Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
JET practices, Kidd rests
Coming off of one of the most disappointing losses of the season, the Dallas Mavericks returned to the practice court Monday in high spirits.
Though a 128-94 loss to the New York Knicks on Saturday night still has a sour taste in the team's mouth, the Mavericks are trying to look at the positive. Sure the loss snapped the Mavs' 13-game winning streak, but it just gives the squad another opportunity to tally up consecutive wins.
"We've just got to start another streak," forward Dirk Nowitzki said.
Fortunately for the Mavericks, relief might be on the way, as sixth man Jason Terry eyes a return to the court after facial surgery on March 5. Terry went through his second straight practice while wearing a new, custom-fitted mask to protect him from further damage to injuries sustained from Corey Brewer's swinging elbow in the Mavericks' 112-109 win over Minnesota on March 3. There's a possibility that the reigning Sixth Man of the Year will be ready to play in the squad's Wednesday night matchup with the Chicago Bulls.
(Photo By Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
"(Terry) went through practice today, and we have Tuesday, and then we'll see where we are come Wednesday," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said.
But while Terry looks to return to game action, point guard Jason Kidd got a little time awhile from full-contact drills. The 36-year-old veteran arrived to the team's facilities early, lifted weights and then sat out of the team's scrimmages to rest for the upcoming playoff push.
"We thought Kidd deserved a rest," Carlisle simply said.
"J-Kidd is about to turn 37, so it's good for him to have some days in between games to rest," Nowitzki added. "It's good for all of use to get some rest, because we had a tough stretch coming out of the All-Star break."
Now with the team 13-2 since the All-Star festivities, the focus has shifted towards playoff positioning. But even after tying the NBA's longest winning streak of the season, and briefly sitting second in the Western Conference standings, Saturday's loss dropped the Mavs behind the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets for postseason seeding.
Still, the Mavericks are not focus on what the Lakers and Nuggets are doing nightly. Instead the team is keyed in on getting back to playing winning basketball.
"Our guys are not scoreboard watching or standings watching," Carlisle said. "But our guys are well aware of things."
"It's our own fault. We had a pretty bad month of January...But if we continue playing well, we'll end up in a good spot," Nowitzki said.
The Mavs are hopeful that they can conclude the final two matchups of a four-game home stand in winning style. First the Mavericks welcome in the Bulls on Wednesday night, with the game airing locally on KTXA and HD NET at 7:30 p.m. CT. The Mavericks escaped Chicago with a 122-116 road win on March 6.
The home stretch concludes with an 8 p.m. CT date with the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. That game will also appear on KTXA. The Mavericks went into Boston and handed the Celtics a 99-90 loss on Jan. 18 in the first meeting between the teams. 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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