Mavericks-Kings Recap

(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks 99 at Sacramento Kings 91

If the first game of 2010 is any indication, then the Dallas Mavericks have a lot to look forward to in the new year.

With a matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers looming, the Mavericks entered the state of California focused not on the defending NBA champions but on beginning the new decade with a win against the upstart Sacramento Kings. Despite a late charge from the Kings, Dallas kept its focus on the task at hand and played the brand of basketball that has made the Mavericks one of the league's best road teams, downing Sacramento 99-91 in the middle game of a three-game road trip.

Having narrowly escaped with a 104-102 home win against the Kings on Nov. 20, Saturday night the Mavericks entered Arco Arena with full understanding that they could not look past a gritty Sacramento team in anticipation for Sunday's game against the Lakers. Dallas also looked to rebound from a disappointing end to 2009, falling 97-94 on New Year's Eve to Houston on the road. But it was just business as usual as the Mavericks snatched their 12th win away from home this season.

"The first half we had a lot of turnovers and then the second half we did a great job until the last couple of minutes," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle summed up the win. "Fortunately, we had built up a lead that stood up. It's a great win because these guys have been playing great and this is always a tough place to come.

"Every win in this league is a fight. There's no easy games. So any time you can get one, it's great."

Forward Shawn Marion may have expressed the sentiments for the Mavericks' veteran leadership the best.

"I'm a veteran player, I never look ahead to the next game. You can get beat by anybody, this is the NBA…You have to be ready to play every night and lace them up. You never overlook a team," Marion said.

(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Mavs looked to put the Houston loss out of their minds immediately. Despite getting a strong effort from combo guard J.J. Barea in the first quarter, the Mavericks found themselves in a back-and-forth game out of the gates with the Kings emerging at the end of the period with a 27-25 edge.

"(Barea) has been solid for us, really since he's been in the starting lineup. He got it going early for us and then as the game went on he made some plays to get other guys involved, too. Having that additional play-maker really helps," Carlisle said.

Battling through an early case of the turnover bug, the Mavericks capitalized off of hot shooting in the early minutes of the second quarter. Meanwhile Dallas' defensive intensity picked up, turning defensive stops into seamless transition offense.

"Teams that play defense, if you look in the past, they all won championships," point guard Jason Kidd said. "That's what we're trying to achieve...If we were going to have any chance to win tonight, we had to play defense and we did that."

With Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki resting on the sidelines, Jason Terry and the Mavs' second unit used fast-breaking offense to sprint out to a 13-0 run and a 42-31 lead at the 6:08-mark of the period. But after Kidd and Nowitzki returned and the Dallas lead grew to as much as 13, rookie sensation Tyreke Evans led the Kings to seven unanswered points. Evans' scoring and play-making cut into the Mavs' advantage, but Nowitzki lived at the foul line in the final minutes of the half to lift Dallas to a 55-48 lead at the intermission.

Dallas outscored Sacramento 30-21 in the second quarter, with the final eight Maverick points coming from Nowitzki.

Led by Barea's 13 first half points, the Mavericks used 57 percent shooting to overcome 10 turnovers in the first 24 minutes of play. At the other end of the court, Dallas forced the Kings into 13 giveaways while holding Sacramento to 45 percent shooting.

Early in the third period the Mavericks picked up where they left off at the end of the first half, calling Nowitzki's number relentlessly as Dallas built a 13-point lead. But after the Mavs' attack slowed, timely scoring from Kidd and big man Drew Gooden continued to keep Evans and the Kings at bay as Dallas took a 77-67 advantage into the fourth.

(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

An aggressive Josh Howard got the Mavericks started in the fourth quarter by attacking the rim. Dallas' lead began to balloon when Terry's layup put the Mavs up 87-73 with 5:37 remaining in the game. Nowitzki then began to assert himself, putting the Mavericks up 93-76 with a jumper before heading to the bench to rest the final three minutes of game time in preparation for the second night of the back-to-back.

With the Kings continuing to battle in the final minutes, using an 11-0 run to cut the Dallas lead to 93-87, Carlisle called a timeout with 30.1 ticks remaining to defuse Sacramento's momentum. Forced to put Nowitzki back in the game to preserve the win, Carlisle took a big sigh of relief when Howard nailed a pair of free throws with 28.9 seconds remaining and Dallas up eight. The Kings drew to within six on a jumper from Sergio Rodriguez, before the Mavericks continued to keep Sacramento's hopes alive when Howard's lob pass intended for Gooden sailed out of bounds with 8.7 seconds left. After forcing a turnover at the other end, Nowitzki calmly finished of the game at the charity stripe to lift Dallas to their 12th road win of the season.

"We knew they were going to play hard. They give themselves a chance to win every night, and we got a good win," Marion said.

Nowitzki finished with a game-high 25 points, while grabbing seven rebounds. Barea (17), Howard (16), Kidd (14) and Terry (11) all scored in double figures, as Gooden finished just short of a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds.

Omri Casspi led the Kings with 22 points. After he scored 29 points and dished out 10 assists in the November meeting between the two squads, the Mavericks held Evans to 14 points on 6-of-18 shooting as the rookie returned after missing a game with a right ankle injury.

"It's just going to be a matter of time, if (Evans) can get some minutes under his belt, until he's an elite player in this league," Kidd said of the first-year lead guard.

Out-shooting the Kings 49 percent to 40 percent, the Mavericks dictated the pace of the game with a 24-9 edge in fast break points. The faster tempo allowed the Mavericks to capture the win despite committing 17 turnovers and losing the battle on the boards, as the Kings won the rebounding edge 42-36. Sacramento also outscored Dallas 44-38 in the paint.

"I thought we were really aggressive defensively and smart," Carlisle said. "You hold these guys to 40 percent, that's pretty good because they've been shooting the ball well and they average 108 points in this building. I liked our defensive effort, we rebounded it pretty well, so we're happy to get a win."

Now the Mavericks turn their focus to the Lakers, as the teams with the two best records in the Western Conference meet head-to-head for the second time this season.

"L.A.'s a great team. So, we'll turn our attention to them now," Carlisle said.

Sunday night the Mavericks head into L.A. to play the Lakers after defeating the defending champions 94-80 at the Staples Center on Oct. 30 in the only meeting between the two teams. That matchup will air on KTXA and KTXA HD at 8:30 p.m. CT. It is just another trip into an unfriendly environment for the Mavs, a setting where they've thrive at all season long.

"We've played really well on the road. It seems the more hostile the crowd is the better we play. I guess it kind of fuels us a little bit," Marion said.

Dallas 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-Kings Preview

(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks (22-10) at Sacramento Kings (14-18)

The calender marks a new day for the Dallas Mavericks, after 2009 came to a screeching end New Year's Eve night in Houston.

After winning back-to-back games, the Mavericks ended the '09 portion of their regular season with a heart-breaking 97-94 road loss to the division rival Rockets. Falling behind by double-digits early against Houston, a late comeback attempt from the Mavs ran out of gas during the stretch run on the last day of the year.

"We just couldn't come up with enough plays down the stretch. We had a couple of good looks…We had our chances down the stretch, but just didn't have enough to get over the hump," forward Dirk Nowitzki said of the loss.

Now the Mavericks begin the new year by heading to the sunny West Coast for a back-to-back with two Pacific Division challengers, leading the season series 1-0 against both teams. It is the conclusion of four consecutive road games.

Dallas is not looking ahead to Sunday's matchup with the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, knowing that they first have a formidable foe standing in their way in the Sacramento Kings. The Mavs squeaked out a 104-102 home win against the Kings on Nov. 20, needing a total team effort to hold off a furious charge in the final minute. Playing without center Erick Dampier (illness) and swingmen Josh Howard (surgically-repaired left ankle) and Shawn Marion (left ankle), the Mavericks' bench played a big role in Dallas getting the victory on that November night, as the Dallas reserves outscored their Sacramento counterparts 52-14 in bench scoring.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Mavericks also saw plenty of rookie sensation Tyreke Evans, as the former Memphis standout finished with a game-high 29 points, albeit in a loss. Evans and the Kings are certainly on the Mavericks' radar in the second meeting between the two teams.

"They have a great rookie point guard," sixth man Jason Terry said. "They're a scrappy bunch, and if you don't come out ready to play, it's going to be a grind-it-out game."

"All the games are hard, we know that," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "There are no breaks in the West. Even the teams with lesser records, they're all improving. They all play with a lot of energy and they're all very good on their home court."

The Kings will come in especially hunger after coming just short of a road victory in L.A. on New Year's Day, that was before Kobe Bryant's buzzer-beating three swished through the bottom of the net to give the Lakers a 109-108 win. Evans was out of the lineup in the loss to the Lakers, sidelined with a right ankle injury, but the combo guard says he will be ready to play with the Mavericks in town. Also well aware of what Bryant and the Lakers are capable of, the Mavericks know that they must claim momentum with a win over the Kings before entering the Staples Center for a second time.

"We want to build momentum. That's the idea. And we want to make sure we don't have letdowns," Carlisle said.

The Mavericks open up the new year by traveling to Sacramento to battled the Kings on Saturday night, with the game airing locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 9:00 p.m. CT.

Sunday night the Mavericks head into Los Angeles to play the Lakers for the second time this season, as that matchup will air on KTXA and KTXA HD at 8:30 p.m. CT. Dallas defeated the defending champion Lakers 94-80 at the Staples Center on Oct. 30 in the only meeting between the two teams.

Dallas 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-Rockets Recap

(Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks 94 at Houston Rockets 97

Bringing 2009 to a close, the Dallas Mavericks began a three-game road trip against a familiar foe.

In the finale of the season series with the Southwest Division rival Houston Rockets, the Mavs looked to bring the year to an end with their third straight win. Dallas also entered Houston hoping to take the season series 3-1, but the Rockets had something else in mind. Despite getting double-figure scoring from six players, the Mavericks could not overcome multiple double-digit deficits and early foul trouble to their superstar, coming up just short of a late comeback attempt to fall 97-94 at the Toyota Center.

"We just couldn't come up with enough plays down the stretch. We had a couple of good looks…We had our chances down the stretch, but just didn't have enough to get over the hump," forward Dirk Nowitzki said.

The Mavericks came into their fourth and final meeting with Houston well aware that they needed to improve on their play in the first quarter, after struggling early in the first three games against the Rockets this season. But in an eerie resemblance to the three previous matchups with Houston, the Mavericks found themselves down by double digits in the opening quarter before cutting the deficit to 24-17 at the end of one.

Dallas hit on just 8-of-23 shots in the first quarter, unable to capitalize on the five turnovers they forced Houston into at the defensive end. Meanwhile, Houston used fast-break offense to sprint out to the quick advantage.

"Our undoing as a team was a sluggish first quarter," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "We just got off to a sluggish start. They hit us with transition points and threes…With a team that's an energetic team like this, you can’t have any lolls, especially at the beginning."

(Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)

But the Dallas offense began to catch up with the team's defensive intensity early in the second quarter, as Josh Howard and Jason Terry ignited the Mavericks' second unit. With Howard and forward Shawn Marion finding success both inside and outside the paint, the Mavericks made up for their early shooting deficiencies to tie the game at 40-all with 4:14 remaining in the period. But with their leading-scorer, Nowitzki, picking up his third foul with 2:03 left in the first half, the Mavericks didn't have enough firepower on the floor to contend with the Rockets' backcourt of Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry. Houston finished the half on a 14-5 run to take a 56-47 edge at the halftime break.

The Rockets shot lights-out in the first 24 minutes of play, out-shooting the Mavericks 55 percent to 44 percent in the half. Houston also held a 25-20 rebounding advantage, making up for their nine first half turnovers. Brooks led all scorers with 14 points at that point, while Marion paced Dallas with 12 points as Nowitzki was sidelined with the early fouls.

"Obviously with the foul trouble, I didn't have a good rhythm in the first half, but I still have to come through for the team," Nowitzki said. "In the second half, I thought we battled."

Things got worse before they got better for the Mavericks at the start of the third quarter. Falling behind by as much as 14, the Mavericks stayed in the game behind Jason Kidd's long range shooting and J.J. Barea's dribble penetration. Though the Dallas defense held Houston to just 36 percent shooting in the quarter, the Mavericks' offense could only cut the deficit to 78-70 headed into the fourth.

(Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)

With Kidd and the Mavs making all of the hustle plays in the early minutes of the fourth, the tempo picked up and Dallas crept to within 80-77 after Terry nailed a 3-pointer at the 10:22-mark. The Mavs' veteran point guard continued to look for his own shot, as Kidd's scoring and play-making gave Dallas the momentum in the period. Terry then took over the scoring load, tying the game at 86-all with 5:39 remaining. But the Rockets continued to answer the Mavs' scoring burst with a heavy dose of Carl Landry in the low post.

Using a zone on the defensive end, the Mavericks grounded Brooks and the Rockets' scoring attack. But with the Dallas defense scrambling, Shane Battier put Houston up 92-89 with a corner three with just 2:11 on the game clock. The lead doubled after Brooks' three with 1:35 remaining. But the Mavs continued to hang tough with Howard's rim-attacking aggression. Arguing a call, Battier picked up his first career technical foul, allowing the Mavs to draw to with three on Nowitzki's free throw. After Nowitzki picked up his fourth blocked shot of the game on Brooks' driving layup attempt, Dallas called their last timeout down 97-94 with just 8.0 ticks left.

"The zone was actually really, really effective for us," Nowitzki said of the defensive strategy late.

After the Mavs drew up a play for a game-tying 3-pointer, the Rockets forced the ball out of both Terry's and Nowitzki's hands, as the ball was swung to Kidd. The lead guard's shot from behind the arch hit the back of the rim, as the ball landed in Trevor Ariza's hands as the game expired.

"I got a great look," Kidd said. "I might have rushed it a second. I would love to have that shot again...Give Houston credit, they won the game. The zone helped us in the second half to get back in the game. We had an opportunity."

"I was proud of the way we battled back in the second half. We gave ourselves a chance to win but the shots just wouldn't drop. The first eight minutes of the game put us behind the eight ball. We didn't do the things we needed to do consistently in the first quarter and that hurt us," Carlisle said.

Though Dallas shot just better than Houston, 45 to 44 percent, the Mavericks' 2-for-12 shooting from 3-point range was their downfall. Despite losing the rebounding battle 48-42, the Mavs outscored the Rockets 52-40 in the paint.

Brooks finished with a game-high 30 points, leading six Rockets in double figures.

Terry scored a team-best 20 points, while Howard (16), Marion (16), Kidd (14), Nowitzki (11) and Gooden (10) all reached the 10-point plateau.

The two teams split the season series knotted at 2-2.

"We're rivals and have been since I've been in Dallas," Terry said of the two squads. "It's been tough all season and it's an early end to our matchup during the regular season. Good luck to them and maybe we'll see them in the playoffs. They always play hard."



Dallas now tries to begin 2010 better than they ended 2009, playing a West Coast back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday night. The Mavericks open up the new year by traveling to Sacramento to battled the Kings on Saturday, with the game airing locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 9:00 p.m. CT. The Mavs lead the season series 1-0 after squeaking out a 104-102 home win on Nov. 20.

Sunday night the Mavericks head into Los Angeles to play the Lakers for the second time this season, as that matchup will air on KTXA and KTXA HD at 8:30 p.m. CT. Dallas defeated the defending champion Lakers 94-80 at the Staples Center on Oct. 30 in the only meeting between the two teams.

The Mavericks return 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-Rockets Preview

(Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Houston Rockets (19-13) at Dallas Mavericks (22-9)

It is only fitting that the Dallas Mavericks finish off 2009 on the road.

With an 11-4 road record, the Mavericks have relished taking down opposing teams in the most hostile arenas. Heading into Houston on the last day of the year, Dallas will try to continue their hot play on the road against a team they will have seen for a fifth time since the preseason, the Southwest Division rival Rockets. All the more reason to celebrate the closing of '09 with a win, sixth man Jason Terry said, as the Mavs begin a three-game road trip also looking to run their overall winning streak to three.

(Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)

"(The key to the success on the road has been) just coming in with that mentality of us against the world," Terry said. "For me, there's no greater joy than when you hear the entire opposing crowd going nuts and then you hit a shot to silence them...I live for that moment."

Terry and his team's killer instinct is even stronger when Dallas sniffs the scent of the Rockets, having seen Houston plenty for their liking. With a great familiarity with what the Rockets bring to the table, the Mavs know exactly what they are up against on Thursday night.

"No question, I mean, this is a team we've played already four times this year. They play hard, and if you don't come in ready to outwork them, then you're in for a long night," Terry said.

The Mavs lead the season series with the Rockets 2-1, but Dallas will be seeking retribution for the one loss in that equation, a 116-108 overtime loss to Houston at home on Dec. 18.

Needless to say, that loss is still on Dallas' mind.

"We definitely owe them one," center Erick Dampier said. "We didn't play the way we wanted to play (at home) in the last game...We're just going to go down their, play hard and try to win us one game."

But the division-leading Mavericks know that if they are to come out with a victory in the fourth and final meeting between the two teams in the regular season, they must first improve on their first half play. Dallas will try to put a stop to the trend of falling behind by double-digit deficits in the first 24 minutes of play, as they have in all three games thus far.

(Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)

"You could say we've gotten off to a slow start every time we've played this team, but (Thursday night) we're just going to come out and try to play hard from the beginning of the game and make it an interesting game," Dampier said.

"Execution and making sure that we're ready to play from the beginning of games, that's going to be key," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "Most of the games (between the two teams) are going to come down to who's playing harder, who's playing more efficiently and who's putting the ball in the basket."

Though Carlisle's team has had several scorers putting the ball in the basket with regularity of late, Dallas' calling card is still defense. The coach admits that the rugged Rockets' offense possess yet another great challenge to that Dallas defense.

"They're very good and they play their style very effectively. So, we're going to have to slow them down in transition, try to limit their threes and they've got some guys that do a great job in the post. There are a lot of challenges," Carlisle said.

Dallas plays its final game of 2009, heading into Houston on New Year's Eve. The Mavericks-Rockets matchup will air locally on KTXA and KTXA HD at 6:00 p.m. CT. It is the second game of four straight on the road for the Mavericks.

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 Practice Report (12/30/09)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Mavericks Practice Report (12/30/09)

(Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets know each other about as well as they know themselves.

Having already played each other in an exhibition game and three regular season games, the Mavs and Rockets will not be trying to fool each other when they meet in Houston on Thursday night for the fourth and final meeting between the two in the regular season. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle knows exactly what he is going to get from his counterpart Rick Adelman and the Houston squad.

"Well, it's been pretty frequent, and this is somewhat unusual but these things do happen," Carlisle said of matching up against the Houston team for the fifth time in a three-month span. "You got to roll with the schedule. They're obviously a good team. They've played well against us a lot of the time...We've got our hands full.

"Most of the games (between the two teams) are going to come down to who's playing harder, who's playing more efficiently and who's putting the ball in the basket...They're very good and they play their style very effectively. So, we're going to have to slow them down in transition, try to limit their threes and they've got some guys that do a great job in the post. There are a lot of challenges."

The Mavs lead the season series with the Rockets 2-1, but Dallas still can taste the sourness of a 116-108 overtime loss to Houston at home on Dec. 18.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

"We definitely owe them one," center Erick Dampier said. "We didn't play the way we wanted to play here in the last game. We worked on our defensive schemes today, so we're just going to go down their, play hard and try to win us one game."

A theme in the three meetings has been slow starts from the Mavericks, needing valient comeback efforts in the second halves of all three games. That is a trend that must end, the 7-footer said, if the Mavs are going to close out 2009 with a win.

"You could say we've gotten off to a slow start every time we've played this team, but tomorrow we're just going to come out and try to play hard from the beginning of the game and make it an interesting game," Dampier said.

Houston has shown an ability to win without their two superstars, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, sitting in third place behind Dallas in the Southwest Division standings. Though McGrady is now healthy, the Rockets have indicated to the star that they are moving in a different direction, helping the Mavs turn their full attention towards a balanced Rockets' attack.

"(McGrady) is a great player, but they are obviously proving that they are a very capable team without him," Carlisle said. "Our efforts are going to be focused on the guys that are going to be there, and they're all tough customers."

For Dallas, keeping together a healthy unit is still a top priority. After battling through nagging early season injuries, the Mavs appear to be as healthy as a team can be in an 82-game season.

The Mavericks exhaled a sigh of relief when swingman Josh Howard went through practice on Wednesday after sitting out the day before due to a sore hamstring suffered in the first half of the win against Denver. He is still expected to play against the Rockets on Thursday.

"We've worked hard to try to get healthy," Carlisle said. "We're crossing our fingers that we can stay healthy. It's work, it's time in the training room and a lot of meticulous things with our medical staff...Our goal is to get to Houston healthy and be able to step on the floor and be in good shape. You can't assume anything.

"We're very aware of the importance of good health and what it means, and we don't take it for granted."

Dallas plays its final game of 2009, heading into Houston on New Year's Eve. The Mavericks-Rockets matchup will air locally on KTXA and KTXA HD at 6:00 p.m. CT. It is the second game of four straight on the road for the Mavericks.

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 Practice Report (12/29/09)

(Photo By Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Mavericks Practice Report (12/29/09)

The last two games have served as the blueprint for winning basketball for the Dallas Mavericks.

(Photo By Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

In both games, two Dallas wins, the Mavs featured a balanced offensive attack with seven players scoring in double figures while displaying shutdown defense on some of the NBA's premiere scorers. With three days to prepare for a three-game road trip, the Mavericks returned to the practice court on Tuesday hoping to continue to fine-tune their offense arsenal.

"Our key to success is not only defense but getting consistent scoring from everyone that's out there on the floor," sixth man Jason Terry said. "We've been able to do a great job of that and we're getting ball movement. Ball movement is the key for us, and it allows everyone to be able to touch it and be involved.

"If we hold the ball and try to play one-on-one basketball, we're not a very good team. We still have the talent and we've got one of the best players in the world in Dirk (Nowitzki) that can do that, but it doesn't help us as a team. We need ball movement and everybody is happy when that happens."

(Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

One reason the Mavericks have gelled offensively is a second year under Mavs coach Rick Carlisle. With the players in Carlisle's system for another season, the team has learned to maximum the offensive talent on the court. Carlisle has learned from his players as well, allowing point guard Jason Kidd to have more freedom with his own play-calling on the court this season, creating a much more free-flowing transition assault.

"(Carlisle) is the same as he was last year, in terms of he prepares us well and he has us ready to go," Kidd said of his coach. "I think the biggest thing is he understands that with a veteran ball club, (he knows) what we need to understand when we're not playing well and he gives that to us.

"When we're just out there playing, it shows that he has trust in us...He lets us play because he believes that we're going to do the right thing."

The coach is quick to point out that his veteran point guard also deserves a lot of credit for the ball moving around and finding its way into multiple scorers' hands of late.

"Jason Kidd figures it out," Carlisle answered when asked how the Mavericks keep so many potent scorers happy. "We've been in this system now for close to a year and a half, and I think we've gained a feel and a sense for what works.

"I don't think you can sit down and script everything you factor, not with our team because we're a flow-team offensively. There are too many variables, but the things that we do know is that hard play and attention to detail of the game plan is a constant with everything."

As the Mavericks have found out after one exhibition and three regular season games against the Houston Rockets, hard work and attention to detail means everything when matching up with the divisional rival. In the final regular season meeting between the two squads, Dallas is hoping to use the formula of success from their back-to-back wins.

Though the Mavs lead the season series 2-1, Dallas trailed by double-digit deficits in the first halves of their two wins before blowing out the Rockets in the final 24 minutes of play. In their one loss, a 116-108 overtime defeat to the Rockets at home on Dec. 18, the Mavs lost Nowitzki early in the second quarter after the superstar collided with Rockets forward Carl Landry. Nowitzki left the game with a deeply lacerated right elbow, while Landry never returned after losing several teeth, but the Rockets were still able to out-hustle the Mavs in the extra period to claim the win on Dallas' home floor. It was a lessen learned, according to Terry.

"This is a team that we've played already four times this year. They play hard. If you don't come ready to outwork them, you're in for a long night," Terry said.

Now the Mavericks will play their final game of 2009 when they head into Houston on New Year's Eve. The Mavericks-Rockets matchup will air locally on KTXA and KTXA HD at 6:00 p.m. CT. It is the second game of four straight on the road for the Mavericks.


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-Nuggets Recap

(Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks 104 at Denver Nuggets 96

It must have felt like returning to a crime scene for the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night.

Playing against the team that ended Dallas' season a year ago after five games in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Mavericks returned to the Pepsi Center to tangle with the Denver Nuggets, who were without Chauncey Billups due to a strained left groin. With Billups in street clothes the Mavericks turned their full attention to the NBA's scoring leader, Carmelo Anthony, and it never left. Holding the Nuggets' star to 16 points on just 5-of-19 shooting, while seven Mavericks scored in double figures for the second straight night, Dallas erased their past memories with a 104-96 road win.

(Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

"In fairness to them, they don't have Billups, who’s a great player," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "And Anthony was in foul trouble but I like the way we played."

"I think it was bigger for coach then it was for us," sixth man Jason Terry said of the win after Carlisle targeted this game as a big matchup. "As players we wanted to come in here and get a win, but for him. We had four close games in here last year that easily could have went the other way. So (Carlisle) put a big emphasis on the game, it's been marked down on our calender but it's one game. They didn't have Billups, but we come out of here with a win. We had to win this game and we got it done."

In the building that haunted the Mavericks during last season's playoff run, the Mavericks proved early on that they entered Denver ready to deal with any adversity. Overcoming an early 10-point deficit with a 23-6 run to end the first quarter, Dallas utilized a balanced scoring attack to take a 30-23 lead at the end of one.

After what was once a nine-point Dallas advantage slimmed down to five early in the second quarter, Carlisle called for timeout to calm his squad down with 9:21 on the game clock. The Mavericks took heed to their coach's direction, pushing the margin back up to nine on consecutive baskets from Terry. Dallas answered every Denver charge in the period with Terry, Josh Howard and J.J. Barea aggressively getting to the rim while forward Drew Gooden, who returned after missing a game with back spasms, provided the dirty work in the paint. Learning a lot from their playoff series, the Mavs wanted to come into Denver with a more physical style of play.

"You know when you come into this building they're going to play a physical game," forward Dirk Nowitzki said. "If you want to have a chance, you have to adjust and play that type of style, rebound the ball and really go after the ball.

"It really happened to us in the playoffs last year. We were hanging around for three quarters and they'd pick their defensive pressure up, we'd turn the ball over a bunch and next thing you know we were down 20. So, you have to know coming in that you have to be physical here and I think we did a decent job."

But after leading by as much as 11, Denver used a 7-0 run in the last 1:17 of the half to cut the Dallas lead to 55-52 headed into the intermission. Just before the half closed the Mavericks received a scare when Nowitzki, who was already wearing a protective wrap around his deeply lacerated right elbow, left the court favoring his left shoulder after attempting a driving layup in the closing seconds.

"It was just a weird play. I tried to make a move and I felt a little pop there. But we got in at halftime and looked at it, and it felt alright," Nowitzki said of the play.

Gooden's 10 points paced the Mavs in the first half, while Barea and Howard added nine apiece to help Dallas shoot 46 percent through 24 minutes of play. Aaron Afflalo's 13 points and Kenyon Martin's 10 kept the Nuggets close, though the Dallas defense held Denver to just under 44 percent shooting after two quarters. The Mavericks appeared to be on the right track, holding Anthony to just 3-of-12 shooting for nine points while picking up three fouls in the half.

(Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

"We were doing different things (defensively on Anthony). At times we'd guard him straight up, at times we ran somebody at him. But what helped was he was in some foul trouble, so he was in and out of the game," Carlisle said.

Nowitzki shook off any signs of an injury in the locker room during the halftime break, as the All-Star forward began the second half on the court. After the Nuggets gained life after the run at the end of the first half, the Mavericks turned up their energy level a couple more notches early in the third quarter. As Shawn Marion ignited the Dallas offense by posting up smaller defenders, the Maverick lead climbed back up to double digits. Even after J.R. Smith brought a spark to the Nuggets' offense with Anthony in foul trouble, Terry came right back to beat the shot clock with a 3-pointer to put Dallas up 78-68.

"That was a Hail Mary -- prayer answered," Terry said of the shot.

Everything seemed to be going Dallas' way in the period, as even Gooden's circus layup found its way to the bottom of the net to put the Mavericks up 13 in the final minute of the quarter. Outscoring the Nuggets 28-20 in the third, Dallas took an 83-72 advantage into the final period.

"The 7-0 run at the end of the first half was very disappointing for us. But we regrouped, guys came out and really fought in the third quarter and got the lead up," Carlisle said.

When Anthony picked up his fifth foul at the 10:02-mark of the fourth with the Nuggets down eight, Denver lost their go-to scorer during their comeback attempt. With Anthony watching from the sidelines, the Dallas defensive intensity picked up and it translated to gritty play on the offensive end. When Anthony returned with his team down 12 and 7:22 on the game clock, the Mavs prepared themselves for the stretch run. But with the Nuggets' defense playing with active hands and forcing Maverick turnovers, Denver got back into the game. The Nuggets hacked away at the Mavs' lead at the foul line, scoring points while stopping the game clock with Dallas in the penalty.

With Dallas hanging on tightly to a 97-92 advantage, Anthony fouled out after pushing Howard to the floor away from the ball with 2:47 left.

"(Anthony) never got into one of those rythems where he can go out there and get 20 in a quarter. That was fortunate, but we had something to do with him picking up the fouls, too," Calisle said.

With their star out, the Nuggets' aggression was on high alert but their offensive production was sorely lacking. Meanwhile the Mavericks secured every needed rebound, including Gooden's tip-in with 1:19 remaining to put Dallas up 101-94. Struggling by his standards offensively all night, Nowitzki put the seal on the win with a 3-pointer with 50.5 ticks on the clock to put his team up 104-96. The two teams then played out the clock as the Mavs moved to 11-4 on the road.

Gooden finished with a game-high 19 points, on 8-for-8 shooting, while grabbing 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double this season.

"Drew Gooden was phenomenal for us in the paint -- keeping balls alive, getting tip-ins and being a beast in the paint. He was great," Nowitzki said.

"It was big, especially since not playing yesterday and coming in here playing with an injury," Gooden said of his night. "I didn't know what to expect, but I feel kind of good...Anytime you can make a contribution to this team, especially while we are winning, is big for us right now."

Howard added 17 points and nine rebounds, while Nowitzki also posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Barea (13), Terry (13), Marion (12) and Erick Dampier (10) all scored in double figures to help the Mavs shoot 50 percent from the field.

"For us, it was being aggressive, attacking the basket and playing good, solid defense," Terry said. "That's the key to success -- balanced scoring, ball movement and getting stops defensively."

Martin led the Nuggets with 18 points while grabbing 11 rebounds, though the Dallas defense held Denver to just 38 percent shooting.

"We haven't won here in a long time…So it's definitely a good win," Nowitzki said. "Defensively we were solid, to hold a great offensive team to 38 percent shooting, that's pretty solid."

Dallas also won the battle on the glass, out-rebounding Denver 51-45. The Mavericks overcame their 16 total turnovers and a 32-8 deficit in second chance points to claim their 22nd victory of the young season.



Now the Mavericks will put a cap on 2009 when they head into Houston to battle the division rival Rockets with three days to prepare. Dallas leads the season series 2-1, but the Mavs suffered a 116-108 overtime defeat to the Rockets at home on Dec. 18. The Mavericks-Rockets matchup will air locally on KTXA and KTXA HD at 6:00 p.m. CT. It is the second game of four straight on the road for the Mavericks.

"We have another tough one coming up in Houston," Terry said. "Three days to prepare but they beat us at home, so we have work ahead of us."

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-Nuggets Preview

(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks (21-9) at Denver Nuggets (20-10)

When the players on the Dallas Mavericks' roster look around the locker room, it doesn't have to be said.

(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Dallas returns to the place where last season ended

The returning Maverick players and the new additions know that Sunday night's game in Denver is more than just another regular season game. The matchup is more than just a contest between two division leaders. It's more than just a test of wills. Sunday night is a measuring stick for both Dallas and Denver, two teams that know each other very well.

"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," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said.

Against the team that ended Dallas' season a year ago in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Mavericks will attempt to show just how improved a team they are at this point in the year. By putting their 10-4 road record on the line in a building that haunted the Dallas squad in last season's playoff run, the Mavs will also be trying to put a strangle hold on the second-best record in the West while fighting the high altitude of the Denver landscape. But the Mavs do figure to be somewhat rested after taking home a 106-101 home win over Memphis in a Saturday matinee game.

"Any time you're going up to Denver, it's always hard with the altitude," sixth man Jason Terry said. "But I'm glad we get a chance to go up early instead of going up late.

"We're going to let our play speak for itself. But they are a good team and they are playing well right now. And we're in a deadly battle for second place."

(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Josh Howard, Shawn Marion have the task of stopping Carmelo Anthony

But for the Mavericks to leave the steep air of Denver with a win, they must first stop the league's leading-scorer Carmelo Anthony, who is having an MVP-caliber year. Stopping Anthony's 30.4 points per game scoring average is a daunting task for any defense, but swingmen Shawn Marion and Josh Howard will be handed the responsibility most of the night.

"We've got different guys to throw at Carmelo, so we will," Carlisle said. "Look, there will be more than (Marion and Howard defending Anthony) before we're done. You can count on that.

"(Anthony) is another guy that is having a career year. And that's saying something because he's been a great player, and he's been an All-Star, he's been on the Olympic team and everything else. So, our team defense has to be geared around what's going on with him on the floor...We're going to have to do a lot of things well to win."

On offense, the Mavericks will have to duplicate the balanced scoring that was on display against Memphis on Saturday when a season-best seven players scored in double figures. Dallas is hopeful that multiple offensive options will be become a staple of this team, taking a heavy burden off of leading-scorer Dirk Nowitzki's shoulders.

"It was great. We were moving the ball, getting stops and pushing the ball up to get transition opportunities," Nowitzki said of the play on Saturday.

"This team is going to be something else when we can get consistent contributions from seven or eight players in double figures," Terry said after leading the team with 23 points against the Grizzlies. "That's the way this team was built."

Now the Mavericks hope to show that they were also built to take down the Nuggets on the road. The Mavericks-Nuggets matchup will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:00 p.m. CT. It is the start of four games away from home.

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.