Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks 89 at Charlotte Bobcats 84
Though the Dallas Mavericks entered Monday night with the NBA's longest current win streak at seven games, the squad was about to embark on what Mavs coach Rick Carlisle called one of the team's "great challenges of the season."
After wrapping up a 108-100 home win over the New Orleans Hornets in Sunday's late tip-off, the Mavericks arrived in Charlotte in the early hours of the next morning before battling with the Bobcats. Though the circumstances were overwhelmingly in the Bobcats' favor, the young franchise had never beat the Mavericks. They still have yet to beat the Mavericks.
(Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)
Instead of succumbing to the fatigue from the quick turnaround, the Mavericks rose to the challenge, claiming an 89-84 win for their eighth straight victory.
"All this stuff about a short turnaround wasn't anything that discouraged our guys," Carlisle said. "We knew it was going to be a tough game. We knew it was going to be a 48-minute game...Anything less, wouldn't have got it done tonight. It's a big win for us."
The Mavericks knew they were in for a battle, after holding off Charlotte for a 98-97 overtime win on Dec. 12. Playing on their home floor, the Bobcats quickly served notice to the Mavericks in the opening quarter that it was going to be a long night. Charlotte began the game 7-for-8 from the field, building a quick advantage. But after following behind by double digits, the Mavs got a big boost from sixth man Jason Terry off the bench. With newcomer Caron Butler aggressively attacking the rim, the Mavericks cut the Bobcats' lead to just 28-24 at the end of one. Dallas stayed within an arm's reach despite hitting just 8-of-22 shots in the first quarter.
"It wasn't pretty and I think we looked a little slow at the start of the game," forward Dirk Nowitzki said of the play early. "We were a step slow to everything, especially in the first quarter."
It didn't take long for the Mavericks to completely erase their deficit in the second quarter. A transition jumper from J.J. Barea gave the Mavericks their first lead of the night at 32-30. The two teams found themselves in a back and forth affair, as the squads exchanged the lead in the period. But the Bobcats went on a tare, led by Raymond Felton and Tyrus Thomas. Charlotte's 13-2 run to end the half put the home team ahead 53-43 entering the intermission."They're an athletic, attacking team. So, it's tough to stay in front of them," Carlisle said.
Though both teams committed nine first half turnovers, the Mavericks' giveaways proved to be more costly because of their poor shooting. Charlotte out-shot Dallas 53 percent to 41 percent in the first two quarters. Butler and Thomas matched each other with 12 first half points.
"The ladder part of the second quarter was disappointing, but at halftime everybody said, 'Hey, we're going to keep battling,'" the coach said.
With their squad down, Butler and Nowitzki picked up the slack for their struggling teammates early in the third. But the Mavericks needed defensive stops to accompany the lights-out shooting coming from the two sharpshooters. Once the Dallas defense kicked into gear, the Mavs held the Bobcats without a made field goal for better than five minutes of play. The improved play at both ends pulled the Mavericks to within two, 68-66, entering the final quarter. Nowitzki and Butler combined to score 18 of Dallas' 23 points in the third.
"Caron Butler and Dirk Nowitzki put on an exhibition in half-court offense in the third quarter," Terry said.
Meanwhile, the defense held Charlotte to just 15 points in the quarter.
"(The defense) was just active, physical and into it," the coach said while praising his team's defensive intensity. "We had an idea of where they wanted to go...It was a good job of a mixture of covering well at the point of attack and helping."
"We were really scrambling and rotating for each other. That was fun to watch," Nowitzki said.
The Mavericks continued to do the job on the defensive end to begin the fourth period. As he did early in the first half, Terry ignited the Dallas squad with big plays at both ends of the floor. Terry's steal and fast break assist to Marion for a two-handed dunk brought life into the stagnant lineup. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year then knocked down back-to-back jumpers to give the Mavs a 78-75 edge with 6:12 remaining on the clock. A short time later, Terry swished in a three to put his team up eight, capping a 15-3 Dallas run.
Terry once again kept the Bobcats at bay, raining in a floater to put Dallas up 87-81 with 1:15 remaining. With the Bobcats charging late, the Mavericks went back to Nowitzki to ice the game at the free throw line. The 7-footer's 2-for-2 trip at the charity stripe put the Mavs ahead 89-84 with 8.8 ticks left. Stephen Jackson's desperation three attempt in the final seconds bounced off the glass into Nowitzki's arms at the Mavs secured their eighth straight win. It was also the Mavericks' 40th win of the season and 20th road victory.
"We have a bunch of veteran guys and we know how to stick around and keep it close on the road," Nowitzki said. "I think that is what we did for the first three quarters. We were right there in the fourth, made enough plays and got some good stops."
The Mavs outscored the Bobcats 46-31 in the second half, surrendering the second-lowest scoring output for a Dallas opponent in a half.
"I didn't expect us to put a 31-point defensive half out there, but that's what it took. We were able to get it done. It's a great win," Carlisle said.
"If you look at what we did tonight, we had to do it defensively," Terry added. "We had some good looks that weren't falling for us, but we continued to get stops. Down 10 at the half, to fight back the way we did was phenomenal."
The win capped off a day in which Nowitzki was named the Western Conference Player of the Week. No. 41 entered the game with three straight 30-point games. He finished Monday night with a game-high 27 points on 12-of-23 shooting, adding 13 rebounds for the double-double. Butler added 22 points and Terry finished with 20.
"We're following the game plan, and guys are getting it done," Terry said. "Dirk is the Player of the Week. Caron is back from his minor injury. We've got a lot of weapons on this team, and guys are playing well."
Jackson finished with 20 points to lead five Bobcats in double figures.
After a slow start, the Mavericks finished the night out-shooting the Bobcats, 46 percent to 40 percent. The Mavs overcame the Bobcats' 42-36 rebounding advantage and a drought from the outside, hitting just 3-of-16 from behind the 3-point arch. The Dallas defense was the story, forcing 20 Charlotte turnovers.
Now the Mavericks try to keep their winning streak going, returning to the American Airlines Center for a two-game home stand. First, the Mavericks host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, with the game airing locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. The two teams are knotted 1-1 in the season series, with each squad winning on the other's home floor.
The Mavs then welcome in the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. That game will also air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. The Mavs lead the season series 2-0.
Tickets for both games are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
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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