Mavericks-Grizzlies Recap

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Memphis Grizzles 101 at Dallas Mavericks 106

The Dallas Mavericks came into the last matchup of a four-game home stand looking to avenge a 98-82 road loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 4.

After losing the last three meetings to the Grizzlies, the Mavericks entered Saturday afternoon's game looking for balanced scoring and improved shooting numbers at home, where the Mavs have struggled at times early this season. With a season-best seven players scoring in double figures while shooting 52 percent, the Mavericks got back on the winning track and downed the divisional foe Grizzlies, 106-101.

"Our balance was very good tonight," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said after the win. "We had very good balance down the stretch as well. Different guys involved, different guys scoring, different guys making plays...That's a positive."

Dallas got a major boost in their effort to tie the season series with Memphis when point guard Jason Kidd got the start, despite battling soreness after falling hard in the closing seconds of an 85-81 loss to Portland on Tuesday night. But the Mavs were without one of their most reliable reserves, as forward Drew Gooden didn't dress after experiencing back spasms.

"I found out (Gooden would be out) after I turned in the active list, because it appeared that he was going to be okay. And then it got tighter as we approached game time coming out of the meeting," Carlisle said of the injury to Gooden.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

With Gooden out, the Mavericks needed more scoring in the painted area from everyone. Using an 8-0 run, all of which was in the paint, the Mavericks sprinted out to a 14-8 edge early in the first quarter. But Memphis came storming back, capitalizing on Dallas turnovers and turning the errors into transition offense, as the Grizzlies finished the quarter on an 18-6 run. At the source of Dallas' problems were the 16 first quarter points from Zach Randolph. Leading by as many as nine in the period, the Grizzlies held a 30-24 lead after one while shooting 15-of-27 from the field. Meanwhile, the Mavs hit on 10-of-22 shots at the other end.

"(Randolph) was hitting shots in the first half, and we just tried to give him different looks," center Erick Dampier said. "Any good player is going to make shots, so he's doing what he can to help that team win."

Perhaps more than Gooden's offense, the Mavericks lacked the big man's interior defense. With Randolph and the Grizzlies scoring easily at the rim, the Mavericks found themselves down double digits in the early minutes of the second quarter. Then the Mavericks staged their own comeback effort, ignited by sixth man Jason Terry's play at both ends of the court. With 11 points coming from Terry in the second period, Dallas turned a 10-point deficit to just a 55-53 marginal disadvantage at the halftime break.

"It was good to see the ball go into the basket," Terry said. "I was real aggressive, getting into the paint early, creating, making plays, which loosened it up for me."

After the slow start, the Mavs brought their shooting percentage up to 54 percent at the half, while the Grizzlies hit on 50 percent. Randolph's 21 first half points and Memphis' 36-24 points in the paint edge pushed the Grizzlies to the two-point lead after 24 minutes of play.

"We knew this was an important game. We knew it was not going to be an easy game, for a number of reasons. First of all, (the Grizzlies) are an improving team and Randolph has been playing at a stratospheric level."

In the third quarter, the Mavericks sprung to life with above-the-rim finishes from forward Shawn Marion. Defensively, the Mavs switched to different looks on Randolph and threw multiple double teams his way.

"It was all-out, double-teaming when he caught the ball...We just had to do it. He's just two effective down there. It worked out and our guys did a good job with it," Carlisle said of the strategy.

"I thought defensively tonight, that's where we really got it going in the second half," Terry said.

In the half court offensive sets, Nowitzki handled the scoring load and the Mavericks surged ahead on the scoreboard. In a chippy quarter, the Mavs led by as much as seven before the Grizzlies closed to within 79-77 on a Sam Young dunk as the period expired.

(Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images)

Terry and the Mavs' second unit widened the Dallas lead to eight early in the fourth, but O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay brought Memphis right back to within one with 7:41 remaining in the game. With Nowitzki scoreless in the fourth, Terry and Josh Howard refused to relinquish the lead.

The two swingmen answered an aggressive Memphis squad with timely scoring. Nursing a three-point lead, Terry may have made the play of the game when he intercepted Mayo's outlet pass to stop a transition opportunity for Memphis. Terry then found Howard for a jumper with 29.5 ticks left, as the Mavs led 101-96. After a pair of free throws from Mayo, Terry sunk two game-sealing shots at the charity stripe with 20.6 seconds on the game clock. Dallas then finished the Grizzlies off at the foul line, padding the lead to take the victory. Terry and Howard combined to score 20 of Dallas' 27 points in the final period.

"That's an old habit for us. We're accustom to Josh and I getting it going or Dirk having it going. That just hasn't been there for us this season, but it's something that in the near future is going to be there and it's going to be consistent," Terry said.

"(Terry and Howard) were great," Nowitzki said of his teammates and their play in the fourth. "I didn't really have great looks out there -- (Randolph) was really playing up on me...Josh was coming off on one side and Jet (Terry) was coming off of a down screen on the other. And Kidd was quarterbacking, so that really worked well for us."

Terry led the Mavs with 23 points, while Nowitzki added 20. Erick Dampier recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Kidd added a double-double of his own, scoring 10 points and dishing out 10 assists. J.J. Barea (11), Howard (11) and Marion (11) gave the Mavericks seven with 10-plus points for the first time since April 4 against Phoenix.

"When you get seven or eight guys playing at a high level, it makes a big difference," Carlisle said.

"This team is going to be something else, when we can get consistent contributions from seven or eight players in double figures," Terry said. "That's the way this team was built."

After his explosive first half the Mavericks found an answer for Randolph, who finished with a game-high 27 points (six in the second half). Gay added 22 and Mayo finished with 18, though the Dallas defense held Memphis to just 44 percent shooting.

Dallas' balanced scoring attack allowed the Mavs to overcome a 49-40 rebounding disadvantage and a 60-44 scoring deficit in the paint. Memphis also outscored Dallas 19-12 in second chance points.

"These guys have to be a league-leader in points in the paint. I don't know where they are rank-wise, but 60 is too many," Carlisle said.

"We're a lot better defensive team than that," Dampier said. "We know that we have to do it each and every night. We can't overlook teams like Memphis...We gave up a lot of rebounds, so we have to play together and gang rebound."

Dallas now heads to the thin air and steep altitude of Denver to play the Nuggets on the second night of a back-to-back. Denver ended Dallas' season last year, taking the Western Conference Semifinals series in five games. It is the start of four games away from home.

"When you have some recent history with a team in a playoff, there's a familiarity. They're familiar with us, we're familiar with them. It makes it that much more competitive usually," Carlisle said.

The Mavericks-Nuggets matchup will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:00 p.m. CT.

The team returns to the American Airlines Center on Jan. 5 to host the Detroit Pistons. That game will air locally 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-Grizzlies Preview

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Memphis Grizzles (13-15) at Dallas Mavericks (20-9)

You won't hear the Dallas Mavericks call Saturday afternoon's matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies a "statement game," but make no mistake, Dallas is out to send a clear message both to Memphis and to themselves when they hit the American Airlines Center hardwood.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
Shawn Marion says the Mavs need an edge at home

After an 85-81 home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, the Mavs come into their contest with the Grizzlies admittedly looking for improved play in their own backyard. Though they lead the Southwest Division and currently sit second in the Western Conference standings, the Mavs have yet to use their home crowd to their advantage.

"I think it's time to go ahead and find ourselves, especially on this home court," forward Shawn Marion said. "I think we have to come out there and become the main aggressors and intimidators on our home court.

"That home court speaks for itself. That's where you're supposed to have the best advantage to win...That's what everybody is fighting for in the playoffs, to get home court advantage."

If the Mavericks are to improve their play at home it will be because of better play on the offensive end. As hard as it sounds, the run-and-gun Mavs have struggled putting the ball in the hoop at home, while their defense has been their calling card on their way to earning a 10-5 record on the home floor. A breakthrough offensively is as simple as shot-making, according to Mavs coach Rick Carlisle.

"We haven't shot the ball as well at home, for one thing," the coach said. "I think our defensive numbers are comparable (between home and away games)...We know where we have to get better, and we'll concentrate on those things.

"We spent a lot of time (Thursday) shooting, and we just have to stay with our defense and our offense will come around...Shot-making comes and goes, even with the best shooting teams."

(Photo by Tim Heitman/NBAE via Getty Images)
Jason Kidd's status Saturday is unclear

While he is not asked to put the ball in the basket much, the Mavs' success rate on shot attempts is often predicated on the play-making of point guard Jason Kidd. But the health of the legendary lead guard is in question and so too is his playing status, after Kidd hit the court hard contesting Brandon Roy's shot attempt in the final seconds of the loss to Portland. Kidd missed the team's practice on Thursday but Carlisle is hopeful that the veteran will be ready to go against the Grizzlies.

"(Kidd) is sore, and he didn't practice (Thursday). We'll hold our breath and see where we are come Saturday. But if he can't go, then Roddy (Beaubois) has to be ready to step in and play minutes. That's where we're at. I'm still hopeful that (Kidd) can play, but he took a nasty, nasty fall," Carlisle said.

But the Mavericks will need every play-maker on the floor if they are going to avenge a 98-82 loss in Memphis on Dec. 4. In that game, Dallas struggled to score while having a hard time defending Zach Randolph in the paint and O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay on the perimeter. Despite sitting last in the Southwest Division standings, the Grizzlies are 7-3 in their last 10 games and a tough squad to corral, as Dallas found out first-hand in Memphis.

"With Memphis coming in here, we've got to deal with a great low-post player and rebounder in Randolph, the best offensive rebounding team in the league and a team that doesn't have great 3-point numbers but they lite us up like a Christmas tree the last time we played them," Carlisle said.

Priority No. 1 will be matching the Grizzlies' effort on the glass, according to Marion. No. 2 will be igniting an offensive assault in front of the home crowd.

"We have to come out here and match their intensity. We have to keep them off the boards. We have to play some offense and make them play defense," Marion said.

The Mavericks-Grizzlies matchup will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 2:00 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 (12/24/09)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Mavericks Practice Report (12/24/09)

The Dallas Mavericks' Christmas list is short.

A healthy floor general, better offensive production and improved play at home is all the Mavericks are asking St. Nick for this holiday season.

Santa's must-get list for Dallas starts with the health of point guard Jason Kidd, who hit the court hard contesting Brandon Roy's shot attempt in the final seconds of an 85-81 home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. Kidd missed the team's practice on Thursday but Mavs coach Rick Carlisle is hopeful the veteran pass-first lead guard will be ready to go by the team's matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday afternoon.

"(Kidd) is sore, and he didn't practice today," Carlisle said. "We'll hold our breath and see where we are come Saturday. But if he can't go, then Roddy (Beaubois) has to be ready to step in and play minutes. That's where we're at. I'm still hopeful that (Kidd) can play, but he took a nasty, nasty fall."

"J. Kidd is a soldier," forward Shawn Marion said of his floor general. "He took a hard fall and it takes a lot for him to stop working and stop ticking. He has to do what he has to do to take care of his body and we have to control that as well."

With Dallas hopeful that Kidd will not miss any time due to injury, the Mavericks are also wishing that the holiday spirit brings along a better flow offensively. The Mavs have gone through shooting droughts of late, but Carlisle says that offensive cohesiveness is on the way.

"We spent a lot of time today shooting, and we just have to stay with our defense and our offense will come around...Shot-making comes and goes, even with the best shooting teams. The thing that I like is that we've made real progress as a defensive team -- much more than anyone could have imagined in this period of time. But we've got to now sustain that and we have to work on our offensive rhythm and our shot-making. We'll continue to do that," Carlisle said.

(Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Dallas will try to avenge a Dec. 4 loss on Saturday

Dallas will need improved play offensively on Saturday if they are to beat a hard-charging Memphis Grizzlies squad just a day after Christmas. The Grizzlies are 7-3 in their last 10 games, despite sitting last in the Southwest Division standings, and they have already claimed a win over the Mavs this season with a 98-82 home win on Dec. 4. That loss sticks out to the Mavs as they look for both retribution and better play at home when Dallas wraps up a four-game home stand.

"With Memphis coming in here, we've got to deal with a great low-post player and rebounder in (Zach) Randolph, the best offensive rebounding team in the league and a team that doesn't have great 3-point numbers but they lite us up like a Christmas tree the last time we played them," Carlisle said.

"We laid an egg the last game (in Memphis)," Marion said. "We have to come out here and match their intensity...We have to keep them off the boards and make them play some defense. We have to play some offense and make them play defense."

(Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Shawn Marion Foundation will bring Christmas to seven families

Marion will hit the court on Saturday after making Christmas wishes come true for seven families.

While most players will be spending their Christmas Day surrounded by family and friends in front of the television set, Marion, the Shawn Marion Foundation and the ChildCareGroup, a United Way agency, will personally deliver toys, bikes, TVs, clothes, furniture, gift cards and gifts to seven Dallas area single mothers and their children on Christmas morning.

"That's what this time is about," Marion said. "This is about giving and sharing. We are definitely blessed in the situation that we're in to give back. It's easy to give people checks and money, but I like to take the effort and let the people see me doing it personally.

"I grew up in a single-family home, so I know what it's like to grow up and be without something. You wake up wondering what you're going to have for Christmas and a lot of times it's not what you want but it's what you need. I'm blessed, why not give a blessing back."

When Marion and the Mavs return to the court they will try to avenge the Dec. 4 loss to the Grizzlies. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 2:00 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-Trail Blazers Recap

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Portland Trail Blazers 85 at Dallas Mavericks 81

For the better part of a game and a half, the Dallas Mavericks played without their leader Dirk Nowitzki.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Tuesday night, the Mavericks got their leading-scorer back on the court as Nowitzki battled through a deeply lacerated elbow injury to led his team against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Mavericks entered the night having won the last 11 meetings with the Blazers at home and 18 of the last 20 matchups in total. With his shooting arm heavily bandaged, No. 41 made a triumphant return to the Mavericks' starting lineup with a game-high 27 points but his team was unable to continue the trend against the Blazers, falling 85-81 after a 39-percent shooting night.

"(The bandage on his right arm) was pretty big, but I have to admit it felt pretty good," Nowitzki said after the game about playing with the injury. "I was not really worried about getting the ball up or shooting, it was more hitting it.

"But it's a tough loss. As good a team as we are, we should have found a way to win this game. There's no way we should have loss that game tonight. We held a Portland team too 85 points, you figure if they put 85 on the board we'll find a way to get 90. I don't think our defense was bad...We lost that game on offense."

Aside from an explosive third quarter from Dallas, Portland kept the Mavericks' scoring to a minimum. On a night where only two Mavs, Nowitzki and J.J. Barea, scored in double figures, the Mavs struggled to duplicate the balanced scoring that helped Dallas overtake Cleveland 102-95 just two nights before.

"You can't play one good quarter of basketball and expect to win an NBA game," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "It just doesn't work that way."

"I don't know if guys relaxed too much when I was (on the court), but they looked good the other night," Nowitzki said after his teammates weren't as aggressive in his return as they were in his absence.

Matched up with the Blazers' LaMarcus Aldridge, Nowitzki let the game come to him early on. But with the team struggling to produce points and forward Shawn Marion in early foul trouble, Dallas turned to their superstar to provide the scoring in the opening period and Nowitzki gladly obliged with six points. At the 3:12-mark of the quarter, the injury-riddled Blazers took another blow when Joel Przybilla was assisted off the court by teammates with a ruptured patella tendon and dislocated patella in his right knee. Meanwhile, Aldridge and Brandon Roy had Portland covered, lifting the Blazers to an 18-14 advantage after one. Both teams struggled putting the ball in the basket early, as the Blazers' 33 percent from the field was just better than Dallas' 26 percent shooting.

"It's disappointing, especially at home," Barea said. "We just didn't come out well. They were playing harder than us."

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

With Nowitzki on the bench, Josh Howard and Barea picked up the pace and put Dallas ahead in the early minutes of the second quarter. But Dallas had no answer defensively for Aldridge, as the big man poured in 11 of his 17 first half points in the second quarter to take the Blazers to a 44-33 halftime lead.

The 33-point output was a season-low for a half, as the Mavericks shot just 33 percent in the first 24 minutes. Though Portland shot just 39 percent at the other end, Aldridge's scoring and an 11-4 edge in second chance points was plenty to build the double-digit lead.

"We just never were quite right all night and Portland took advantage of it," Carlisle said. "Aldridge had a great first half and then other guys got into it the rest of the game."

The Mavericks found the shooting touch in the third quarter while clamping down on defense, using a 16-6 run at the beginning of the period to cut the deficit to 50-49 with 7:00 left in the third on Barea's driving layup. The speedy guard then gave the Mavs a slight advantage, 55-54, on another drive at the 4:31-mark. The quarter was all about Barea and Nowitzki, as the two each posted 11 points in the period. When the cat-quick combo guard headed to the bench, Nowitzki took over the scoring load as Dallas outscored Portland 32-14 in the quarter to take a 65-58 edge into the fourth.

"I was just trying to attack," Barea said of his play in the third quarter. "I take what the defense gives me. Sometimes I have to shoot, sometimes I get to the paint and see somebody open and I'll pass it. If I've got to shoot it, I'll shoot it. If I have to pass it, I'll pass it.

"I think in the third quarter, we got fast. We attacked the paint in the third quarter and it was working out. Then we had a letdown in the fourth quarter."

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Roy and his patented step-back jumper put the Blazers back on top, playing like the All-Star that he is to help the Blazers retake the lead midway through the fourth quarter. Getting help from Steve Blake and Jerryd Bayless, Roy and the Blazers sprinted to an 81-73 advantage with 3:48 remaining.

"Roy hit some big shots down the stretch. They chipped away at us. Blake hit a three. Bayless hit a three. Juwan Howard goes for 10 points. And so, it's just a combination of things adding up," Carlisle said.

But Dallas wouldn't go quietly into the night, as Nowitzki brought his squad back by raining in a 3-pointer with 1:16 on the clock to cut the deficit to 83-81. After getting a defensive stop, No. 41's game-tying shot attempt rimmed in and rolled out with 38.9 ticks left.

"I feel like when I'm there, I have to make every shot down the stretch to win the game," Nowitzki said. "Myself, I still have to make that shot. The pull-up I had to tie it going left, I have to find a way to tie it."

Down two, the Mavericks received a major scare when point guard Jason Kidd hit the court hard contesting Roy's shot attempt. While Kidd lay in pain, Jason Terry took the rebound from the missed shot and sprinted back to the other end, but his driving layup rolled off the iron and Portland snatched the rebound with 6.8 seconds remaining.

"Kidd is down. It probably would have been wiser to call timeout, but hey, we've been good on the fly before -- getting a stop and then being aggressive in transition. So, we can't really fault Jet (Terry) on that. He made an aggressive play, got to the basket and then just didn't get the roll. Afterwards you're always smarter, and it probably would have been better to pull the ball out, get a timeout and set the play up and try to tie the game up," Nowitzki said of the final seconds.

"I'm the head coach, so I'm accountable for the result of that play," Carlisle said. "The fact that we didn't call time out is on me. I take responsibility for that, so that's my fault."

Kidd remained in the game, but Terry's foul on Andre Miller sent the Blazers' point guard to the free throw line with 6.5 seconds on the game clock. The veteran calmly knocked down a pair to extend the Portland lead to 85-81. After Terry's desperation attempt at the other end missed the rim, the Blazers ran the clock out to end their winless streak in Dallas. Portland outscored the Mavericks 27-16 in the fourth.

There is no injury to report on Kidd.

In addition to Nowitzki's 27 points, on 10-of-13 shooting, the 7-footer grabbed nine rebounds while playing 41 minutes in his return. Barea finished with 22 points. The rest of the team combined to score 32 points on 12-of-51 shooting. Dallas also struggled from the foul line, hitting just 12-for-22 at the charity stripe, while Portland capitalized off of their freebies by hitting 16-of-19 from the line.

Aldridge scored just two points in the second half to bring his total to 19 points, to go along with 12 rebounds. But Roy scored 10 of his team-high 23 points in the fourth to lead the Blazers to the victory.

Now the Mavericks will try to correct things over the Christmas holiday before welcoming in divisional foe Memphis on Saturday afternoon. Dallas will try to avenge a 98-82 road loss to the Grizzlies on Dec. 4.

"They're really playing well," Nowitzki said of the upstart Grizzlies squad. "They've got three legit scorers with (Zach) Randolph, (Rudy) Gay and obviously (O.J.) Mayo. They really took it to us in Memphis, played a good game and beat us.

"We have to be ready, but this one is going to be a tough one to swallow. I'll probably sit with this one for three days. Over the Christmas break, sitting with a loss is awful. It's something you want to avoid but you can't change it now...Try to enjoy Christmas with the family and then come ready on the 26th in an early game."

That game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 2:00 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-Trail Blazers Preview

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Portland Trail Blazers (17-12) at Dallas Mavericks (20-8)

If the role players for the Dallas Mavericks have learned anything in the wake of Dirk Nowitzki suffering a deeply lacerated elbow injury last Friday night, it's be prepared because your number can be called at any point and time.

After Tim Thomas' 22-point effort while starting for Nowitzki in a 102-95 win over Cleveland on Sunday night, that point was reaffirmed.

"Injuries are a part of this league," point guard Jason Kidd said after the team's Tuesday morning shootaround. "More than anything, (role players) have to be professionals and ready at any time because they can be called on."

Someone else may be called on Tuesday night as the Mavericks host the Portland Trail Blazers. Dallas' depth may once again play a big role with Nowitzki's status for the game still unclear.

"(Nowitzki) is doing better but it's going to be a game-time decision," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "If there's no infection and everything checks out, it will probably be up to him. But we'll know more tonight."

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Bottling up Roy tops Dallas' to-do list

After proving that they are more than just a one-man team against Cleveland, the Southwest Division-leading Mavericks are preparing to win their second straight without their leading-scorer. Enter perhaps the perfect opponent, as the Mavericks have won the last 11 meetings with the Blazers in Dallas. The Mavs have taken 18 of the last 20 games with the team from the Northwest Division.

The key to Dallas running their winning streak against Portland at home to 12 will be stopping swingman Brandon Roy. The versatile guard is one of the upper-echelon stars in the league, though he is not as heralded.

"(Roy) is a great player, though he may not be quite up there with LeBron James or Dwyane Wade," Kidd said. "But as we've seen, he can take over a game in the fourth quarter like he did in Miami."

Roy nailed three 3-pointers in the last 4 1/2 minutes of a 102-95 road win against the Heat on Sunday. The All-Star scored 28 points on the night.

"We're going to have to have a lot of different guys ready to guard (Roy). We're going to have to have our team defense geared towards containing him, because one guy can't do it -- you just simply can't. He's a perennial All-Star player, he's a perennial All-NBA guy and he's a great guy in crunch time."

Portland has been decimated by injuries, mainly to the former No. 1 overall draft pick, the 7-foot Greg Oden, and to Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillian.

McMillian had surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon in his right foot after participating in practice to give his injury-plagued team 10 men for five-on-five scrimmages.

The Blazers will be without Oden (fractured patella) for the remainder of the season and without reserve Nicolas Batum (shoulder) for most of the year.

"If you look at their situation, they were so banged up that the coach had to practice, and then he went down," Carlisle said.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
LaMarcus Aldridge is a versatile big man

"(The Oden injury) takes a dominate, athletic center out of the equation. But they make up for it with (Joel Przybilla), who is one of the best defensive centers in the league. And then they can slide (LaMarcus Aldridge) up to the five, which causes matchup problems. Aldridge is going to be an All-Star in this league, we all know that."

Dallas will try to keep Aldridge and the Roy-led Blazers under wraps in the third game of the Mavs' four-game home stand. It is the first meeting between the two squads this season. The game will air locally on TXA 21, TXA 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 (12/21/09)

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Mavericks Practice Report (12/21/09)

The Dallas Mavericks have a message to the rest of the NBA: Sunday night was no fluke.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

With leading-scorer Dirk Nowitzki sidelined due to a deeply lacerated right elbow, the veteran Mavericks didn't miss a beat as they used a complete team effort to defeat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-95 on the American Airlines Center floor. As six Mavs scored in double figures, led by forward Tim Thomas' 22 points after being inserted into the starting lineup in place of Nowitzki, the Mavericks proved to the rest of the league that Dallas is not a one-man team.

A strong effort on defense in the fourth quarter, holding James to just two of his 25 points in the final period, coupled with balanced scoring lifted Dallas to the win. Now, with Nowitzki's status still unknown for Dallas' game on Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Mavericks are preparing for an encore performance against Brandon Roy and company.

"It was a good win for us," center Erick Dampier said after the team's Monday practice. "It just shows that even though our best player is out of the lineup, we still have guys that can step up and give us quality minutes and give us the scoring we need."

"It was a team effort last night. We went out there and got the job done defensively, got rebounds and got stops. We were able to put the ball in the basket and we played good last night."

The Mavericks have talked about their depth since Training Camp, but Sunday it was truly on display. Though Mavs coach Rick Carlisle decided to play just an eight-man rotation against the Cavaliers, he certainly got his full use out of all of his players in the win.

With guys available at the coach's disposal nightly that have played in big games, balancing playing time for a team this deep is a nice problem to have, according to Carlisle.

"That's why we put the team together the way that we did, because we felt we had to have a lot of depth and a lot of protection because you go through injuries," Carlisle said. "You have to have other guys ready to step up."

"All of our guys played well. Some nights it will be eight, some nights it will be nine or 10, but whoever is on the floor has got to give us great effort and they have to bring to the table what they do -- if it's a shooter, or driver or whatever. But everyone on the floor has got to give us defense."

Dallas certainly received a strong effort defensively from their full compliment of players against James and the Cavs. A defensive disposition is one that Carlisle feels his team can not lose, especially with Roy, one of the league's most dangerous scorers, coming in town.

"The improvements in our team this year has been more about better things we're doing at the defensive end, and we have to stick with that," Carlisle said. "Shot-making can come and go, but your defense can hold you in games and give you a chance to win if you're not making it."

The Mavericks admit that Roy presents different challenges than James, though he may not equal the reigning MVP in talent. But after limiting James' scoring opportunities down the stretch to claim then win, Dallas is fairly confident that they can contain the league's ninth-leading scorer.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

"They're both great players, LeBron James and Roy," Carlisle said. "We're going to have to have a lot of different guys ready to guard him. We're going to have to have our team defense geared towards containing him, because one guy can't do it -- you just simply can't. He's a perennial All-Star player, he's a perennial All-NBA guy and he's a great guy in crunch time."

"Brandon Roy is not LeBron James, so we'll approach him differently. He's the best player on their team, so he's going to take shots. He's not really a post-up guy. We just have to give him different looks, blitz him on picks, make him find other guys and make them be play-makers. He's the best player on their team, we just have to find a way to get him under control," Dampier said.

Dallas will try to keep Roy under control when the Blazers head into Dallas for the third game of the Mavs' four-game home stand. Though he is still listed as questionable, the Mavericks could have Nowitzki back in action as soon as Tuesday night. That game will air locally on TXA 21, TXA 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-Cavaliers Recap

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Cleveland Cavaliers 95 at Dallas Mavericks 102

The Dallas Mavericks entered their meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night knowing that the entire team would need to come together with leading-scorer Dirk Nowitzki on the sidelines in street clothes.

Nowitzki, inactive after suffering a deep laceration to his right elbow in the second quarter of a 116-108 overtime loss at home to the Houston Rockets on Friday night, tested the injury before the game but realized that he couldn't give it a go due to soreness.

In Nowitzki's stead, six Mavericks scored in double figures, led by Nowitzki's replacement, and the Mavericks grounded the reigning league MVP in the fourth quarter to capture a 102-95 win on the American Airlines Center floor.

"Today, I was going to try to step up and actually try to go a little bit and get a couple of jumpers up before the game, but I just couldn't get my elbow up, couldn't extend my elbow out, couldn't really bend it," Nowitzki said. "Looking at the game now, it was a great decision. We got the win and I got a little rest today, so it was great."

"It is a huge win," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "Any time you can win without a guy like Dirk, it just says a lot about the group of guys and the team. We are obviously happy with it."

With Tim Thomas inserted into Nowitzki's power forward spot in the starting lineup next to Jason Kidd, J.J. Barea, Shawn Marion and Erick Dampier, the Mavericks' top priority was to stop the NBA's third-leading scorer, LeBron James. Both teams found themselves turning to backup centers midway through the opening quarter, as Dampier and Shaquille O'Neal both picked up two quick fouls. Meanwhile, James' nine first quarter points, coming from inside and out, lifted the Cavaliers to a 26-25 edge after one. Cleveland shot 9-of-15 in the period, while holding Dallas to 9-of-22 at the other end.

With Dampier in early foul trouble, the Mavericks turned to Drew Gooden in the second quarter and the big man did not disappoint. After O'Neal picked up his third personal foul at the 3:06-mark in the second, the Mavericks attacked the rim with the 7-footer not available to contest shots. Dallas jumped out to an eight-point advantage before James and the Cavaliers closed to within 52-50 headed into the halftime break.

The combination of Thomas and Gooden, Nowitzki's stand-ins, collectively posted 19 points in the half and grabbed 12 rebounds (eight by Gooden). Dallas overcame 41 percent shooting with a 23-18 rebounding edge. James' 18 first half points, on 6-of-12 from the floor, led all scorers at that point as Cleveland shot 53 percent through the first two quarters.

"We made some mistakes in the first half and we corrected them at halftime," Thomas said. "LeBron was doing most of the scoring in the first half, so we just wanted to make the other guys beat us. The main thing was our rotations on defense and we all did what we had to do to win."

As the second half opened up with Thomas catching fire from the outside, the Mavericks sped up the pace and pushed the tempo out to a double-digit lead as large as 12 early in the third quarter.

"(Thomas) has just given us positive production any time he has been on the floor and people have to guard him because he is a great shooter," Carlisle said.

"Of course with Dirk being out, coach gave me the nod as far as being in the starting lineup and I just wanted to be aggressive with the minutes I was given tonight," Thomas said.

Cleveland responded by grinding the game into a half-court affair, as James, O'Neal and Mo Williams cut the deficit to as little as two. But after Jason Terry's floater with 12.9 ticks left in the period, the Mavericks took a 73-67 edge into the fourth.

James' above-the-rim finish off of a Delonte West all-oop feed energized the Cavalier roster with 8:56 left in the fourth quarter, but the superstar never scored again on the night. Marion, Josh Howard and Kidd then put the clamps on James the remainder of the game, fighting through Cleveland's one-three, screen-and-roll offensive sets to keep No. 23 from getting in the lane.

"With the one-three, pick-and-roll, we were getting screwed up on it and we had smaller guys in the game. We were trying to show and get shaped back up. When we got (Kidd) back in along with Marion, we were able to switch it because of (Kidd's) size, and that helps," Carlisle said of the defensive strategy on James in the fourth.

"I was just trying to make it hard for (James), make him take contested jump shots and keep him from getting to the basket." Marion said of the defense on James in the fourth.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Offensively, the Mavericks countered with an assertive Terry and Howard. The Dallas defense then turned up the intensity in the final five minutes, while Kidd took over the game late with his play-making and timely scoring. The point guard's 3-pointer with 3:57 remaining gave the Mavericks a 93-85 lead. Just over a minute later, Kidd found Terry in the corner for a three to give Dallas a 96-87 advantage. Cleveland stuck around by getting to the charity stripe in the last two minutes, putting points on the board without time coming off the clock. But Terry's falling floater with 10.9 seconds left secured the Dallas win.

"I thought both teams played particularly well," James said after his team took the loss. "I think the one that got a good spurt, got a good comfort level, a good feel on the offensive end was going to win the game. They drove the ball, they kicked out for threes, they really hurt us with some tough long jumpers."

Stepping in for Nowitzki, Thomas led the Mavericks with a team-high 22 points, doing so on 7-of-13 from the field.

"In a situation like this, when you lose a guy like Dirk that is such a great shooter, it is a real blessing to have a guy like Tim ready to go. The way he stepped in and not only played, but played really well," Carlisle said of the veteran forward.

Off the bench, Terry added 19 points while playing just under 35 minutes. It was a welcomed sight for the reigning Sixth man of the Year who has struggled offensively of late.

"The thing that was important for me offensively was to be aggressive and getting to the free throw line helped me early," Terry said. "I just need to stay on the attack."

Kidd secured a double-double with 10 points and 11 assists, while Howard (14), Gooden (12) and Marion (12) all reached double digits in scoring. Falling just short of a double-double while battling through foul trouble was Dampier, who finished with eight points and 10 boards.

"That's why they're one of the best teams in the West -- one of the best teams in the league," James said of the Mavericks squad. "They've got guys even without Dirk that are All-Stars on their team. Josh Howard, J-Kidd and Jason Terry, and the rest of those guys, Tim Thomas played great tonight. Guys stepped up."

James finished with a game-high 25 points (two in the fourth) on 9-of-23 shooting, while West added 18 points off of the Cavs' bench.

After a slow start, Dallas out-shot Cleveland 48 percent to 46 percent, making up for the Cavaliers' 43-39 rebounding advantage and their 13-4 edge in second chance points.

"We were a little better in the second half than we were in the first half, defensively," Carlisle said. "They were shooting 53 percent in the first half and we took them down significantly, so that was big."

"We've got a tough, savvy group of veterans in this locker room and if anyone goes down, regardless of who it is, I know we're all going to step up. But since it was Dirk, you could see it on all of our faces that we needed to come out and make a statement tonight, but we do miss him and hope he'll be back soon."

Though he is still listed as questionable, the Mavericks could have Nowitzki back in action as soon as Tuesday night, when the Mavericks play host to the Portland Trailblazers at the American Airlines Center for the third match of a four-game home stand. That game will air locally on TXA 21, TXA 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-Cavaliers Preview

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Cleveland Cavaliers (20-7) at Dallas Mavericks (19-8)

The Dallas Mavericks are used to the odds being stacked up against them.

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

After the basketball prognosticator overlooked and underestimated Dallas coming into this season, the Mavs have have proved the naysayers wrong by leading the Southwest Division through 27 games. When the critics said Dallas couldn't win when swingman Josh Howard sat out to rest his surgically-repaired left ankle, the Mavs won and won again. And now the Mavericks will try to prove the skeptics wrong yet again, with leading-scorer Dirk Nowitzki questionable for Sunday's matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers with a deep laceration to his right elbow.

"We obviously hope for the best, but we don't know what the timetable is going to be (for Nowitzki's return)," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "We have to have other guys ready. We've had a lot of guys play well this year and I expect them to do that in his absence."

Nowitzki sustained the injury early in the second quarter of a 116-108 overtime loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday night, colliding with Rockets forward Carl Landry at the 9:28-mark of the period. While Landry left the game missing a few teeth, Nowitzki sat in the home team's locker room, never returning after receiving stitches from the incident. Though x-rays were negative, the Mavs star remained at home, taking pain medications, while the team practiced on Saturday. No. 41's status is still up in the air going into the Mavs' game on Sunday.

But if the Mavericks are to be without the league's sixth leading-scorer for an extended period of time, a veteran core is prepared to pick up for the void left by Nowitzki's absence.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

That veteran leadership starts with point guard Jason Kidd and filters down to the reserve role players. The future Hall-of-Famer will be called upon to be both a vocal and on-court leader if Nowitzki is on the shelf.

"Kidd is great. He took a hard foul the other night, and he was making a point -- it's time to quite being soft and start playing harder and at a higher level. That helped us at that point and time," Carlisle said.

But it will take a total team effort to make up for No. 41's on-court production and intangibles.

"Obviously, (Nowitzki) is our go-to-guy on this team and the leader of this team," center Erick Dampier said. "But regardless of whether he's going to play or not, we still have to put five guys out on the floor. We have the talent to compete with anyone in this league, with Dirk or without him."

"We still have the talent to go out there and win. It doesn't matter who is out there. As long as we're playing together, having fun, sharing the ball and the things we've been doing the whole season, we're going to give ourselves a chance to win."

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
Stopping LeBron James is a must for Dallas to get a win Sunday

Now the Mavericks will need Kidd and the veteran core most of all if they are going to get back on the winning side against a perennial Eastern Conference power in Cleveland, led by reigning MVP LeBron James. The Mavs will be out to avenge a 111-95 loss in Cleveland on Nov. 28, when James put up 25 points and dished out 12 assists to outdo Nowitzki's 27-point night.

"They're an excellent team -- a lot weapons. LeBron James is a great, great player. (Shaquille O'Neal) is still a major force to deal with, and their guard-play is excellent, they shoot the three great. There's a lot of things you have to prepare for. But most of all, you have to play really hard and really efficiently, and that's what we'll have to do," Carlisle said.

James, the league's third leading-scorer, will once again play a prominent role in the Cavaliers' attack, both as a primary scorer and a play-making facilitator. With O'Neal and Mo Williams by his side, James has plenty of options to go to when the ball is in his hands.

"We know exactly what Cleveland is going to do coming in," Dampier said. "(James) is going to take his shots, he's going to make great passes to those guys and he's going to do what he's been doing the whole season to try to get a win. He's one of the best players in the league."

In a battle of division leaders, the Mavericks host the Cavaliers at the American Airlines Center on 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. It is the second game of a four-game home stand.

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.