Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks 91 at Denver Nuggets 127
It's been an up and down journey for the Dallas Mavericks in the first portion of the 2009-10 season. Heading into the All-Star break, the Mavericks hit another bump on the roller coaster that is an 82-game NBA season.
Fittingly, the Mavericks played their last game before All-Star Weekend in the same building where last season ended, traveling to the Pepsi Center to tangle with the Denver Nuggets. As they did in their Dec. 27 meeting in Denver, a 104-96 road win, the Mavs tried to send the Nuggets the message that this is a much-improved Dallas squad. Instead the Nuggets were the ones making a statement, sending the Mavs into the midseason festivities on a losing note. Denver's wire-to-wire 127-91 win handed Dallas their largest margin of defeat this season.
"Disappointing, but fortunately it only counts as one loss," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "Night's like this it can feel like more."
(Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, the Mavericks tried to claim consecutive wins on their two-game road trip, after a 127-117 win against Golden State on Monday night. The Mavericks were playing without center Erick Dampier for the second straight game, due to a left knee effusion. Dallas was also without Shawn Marion, as the forward sat with lower back soreness. The Nuggets were fortunate to have the NBA's second-leading scorer Carmelo Anthony back in the lineup, after the All-Star missed eight games with an ankle injury.
"Disappointed, but it was a tough turnaround and a difficult situation," Carlisle said of the tall order of playing on consecutive nights and matching up with Denver shorthanded.
With two of his starters out, Carlisle began the game with a lineup of Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Dirk Nowitzki and Eduardo Najera. But the opening period was very unkind to the Mavericks. After beginning the game missing five of their first six shots and falling behind by nine early, the Mavericks used an 8-0 run midway through the quarter to get back into the game. The Nuggets then finished the first on a 14-4 run to open up a 32-21 advantage at the end of one. Dallas shot just 6-of-18 in the first, while the Nuggets connected on 13-of-22 at the other end.
"We just looked a little flat, and things just kind of snowballed from there," Nowitzki said of the play early. "(The Nuggets) were all over the place, they had energy and they kind of got hot at the right moment -- just made shots from everywhere."
The cold-shooting night continued for the Mavericks in the second quarter. Meanwhile, J.R. Smith and Ty Lawson powered the Denver reserves and elevated the Nuggets' lead to as much as 21 in the second stanza. While Nowitzki asserted himself on the offensive end to stage a comeback attempt, Denver countered with Nenê inside. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Chauncey Billups lifted the Nuggets to a 65-39 lead at the half.
"That's what a good team does, they put you away," Terry said. "With Chauncey out there, he smelt it. You get up 14, you're either going to make it go down to five and give us some hope, or it's going to go up to 20 and kind of seal the deal. And that's what they were able to do."
Nenê led all scorers with 17 first half points, while Nowitzki led the Mavericks with his 15 points in the first 24 minutes of play. Perhaps playing with tired legs on the back end of two games in as many nights, the Mavs shot just 32 percent in the half. As poorly as the Mavericks were shooting, the Nuggets were equally as impressive while connecting on 58 percent of their shots. Clearly missing Dampier and Marion on the glass, the Mavericks were out-rebounded 27-12 in the first half.
Big man Drew Gooden began the second half on the court in place of Najera, but even Gooden had his problems with Nenê. Meanwhile, the Nuggets caught fire from 3-point range in the third quarter. With Anthony coming to life in the period, Denver took a 103-70 lead into the final quarter.
After emptying their benches late in the third quarter, both squads played their reserves for the entire fourth. The Mavericks fell behind by as much as 39 in the period before falling by 36.
The Nuggets finished the night out-shooting the Mavs 61 percent to 38 percent, due in large part to Denver's 44-16 dominance in points in the paint. The Nuggets also connected on 11-of-18 from 3-point range, compared to the Mavericks' 7-for-21 from beyond the arch. But the telling statistic was Denver's 47-28 advantage in the rebounding category. Nenê finished with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting. Anthony added 19 points, as seven Nuggets scored in double figures.
Nowitzki finished with a team-best 17 points, but it came on 5-for-17 from the field. Terry (16), Howard (14) and James Singleton (11) all scored in double digits.
The Mavericks get their chance for retribution when the Nuggets visit Dallas on March 29. It will be the rubber match for the right to claim the season series.
When the Mavericks return from the All-Star break, the squad will begin a stretch of four games in five days. Dallas will first head to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on Feb. 16. The Mavericks lead the season series 2-0. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7 p.m. CT.
"You recharge your battery over the break, come back and make a push," Terry said. "If you look at the Western Conference, it's the same as last year -- a lot of teams vying for a playoff position. So, every game is going to mean something."
The next night, the Mavs will host the Phoenix Suns at the American Airlines Center. That game will air nationally on ESPN and locally on KTXA and KTXA HD at 8 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS. The two teams have split the first two games of the season series.
"Hopefully, everybody can get away a little bit and get some rest, because even starting after the break we've got four in five nights and tough games too," Nowitzki said. "It's a tough stretch coming up for us.
"Once the All-Star game is over, you've got to go for it. There's not a whole lot of time before the playoffs. So, hopefully we can get back on track after the break."
For up to the minute news on the Dallas Mavericks, visit Mavs.com. Follow Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.
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