Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dirk's triple-double downs Denver a mile deep
Denver Nuggets 93 at Dallas Mavericks 109 (03/29/10)
If the Dallas Mavericks were looking for a tuneup for the postseason, they definitely got one Monday night.
While playoff positioning wasn't finalized when the Mavericks hosted the Denver Nuggets at the American Airlines Center, there was still plenty on the line. The Mavericks proved that they are battle-tested and playoff-ready.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
In the third and final matchup between the two squads this regular season, the winner would not only claim the season series, they would also take charge of the second spot in the Western Conference playoff standings. While the Mavericks sent their deepest sentiments to Nuggets coach George Karl during his bout with throat cancer, the team did look to exert its will against a short-handed Denver squad playing without Karl and forward Kenyon Martin (knee). Mission accomplished. In one of Dirk Nowitzki's best all-around performances of his career, the Mavericks left the American Airlines Center floor with a 109-93 win. Nowitzki filled the stat sheet by recording just his second career triple-double in the victory.
"We needed the win. Obviously, that's the most important stat," Nowitzki said after the effort.
If No. 41 wasn't going to praise his own performance than his teammate Jason Kidd had the 7-footer covered.
"Dirk did everything," Kidd emphatically said.
The Mavericks were determined to be the victors from the initial jump ball, beginning the first quarter by outscoring the Nuggets 9-2. With Nowitzki's sweet shooting stroke, the Mavs' advantage reach as much as 11 in the opening quarter. While Nowitzki did his scoring from the perimeter, forward Shawn Marion preferred to do his damage at the rim. The two combined for 19 points in the first 12 minutes of play, lifting the Mavericks to a 31-23 advantage after one.
The Mavs went 13-of-22 from the field in the period, while the Nuggets connected on 10-of-23.
Things began to resemble last year's heated Western Conference semifinal playoff series between the teams in the second quarter. The emotions and physicality picked up, and cooler tempers did not prevail when Jason Terry was assessed a technical foul for sending a blow J.R. Smith's way at the 10:11-mark. But while the call ignited a Nuggets run that pulled them to within three, the Mavericks answered with back-to-back 3-pointers from Kidd and rookie Rodrigue Beaubois to spark an 8-0 run. The Mavs finished the half with a 55-46 advantage. The Dallas defense held the Nuggets without a made field goal for the final 4:30 of the half, as Denver missed on five straight shot attempts.
"Denver is a terrific team and you have to play really hard and really physical, but you have to have poise to beat them," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "You have to play well, and we did all of those things."
Nowitzki and Marion led all scorers heading into the intermission with 12 points apiece. More importantly, Marion suffocated Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony to just three points on 1-of-8 shooting."The key to the game was the job that Shawn Marion did on Carmelo," Carlisle said. "(Anthony) is one of the toughest guys in the league to guard, and (Marion) took the challenge."
"I was just making him take hard, contested shots and making him work on defense, too," Marion said.
Smith led Denver off the bench with 11 point in the half. The Mavs' 49 percent shooting bettered Denver's 43 percent at the other end. Dallas also swished in 6-of-11 from behind the arch in the first half.
Marion continued his assault on the Denver defense to begin the second half. The former All-Star also continued to do the job defensively on Anthony in the third quarter, getting help from center Brendan Haywood as the 7-footer stepped outside of the paint to reject jump shots. The result was run-and-gun basketball, as the Mavericks turned defensive stops into transition scores with Marion and Nowitzki at the finishing end.
"It just goes to show where our team's head was at tonight. It was an extra-pass game. Guys were moving it and doing the right things at both ends," Carlisle said.
But after the Mavericks built up a 17-point lead, the Nuggets closed to within 79-69 entering the fourth.
It didn't take long for the Nuggets to cut their deficit to single digits in the final period. But timely threes from Nowitzki and Terry kept the Nuggets at a safe distance. Meanwhile, Nowitzki also operated as a playmaker, finding the open man out of double teams while tallying assist after assist.
"(Nowitzki) trusted his teammates and that's what he did all night," Terry said.
"We did a nice job of keeping a cushion and hitting timely shots," Nowitzki added.
No. 41's three from the top of the key with 6:45 remaining may have sent the knockout blow, lifting his squad to a 95-79 advantage. The nine-time All-Star followed it up with another bomb from long range to put his team up 19. Nowitzki then found Terry for a 16-footer with 2:15 left to record his 10th assist of the night. Just seven ticks later, Nowitzki exited the game to a standing ovation, leaving the court with a game-high 34 points (7-of-17 shooting, 4-for-5 from three-point range), 10 rebounds and those 10 helpers after just over 37 minutes of game time.
(Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images)
"Very balanced. Timely shotmaking. Terrific passing. He's a terrific rebounder, so that's no surprise. It was good that he could get the triple-double. They are very difficult to get," Carlisle said while praising his superstar's night.
Difficult to get is right. Nowitzki's only other triple-double came on February 6, 2008 against Milwaukee, when the future Hall of Famer finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and a career-best 12 assists.
But like his coach before him, it was Marion that Nowitzki wanted to talk about after the game. No, it wasn't Marion's 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting that had Nowitzki's attention after the game. It was the defense the versatile forward played on Anthony, holding the perennial All-Star to 10 points on 3-of-16 from the field.
"I thought the player of the game was Marion. He did a really fantastic job on Melo," Nowitzki concluded.
"This is a big win for us," Marion said. "We went out there and did what we had to do get this win."
In addition to Nowitzki and Marion, Terry (15), Haywood (10) and Caron Butler (10) also scored in double figures. Off the bench, Smith led Denver with 27 points on 10-of-16 from the floor.
Thanks to Nowitzki's overall output and Marion's scrambling defense, the Mavericks finished the night out-shooting the Nuggets 47 percent to 41 percent. The Mavericks also knocked down 12-for-22 from behind the arch, compared to the Nuggets' 6-for-20 from deep.
The two teams also played each other to a stalemate on the glass and in the interior, as Denver ended the game with a 43-42 rebounding edge and a 38-34 advantage in points in the paint. The Mavs did, however, convert 12 Denver turnovers into 17 points.
But now the Mavericks aren't taking another second to think about the monumental win. Instead, the team has immediately turned its attention to a tough back-to-back.
"That's the way this league is...You move on when the horn sounds," Kidd explained.
First the Mavericks head to Memphis on Wednesday night for a Southwest Division showdown with the Grizzlies. The Mavs have lost three straight games at FedEx Forum, but each team has won on its home floor to knot the season series at 1-1. The third of four matchups between the squads will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7 p.m. CT.
The Mavs then return home a day later, playing host to the defending Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic on Thursday night at the American Airlines Center. Dallas snatched a 95-85 win in Orlando on Feb. 19 in the first meeting between the teams. That game will air nationally on TNT at 7 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
"We haven't won in Memphis in a couple of years and Orlando may be the hottest team in the league right now, so it's going to be a tough week for us," Nowitzki said while looking ahead.
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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