JET touches down at Mavs practice
The participation of sixth man Jason Terry was certainly a welcomed sight at the Dallas Mavericks' Friday morning practice. Even if his face was shielded.
Terry returned to the team after undergoing facial surgery last week to repair a broken cheek bone and other facial injuries to the left side of his face. The star has been sidelined since he took a shot from Corey Brewer's swinging elbow in the Mavericks' 112-109 March 3 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
"When it happened, I knew it was broken," Terry said of the injury. "Luckily I didn't get a broken nose, too."
"Any time he's on the court is a good thing. It was good to see him back out here," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of Terry's return to practice. "There's still no timetable for his return (to game time)."
After heading to the locker room briefly, the veteran reserve went on to finish that game, even knocking down key buckets down the stretch with simply his nose plugged to keep it from bleeding. Friday, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year went through the team's full contact drills while wearing a temporary protective mask until his custom-made face gear is ready. Terry's task now is to get used to playing with his new head wear. Day One was a rough start, the sharpshooter admitted.
"I didn't hit a shot. There were a few slip and falls," Terry said.
Terry's teammates and coaches enjoyed his competitiveness back on the floor, but they also exchanged a few jokes here and there about his adjustment to playing while wearing the mask.
"He went through full contact, and he had a temporary mask on, so there were collisions," Carlisle said.
"Hopefully he gets used to that mask fast, because that was ugly," forward Dirk Nowitzki added. "He's a warrior, and hopefully we'll get him back in the next couple of games."
But while Terry gets acclimated to his new situation, he is anxious to get back on the court with his team in a game scenario. The versatile guard added that the support of Dallas fans has pushed him during his time away from the hardwood.
"The main thing for me was the many 'get well soon' letters I got from Mavs fans. That was encouraging," Terry said. "I'm proud of the guys for how they've played without me. We've just gone out and beat who is on our schedule. That's all we can do, beat who we're supposed to beat."Even with their go-to bench scorer missing the last four contests, the Mavericks have continued to run their winning streak to 13 games. The Mavs have now tied the Cleveland Cavaliers for the longest winning streak in the NBA this season.
With the team hoping to continue its winning ways, preparing for the second of four games on its current home stand, Terry is hoping to make his return to the lineup within the next week.
"I'm targeting next week. We got two games next week that I'm hoping to be ready for," Terry said.
Continuing their home stretch while putting their win streak on the line, the Mavericks welcome in a Knicks squad that they beat 128-78 in New York on Jan. 24. The Knicks-Mavs matchup will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. The home stretch continues with games against Chicago and Boston. Tickets for all three 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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