Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Sacramento Kings 100 at Dallas Mavericks 108
On the bright side, the news coming from the Dallas Mavericks' front office Friday evening before their matchup with the Sacramento Kings could have been much worse.
The organization announced before the tip that guard Jason Terry would be out of action for 10-14 days, after the reigning Sixth Man of the Year underwent facial surgery to repair injuries sustained in the Mavs' 112-109 win over Minnesota on Wednesday night. Terry missed his first game of the season due to the procedure, after being the only Maverick to play in the team's first 62 games. As they began the journey without their top bench scorer, the Mavericks looked to run the NBA's longest current winning streak to 10 games.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
But Terry's surgery was just the beginning of an eventful Friday night. Also losing their head coach and starting center throughout the course of the night, the Mavericks never skipped a beat. A career night from rookie Rodrigue Beaubois and a clutch performance down the stretch from Dirk Nowitzki willed the Mavericks to a 108-100 home court win, continuing Dallas' longest win streak in two years.
"We found a way to win," Carlisle said. "There was some frustration, but it was all about holding it together, keeping the composure and bringing up the level of defensive energy.
"When you are thin like that, you just have to collectively find a way."
With two wins over the Kings already under the Mavericks' belt this season, the Dallas starters tried to make an early statement in the opening quarter before handing the game over to a Terry-less bench. But the first-stringers found themselves in an early hole. Kings guard Beno Udrih and big man Carl Landry gave the Dallas defense fits early. The Mavericks hung tough with point guard Jason Kidd, as the veteran returned from his one-game resting hiatus. Despite Kidd's early command of the game, the Kings held a 26-24 edge at the end of one.
The Kings' deadly 3-point shooting put some separation between the two squads early in the second quarter. Beaubois' deadly scoring ability kept the Mavs close, as he attempted to fill Terry's void by speeding up the tempo and slicing through the lane to the rim.
"Roddy (Beaubois) played great," point guard Jason Kidd said. "He got the running game going and he knocked down some shots."
But frustration began to set in for the Dallas sideline, as Carlisle drew an ejection after picking up back-to-back technicals for arguing with officials. It was the play-caller's second ejection of the season.
"I just thought there was contact that should have been called a foul on two or three occasions and I had an opinion on it. My opinion was noted, but when you go out on the court, sometimes you get one and sometimes you get two. So, I got two and that was it," the coach said of the ejection.
Without Terry, Carlisle and center Erick Dampier (dislocated right middle finger), the Mavericks became even more short-handed with big man Brendan Haywood ruled out in the second with lower back tightness.
"I would think (Haywood) would be day-to-day. But, he had some stiffness this morning and then he tweaked it on the jump ball, of all times. So, that wasn't a good start," Carlisle said.
With assistant coach Dwane Casey directing the squad, the Mavs battled through the distractions. Beaubois ignited the hometown crowd and the team, sparking a 17-5 run after the ejection to briefly lift the Mavericks in front.
"I don't take credit for (the run)," Carlisle said. "In those situations, you have to get playing better. Whether or not the coach getting thrown out contributes to that, that is up for debate. I doubt it. I think we were due to play better and finally started getting some stops."
"We had to make a stand at some point. When Coach got thrown out, we started to get some stops, make some shots and get the tempo in our favor. We made it a little bit closer than we should have," Kidd added.
Sacramento's late surge put the visitors ahead 53-52 at the half.
Coming off of tying his career-high of 17 points in the win over Minnesota, Beaubois recorded 16 first half points. Meanwhile, Udrih led all scorers through the midway point with 17 points on 6-of-8 from the field and 3-for-3 from behind the arch. The Kings out-shot the Mavericks 48 percent to 47 percent in the first 24 minutes. Both teams protected the ball, as Dallas' two turnovers were just better than Sacramento's four giveaways.The opening score of the third quarter was another highlight reel play from Beaubois, as Kidd connected with the rookie for an alley-oop and two-handed finish. The first-year pro continued to come strong in the period, with Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki lending helping hands. Even Barea and Marion got into the mix, as the Mavs took the third 33-19 before taking an 85-72 advantage heading into the final period.
The Kings didn't easily disappear in the fourth, as rookie sensation Tyreke Evans tried to will his squad back. Nowitzki said the fourth is when the team missed Terry the most.
"JET's usually money down the stretch, so it was a little bit different not seeing him. We better get used to it," Nowtzki said.
After Sacramento climbed to within four, Nowitzki put a brief halt to the Kings' momentum. But the visitors once again rallied, cutting Dallas' lead to 102-98 with Andres Nocioni's score with 2:16 remaining. Evans' finger roll just 40 seconds later made it a two-point game. That's when Caron Butler took over the game with two clutch steals on the defensive end in the final minute. Nowitzki cashed in off of Butler's thievery, calmly connecting on four timely free throws in the same span.
"Just trying to make it difficult for them...I did a good job sneaking back, getting into the passing lane, getting another stop and getting the ball to somebody that can knock down free throws," Butler said.
With a defensive stop and Kidd's finishing touches at the foul line, the Mavs ran their winning streak to double figures.
"We got to do a better job holding on to leads, but at least down the stretch we're finding ways to win. That's what its all about," Nowitzki said of the final moments.
Nowitzki finished leading the way with 31 points and 12 rebounds, posting 15 points in the fourth quarter. Beaubois rose to the occasion off the bench, finishing with a career-high 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting.
"Beaubois gave us a great lift off the bench," Carlisle said of the rookie.
Both Nowitzki and Beaubois benefited from Kidd's 12 assists, but the lead guard added 17 points for his 21th double-double. Butler and Marion added 12 points a piece.
Landry led the Kings with 21 points, while Udrih and Evans both went for 20.
The Mavericks' 49 percent shooting bested the Kings' 47 percent. But more importantly, the Mavericks capitalized off of second half turnovers, forcing 17 Kings' giveaways by night's end and turning the errors into 24 Dallas points. The Mavs also held a 26-8 advantage in fast break points.
On yet another quick turnaround, the Mavs touch down in Chicago for a battle with the Bulls on Saturday night. With an 11th win on the line, the Mavs meet the Bulls for the first time this season. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
"When you go on a streak like this,everyone is gunning for you," Carlisle continued. "Everybody wants to be the team to take you down. So, you are going to get everybody's best game. We've had some slow starts, but it is something we have been able to overcome many times. We are working on starting better, but hey, it is a 48-minute game for a reason. So, the streak is alive. We get on the plane tonight and head to Chicago and lace them up again. We just have to keep this going as long as we can."
"We've just got to get through this week," Nowitzki said. "Tough one tomorrow against an athletic team."
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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