavericks headed north up I-35 to battle the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night with a 9-4 road record.
In the first of four meetings, the Mavs hoped to earn their fifth straight win and tenth road win at the young Thunder's expense in a hostile environment. After taking the Thunder's best combination of blows and punches for three quarters, the Mavericks landed a 12th-round haymaker to score a knockout in the fourth quarter on their way to a 100-86 win.
"We knew what we were getting into," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said after the win. "We knew this was a very big game for (the Thunder), and it's a big game for us too, because they all count. We know they’re a strong-willed team and very, very much that way for a younger team. They're mature beyond their years competitively."
"You have to play them the right way and you have to play well. You have to hit some tough shots, because they're long and they get into you defensively."
(Photo by Larry W. Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) Starting a lineup that had led Dallas to four consecutive victories (Jason Kidd, J.J. Barea, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki and Erick Dampier), Carlisle saw his team fall behind by nine within the first five minutes of the opening quarter. After a Carlisle timeout calmed the team down after early jitters, the Mavericks switched to a zone on the defensive end to negate the Thunder's athletic ability. The strategy worked, as Dallas slowed the Oklahoma City attack and capitalized on offense with Marion getting to the rim for easy buckets to help the Mavs knot the game at 24-all after one.
With Dallas missing on shots that are normally sure things, the Mavs had to battle through a so-so second quarter. Meanwhile, the Thunder weren't giving the Mavericks the night off, as Oklahoma City utilized its quickness with dribble-penetration to outscore Dallas 24-19 in the period, eventually taking a 48-43 edge into the halftime break.
Nowitzki and Marion kept the Mavs alive through the first 24 minutes of play, combining to score 21 of Dallas' 43 first half points. Nowitzki was particularly aggressive after a sub-par shooting performance, by his standards, in the Mavs' last game.
"I thought I never really found my rhythm two days ago," Nowitzki said. "Today I just wanted to start off good."
The job that Marion and Josh Howard did defensively may have been the most impressive aspect of the half, taking the league's third leading-scorer, Kevin Durant, out of the equation early.
"Shawn Marion and Josh Howard really took the challenge with (Durant) tonight, and we brought some help at times but played him straight up most of the time. Those guys just really worked hard to make it tough for him, not only to score but to catch the ball," Carlisle said.
But Oklahoma City out-shot Dallas 49 to 43 percent in the half, and the Thunder out-rebounded the Mavericks 24-19. Both teams had a case of the turnover bug, as Dallas committed seven giveaways in the half while forcing Oklahoma City into eight errors.
(Photo by Larry W. Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) The third quarter was much more kind to the Mavericks, as Kidd caught fire from the outside while Nowitzki and Dampier took charge of the paint at both ends. A much needed boost off the Dallas bench came from Josh Howard, as the swingman helped Dallas build a 69-62 advantage before the Thunder closed to within 71-68 headed into the fourth.
"We have always been a defensive-minded team," Dampier said after the defense was on display in the third. "I think our defense leads to offense. We block shots and we are getting rebounds. We have weapons on both ends of the floor and we have guys that can get baskets."
But the Mavericks struggled to get baskets early in the fourth, going scoreless for the first four minutes of the quarter as the Thunder went on an 8-0 run to regain the lead. Dallas responded with six unanswered to go back ahead 77-75 after a Barea jumper at the 7:04-mark. With Kidd shutting down the Thunder's Russell Westbrook, Nowitzki and Howard both began to assert themselves at the offensive end while Dampier continued to dominate the painted area. Howard's 3-pointer, followed by a Nowitzki feed to Dampier for a layup gave the Mavs an 87-80 lead with 2:18 on the game clock. After a three from Nowitzki, Howard's layup on Kidd's ninth assist gave Dallas a 92-80 advantage with just 1:20 remaining. Dallas never looked back, clutching the game at the foul line to claim the 14-point win.
"I thought the difference in the game was in the fourth quarter -- the ball moved and multiple guys got involved," Carlisle said. "Dampier was making things happen at the rim. Josh Howard was able to drive it and get loose for open shots and make some plays. And he made some excellent passes."
"The things that sets it up is being able to guard them, and we were able to do that well enough in the second half."
The Mavericks outscored the Thunder 57-38 in the second half.
(Photo by Larry W. Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) Coming off of a season-low 10 points against New Orleans, Nowitzki bounced back with a 35-point, 11-rebound night. No. 41 was 13-of-18 from the field, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range.
"I'm his teammate but also, while I'm playing with him, I'm a fan," Barea said of Nowitzki. "He comes out every night and performs. He struggled like the last two games, but he's so consistent. I think he's like the only consistent player like that in the NBA."
"Sometimes you can't always have it in 82 games," Nowitzki said of his struggles before Wednesday night. "Sometimes you feel like every shot goes in -- a leaner, a runner. Some nights you have a wide-open layup, you can't even make a layup or a free throw. It just happens in 82 games. But the challenge is in that game, if you don't feel well, you still have to perform and help your team."
Off the bench, Howard added 15 points (13 in the second half) while Marion's 12 and Dampier's 10 gave Dallas four scorers in double figures, helping the Mavs shoot 49 percent.
Despite losing the rebounding edge 45-40, the Dallas defense suffocated the Thunder in the second half, holding Oklahoma City to just 42 percent shooting on the night. Marion and Howard never let Durant get going, forcing the young star into 4-of-18 shooting for just 12 points. The former Texas standout committed four turnovers on the night as well. Westbrook led the Thunder with 16 points, though he did so while shooting 6-of-19.
Looking for their sixth straight win, the Mavs return home to the American Airlines Center for the start of a four-game home stand on Friday night, as the Southwest Division rival Houston Rockets enter Dallas for a second time this season. Dallas claimed a 121-103 win in the first meeting between the two squads on Nov. 10. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS. That game will air locally on TXA 21 and TXA HD at 7:30 p.m. CT.
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.
Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com Dallas Mavericks (18-7) at Oklahoma City Thunder (12-11)
What a difference a year can make in the NBA.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a shining example of how a team can immediately go from the cellars of the standings to playoff contention within a year's span. Last season, the franchise's inaugural season in a new city, the Thunder got off to a putrid 2-21 start through 23 games. A season later Oklahoma City is sniffing the playoffs with a 12-11 record within the same span.
(Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) A young Thunder core gave Dallas problems in the past Perhaps the Dallas Mavericks saw this coming last season, as the Thunder gave the Mavs all that they could handle in their three meetings a season ago. Dallas went 2-1 against Oklahoma City in the 2008-09 campaign, with their two wins coming by a total of six points. The last game, a 96-87 road loss on March 2, was seemingly a wake-up call to the Mavs that catapulted a run to the Western Conference semifinals. But Dallas would like to leave that in the past, as center Erick Dampier says the Thunder is not the only squad of the two teams that has improved from a season ago.
"Last year and this year are two total different years," Dampier said. "We got new players on this team, guys that know what happened down there last year. We're just going to go out there and leave it out on the floor and try to come home with the win."
If the Mavs are to return to Dallas with a win it will be because they found an answer for Kevin Durant and the young Thunder nucleus. Durant is the league's third leading-scorer, putting up 28.5 points each time he touches the hardwood. While the former Texas standout is one dilemma, not allowing his compatriots to get going is also a tough task.
"They're a good team," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said, not singling out Durant. "They're right there looking at the playoffs. They're very good at home. They're much deeper this year than they were last year. They're healthy right now, so they're a very good basketball team from top to bottom."
"Look, when you have teams that are athletic and aggressive, you have to contain them, be able to contest shots and be able to rebound. That's really the key. When we do that, we can get out into transition and make some of our good stuff happen."
And transition offense will play a big role in the Mavs' game plan as they head into Oklahoma City. While the upstart Thunder will be looking to run, the Mavericks will try to limit Oklahoma City's fast-breaking by countering back with running and gunning at the other end.
It is all a part of Carlisle's trust in point guard Jason Kidd's command of the team. The coach has deferred more and more to Kidd as an extension of the coaching staff on the court, going whole quarters without calling a play from the sidelines.
(Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
"(Kidd) does a great job and he has a very good pulse on our team. When I feel like we need some help, I'll make some calls, but when he's on the floor he's doing the vast majority of the play-calling," Carlisle said.
"We didn't even call that many plays in the first quarter (in a 94-90 win over New Orleans). We'd rather play that way if we can -- with the ball moving and a lot of screening, a lot of passing, a lot guys touching it. That kind of basketball energizes your team and it gives you energy at both ends of the floor."
Dallas now heads north up I-35 to battle the Thunder on Wednesday night, as the Mavs go in search of their fifth straight win. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest, and nationally on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT.
The Mavs return home to the American Airlines Center for the start of a four-game home stand on Friday night, when they host the Southwest Division rival Houston Rockets. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS. That game will air locally on TXA 21 and TXA HD at 7:30 p.m. CT.
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.
The Dallas Mavericks aren't after perfection, but they do know that they haven't played a full 48 minutes this season.
Despite a four-game winning streak that has Dallas leading the Southwest Division by a full four games, the number circling the Mavs right now is 48. The Mavericks have shown glimpses of greatness this season, while also going through droughts when they didn't look like themselves. Playing a complete game at a high level is now what Mavs coach Rick Carlisle is looking for from his team.
(Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images) Mavs say turnover woes are just an aberration Monday night the Mavs jumped out to a 21-point advantage in the first half against the New Orleans Hornets before struggling to score and committing unforced arrors, watching the lead evaporate completely in the fourth quarter. Though the Mavericks responded to capture a 94-90 win in the final minutes, Dallas has had a tendency to lose its sense of aggression once they've jumped out to big leads this season, Carlisle said to explain the reoccurring dry spells in games.
"I think the key is the right level of aggression and discretion, so that we're aggressive enough but we're playing smart and within ourselves" Carlisle said.
Carlisle has 23 reasons to focus in on more discretionary play, after the Mavs uncharacteristically committed 23 turnovers against the Hornets. Though protecting the ball has been a staple of the Mavericks this season, the coach doesn't want to experience many more nights like Monday.
"It was a combination of uncharacteristic mistakes along with playing a team with Chris Paul, who has led the league in steals multiple times. (The Hornets) had something to do with it, but also our execution needed to be better in a lot of cases," Carlisle said.
"We were third best in the league headed into that game in not turning the ball over. So, the question you ask yourself is was it a complete aberration or are we getting into some habits that we've got to avoid? We looked at it today, and we've got to be better because Oklahoma City is another active defensive team like New Orleans."
And so the Mavs head into Oklahoma City on Wednesday night hopping to play a full four quarters with aggressive play while protecting the ball.
One player that has never needed to be told to be more aggressive is J.J. Barea, who has been on a tare since being inserted into the starting lineup the last three games. Barea, who scored a season-high 23 points against the Hornets, was especially counted upon with superstar Dirk Nowitzki having a surprising off night against New Orleans, posting just 10 points.
"(Barea)has played aggressively and he's played well," Carlisle said of the emerging guard. "We need him to continue a high level of play. We want to be aggressive no matter who's starting."
"I think Dirk's earned the right to maybe have an off night shooting the ball. The rest of us just have to be better on those nights."
The small in stature guard has been big with his play of late, and he doesn't mind stepping up in the big moments. With defenses configuring around swarming Nowitzki, Barea knows he has to make teams respect what he can do on the court as a scorer and play-maker.
(Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) While the Puerto Rico native was the star on Monday night, he also knows they will need a total team effort if they are going to take down Kevin Durant and the Thunder on the road in a hostile environment.
"We're going to need (Nowitzki). Tomorrow night, we're going to need everybody," Barea said. "We're going to need everybody to step up because they're a tough team. They play good defense. They have scorers, they're athletic, so we need everybody to come out and having a good game."
Dallas now heads north up I-35 to battle the Thunder on Wednesday night, as the Mavs go in search of their fifth straight win. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest, and nationally on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT.
The Mavs return home to the American Airlines Center for the start of a four-game home stand on Friday night, when they host the Southwest Division rival Houston Rockets. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS. That game will air locally on TXA 21 and TXA HD at 7:30 p.m. CT.
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.
Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com New Orleans Hornets 90 at Dallas Mavericks 94
On a night centered around stopping one lightening-quick point guard, the Dallas Mavericks got a career night from one of the quickest players, and definitely the smallest, on their roster.
With leading-scorer Dirk Nowitzki having a rare off night, J.J. Barea became the focal point of the Mavericks' offense, posting a season-high 23 points and outshining New Orleans Hornets All-Star point guard Chris Paul to lift Dallas to a 94-90 victory. Getting his third straight start, Barea proved to be the biggest star on the court, at least for one night.
"Coach put me in there to get a better start," Barea said after the win. "I think we've been doing that. It worked out."
"(Barea) was great. They really didn't pay much attention to him off of the scene-and-rolls, they stuck with me and didn't really leave me much. So he was able to walk in there and had some great finishes. He was big, getting us off to a great start and really keeping us going offensively," Nowitzki said of his teammate.
The Mavericks came into their matchup with the Hornets on Monday night looking to avenge the 114-107 overtime loss in New Orleans on Nov. 4, after the Mavericks failed to close that game out at the foul line at the end of regulation. Winners of three straight, the Mavs knew if they were going to run that streak to four it would be by limiting Paul's role in the game.
(Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images) Mavs coach Rick Carlisle looked to take away Paul's dribble-penetration from the opening tip and make the cat-quick lead guard a jump shooter. The strategy worked early, as Paul got off to a 2-for-5 start for just four points in the opening quarter. But the first period was all about Barea and his penetration off of pick-and-roll offense with Nowitzki drawing double teams. The smallest man on the court was not only the Mavs' go-to scorer on offense early but also a pest to Paul on the defensive end. Barea's 13 first quarter points paced the Mavs to a 35-18 advantage after one, as Dallas finished the period on a 22-5 run.
"I thought Barea was the guy that got us off to such a good start," Carlisle said. "His penetration caused a problem, he hit shots and during the first quarter I don't think I called one play. Kidd ran the show."
In the second-highest scoring first quarter for Dallas this season, the Mavs outscored the Hornets 18-0 in the paint.
"It was probably the best offensive quarter we've played all year with ball movement, screening and flow," Carlisle said.
After the Dallas lead swelled to as much as 21, the Hornets got right back into the game in the second quarter with a 13-0 run. Once again the Mavs turned to Barea to stop the bleeding. Still the Mavs couldn't overcome nine second quarter turnovers, outscored by the Hornets 25-14 in the period, cutting the Dallas lead to 49-43 at the half.
"We really blew a great start to the game. We were in a really strong position and then let it get completely away with turnovers, bad decisions and those things led to other problems," Carlisle said.
Barea's 19 first half points were already a season-high for the Puerto Rico native at that point, as he led all scorers after the first 24 minutes of play. Paul led the Hornets with eight points on 3-of-9 shooting in the half. Dallas' 57 percent shooting couldn't combat their 10 turnovers in the half, but a strong defensive effort held the Hornets to just 42 percent at the other end.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) Paul came out of the intermission aggressively looking to get into the lane, finding Emeka Okafor for above-the-rim finishes in the process. As a result, the Mavericks found themselves in a dogfight in the third. Dallas countered with a heavy dose of Shawn Marion and Josh Howard, who returned after sitting out a game to rest his surgically-repaired left ankle. The two swingmen led Dallas to a 71-66 edge headed into the fourth quarter.
With Nowitzki having a sluggish night, the Mavericks continued to look towards Barea for offense in the fourth. Working both as a scorer and play-maker, Barea handled the load with ease until his teammates began to match his production. Starting with strong defensive intensity headed by Howard, Dallas began to turn stops at one end into buckets at the other. Still Paul would not allow the Hornets to go quietly into the night, crossing over and getting into the lane for a layup with 3:02 remaining to cut the Dallas lead to 86-81. Despite the stagnant night from No. 41, Nowitzki thrived when he was needed with a rain-making jumper to lift the Mavs to a 90-83 advantage with 58.9 ticks on the clock.
"I really couldn't get much going today, so it was good that I at least made a couple and was about to get to the line once to finish the game off," Nowitzki said.
But James Posey answered right back with a 3-pointer, as 49.9 seconds remained. The Hornets then cut the deficit to 90-88 on a run-out score by Darius Songaila with just 22.9 seconds remaining. After a Carlisle timeout, the Mavs kept the Hornets at bay with a Kidd inbound pass to Nowitzki just beating a five-second violation for a lay-in over Posey with just 20.3 seconds left.
"Kidd made a sensational play passing the ball to Dirk for the layup at the very end," Carlisle said. "Three guys converged on Jet (Terry) and there was really no other outlet. That basically was the game-saving play. Not many point guards that have ever played the game make that play. Our guy's special and that's why we love him."
"I didn't panic," Kidd said. "I had a count in my head to almost four when I saw him break to the basket, and I think he did a great job by laying it up. A lot times players will catch it and try to kill the clock and it becomes a free throw game."
After Paul air-balled a three right into Songaila's hands for an easy deuce, Jason Terry found himself in the same position as the Nov. 4 meeting, at the line to close the game out. This time Terry came through, nailing a pair calmly to secure the Mavs' fourth straight win.
In addition to Barea's 23-point night, just three points below his career-high, Dallas showed just how deep they are as five other Mavs scored in double figures. Putting up numbers to rival Paul, Kidd finished with 13 points and a team-high 13 assists for his sixth double-double of the season. Off the bench, Howard supplied 14 points and eight rebounds while Terry added 12. Nowitzki and Marion posted 10 apiece.
"Sometimes, the big fellow (Nowitzki) isn't going to be there," Kidd said. "We just have to play off of him, let him set picks and get guys open, and we did that."
Meanwhile, Paul needed 22 shots, nine made, to collect his 20 points while dishing out 16 assists. The star was also a menace defensively, forcing five steals.
The Mavericks' 55 percent shooting was overshadowed by the 30 points New Orleans scored off of 23 Dallas turnovers, which allowed the Hornets to stay in the game despite shooting just 44 percent on the night.
"When you turn it over 23 times for 30 points, that's just not good enough for a team that has our aspirations. I'm really happy we won. It easily could have gone the other way if a couple of plays had gone the other way," Carlisle said.
With the turnover woes plaguing the Dallas offense, the Mavs attempted 20 less field goal attempts.
"We gave it away a lot tonight and that's why we had 69 shots to their 89. That kept them in the ball game," Kidd said.
Dallas goes for its fifth straight win when the Mavs head north on I-35 to battle the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest, and nationally on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT.
The Mavs return home to the American Airlines Center for the start of a four-game home stand on Friday night, when they host the Southwest Division rival Houston Rockets. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS. That game will air locally on TXA 21 and TXA HD at 7:30 p.m. CT.
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.
Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com New Orleans Hornets (13-10) at Dallas Mavericks (17-7)
The memory of some losses don't fade away easily.
Despite entering Monday night's meeting against the New Hornets riding a three-game winning streak, the Dallas Mavericks have their minds on the events of Nov. 4. That night the Mavs lost 114-107 in overtime to the Hornets, after having a chance to seal the game at the free throw line. Consecutive empty trips for Dallas at the charity strip in the final 15 seconds of regulation, followed by a game-tying 3-pointer from the Hornets' Peja Stojakovic, was just a prelude to Chris Paul's game-high 39 points to led New Orleans to claim the win in the extra period on its home floor.
The Southwest Division-leading Mavericks have learned a lot about winning close ball games since that night, which could benefit them greatly with the Hornets entering Dallas on Monday.
"We're doing some good things down the stretch to be able to win close games," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "In an NBA season, you're going to have between 25 and 32 one-possession games over the course of 82, and how well you do in those goes a long way towards defining the success of your regular season."
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) In order to avoid another close game against the Hornets, Carlisle's top priority is limiting Paul's impact on the flow of the game. That is easier said then done, the coach admits.
"The plan is to try to keep (Paul) from going crazy. He's a great player. He's an MVP-caliber player. "It's a tough job to contain him and keep him out of the lane, on the one hand, and then try to take away his open shots but we want to make them a jump-shooting team as much as possible. And it's not easy because he gets places with the ball."
The game plan on Paul, who has historically torched the Mavs with his ability to get to the rim with ease and with his play-making ability to facilitate to others, is to make the top-tier point guard into a scorer first, preferable from the outside. Dallas is hopeful that Paul will fall into the trap of looking for his own shot, likely taking his ability to elevate his teammates out of the equation.
"Sometimes it's easier when one guy is really going because no one else is doing anything," forward Shawn Marion said. "So it really doesn't matter if he gets off and has a great night. Thing is, you have to contain him to stop him from getting everybody else involved. I think when he goes off for 30-plus and 15 assists, that's tough to beat."
The job of defending Paul will often fall to his point guard counterpart, Jason Kidd. Mostly guarding the top players in the league on a nightly basis, Kidd, often their senior, has made up for "young legs" by studying the opposing team's best players and their tendencies.
"In age, you have to use (veteran knowledge) to your advantage," Kidd said. "Knowledge is sometimes a little bit better than being quicker than your opponent. Just knowing tendencies and habits is something I'm living off of right now."
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) On offense, the Mavericks will continue to look towards their own MVP candidate, as Dirk Nowitzki has put forth a public service announcement by displaying a continuous highlight reel for his candidacy. Dallas' 98-97 overtime win on Saturday night over Charlotte was just the latest installment of the Nowitzki's "best of" collection, posting a game-high 36 points including the game-winner with 1.8 ticks left in the extra stanza. No. 41 seems to be on the right track towards claiming the award for a second time, stepping it up at both ends of the court.
"(Nowitzki) is playing great. I wasn't around when he won the MVP, but he's done everything his teammates have asked, and the coach. The biggest thing is not his offense but his defense. He's been great for us defensively all year," Kidd said.
Dallas goes for its fourth straight win on Monday night, in a divisional matchup against New Orleans at 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.
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