Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Minnesota Timberwolves 109 at Dallas Mavericks 112
When legends are out, budding stars have the opportunity to rise to the occasion.
For just the second time this season, the Dallas Mavericks took the court without point guard Jason Kidd. The first time, the squad more than picked up the slack with a record-setting 50-point win over the New York Knicks on Jan. 24. The Mavericks looked for similar success Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, as the 36-year-old sat and rested after logging a mass of minutes during the team's eight-game winning streak. The Mavericks were also out to avenge a 117-108 home loss to the Wolves on Feb. 5, hosting the squad once again at the American Airlines Center. The end result wasn't as lopsided as the win in New York, but yet and still it was a win.
With the future Hall-of-Famer out, rookie Rodrigue Beaubois got an opportunity to shine and he did not disappoint, tying a career-high with 17 points off the bench to help the Mavericks claim a 112-109 victory. The win extended the Mavs' longest winning streak in two years to nine games.
"It was similar to the game in New York," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said after the win. "Without Kidd, we're in a different territory. So, I thought it went the way it needed to go, all things considered."
"We wanted to win this one, though J-Kidd didn't play. And we did it, so it's good," Beaubois said.
(Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images)
In Kidd's place, J.J. Barea got the start at the lead guard spot. Barea was in the starting lineup for the 18th time this season, beginning the game next to Caron Butler, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki and Brendan Haywood. But the absence of Kidd was apparent early, as the Mavericks quickly found themselves down 11-4. The Mavericks also ran into trouble when Butler picked up two quick fouls in the opening quarter. But the Dallas squad rallied behind the play of the bench players, as sixth man Jason Terry and Beaubois shot the team back into the game. The reserve duo powered a 13-3 Dallas run, before eventually giving the Mavs a 30-28 edge after one.
"In the beginning of the game, everybody was poor," the coach said. "We needed to have our disposition at a certain level, and we didn't get it there until about midway through the first quarter. And that was what was disappointing.
"Every team we're playing is going to come at us because of this winning streak, and we're going to have to brace ourselves and be in a hit-first mode to start games. That was the problem for us tonight, they were the ones that were hitting first."
Terry and Beaubois combined for 16 points in the first quarter, offsetting six early turnovers and the Wolves' 12-for-20 shooting in the period.
With the Minnesota defense crowding Nowitzki, Terry and Beaubois continued to set fire to the nets early in the second stanza.
"(The Wolves) really hugged up on me, and those guys (Terry and Beaubois) had a lot of space," Nowitzki said. "They just weren't leaving me."
The two shooting assassins helped to build a double-digit lead. But it was a technical foul on Wolves coach Kurt Rambis that sparked a 22-6 Mavericks run. The Dallas defense made it all possible, as Minnesota turnovers led to easy scores for Terry and Butler in transition. Still, the Dallas advantage was only 60-53 entering the halftime break, after leading by as much as 13.
Terry's 19 and Beaubois' 11 first half points helped the Dallas bench outscore the Minnesota starters 30-29.
"JET (Terry) definitely set the tone for us early, and so did Roddy (Beaubois)," Nowitzki said.
Dallas held the lead at the midway point despite being out-shot 55 percent to 50 percent in the first two quarters. That's because the Mavericks capitalized off of Minnesota's 13 giveaways, turning the errors into 18 points.
The Mavs quickly found themselves in a dogfight early in the third quarter, as the Wolves sliced the Dallas lead to as little as two. But Barea continued to keep the Mavericks in front with dribble penetration to the rim. Marion also came to life in the third, including a dunk to put the Mavs in front 11 midway through the period. But after the momentum of the big lead, the hometown crowd went quiet when Terry fell to the floor after taking a shot to the face from Corey Brewer.
"I'm never worried about JET, because he's one of the toughest guys we've got," Nowitzki said.
After the reigning Sixth Man of the Year headed to the locker room to be treated for a brief stint, he returned with his nose plugged and his team nursing a single-digit edge. A 10-0 Minnesota run to close the quarter cut Dallas' lead to just 89-87 entering the fourth.
"Minnesota is a tough team, because they are quick and athletic and push the ball hard. They just have a real strong 'drive it' mentality," Carlisle said.
It didn't take long in the fourth for the Mavs to find themselves on the downside of the scoreboard. But Beaubois' lightening-quick speed gave the Mavericks the lead right back on a transition three-point play at the 7:34-mark. After a scoreless third quarter from Terry, the combo guard and Nowitzki came to life in the final period. Terry's fast-breaking dunk with 4:54 remaining put the Mavs ahead 101-98. All the while, the rookie Beaubois continuing to get the minutes late.
"Beaubois had a very strong game. He was able to finish and I thought he did a great job finishing hard," Carlisle said."When (Carlisle) needs me, he calls me and I have to be ready," Beaubois said. "I just need to be ready and keep working. I think I made a couple good things happen."
Wisely, Beaubois got the ball into the hands of Terry and Nowitzki down the stretch. But Brewer and Wolves rookie Jonny Flynn kept coming at the Dallas defense, cutting it to a one-point game with 1:35 left. After a pair of free throws from Nowitzki increased the lead to three, Rambis called for a timeout with 19.6 ticks remaining. The Wolves went to Flynn, but the rookie's misfire found its way into Butler's hands, drawing a foul in the scrum for the loose ball. The two-time All-Star calmly knocked down a pair at the charity stripe, putting his team ahead 111-106 with just 9.6 seconds remaining. Brewer came right back, swishing in a three with the game clock reading 3.7 seconds.
On the subsequent inbound pass, the Mavericks ran the clock down to just .5 seconds left, before Beaubois was fouled to ice the game. Beaubois' 1-for-2 trip at the line sealed the Mavs' ninth straight win.
"You've got to give (Minnesota) credit...They certainly were in the game the whole night. They made us work for everything," Nowitzki said.
The Mavericks notched their 41st victory of the season despite being out-shot 53 percent to 50 percent on the night. Minnesota also claimed the battle of the boards, holding a 49-30 rebounding edge. The Wolves pulled down 16 offensive rebounds, leading to a 22-9 advantage in second-chance points.
"They are a great rebounding team," Carlisle said. "Sixteen offensive rebounds generates a lot of extra possessions, and that's one of the reasons their shooting percentage was high."
The Mavericks did, however, force 22 Minnesota turnovers, translating the miscues into 29 points at the other end.
"One positive was we turned them over 22 times. There were some good things that were happening, other than the high shooting percentage. It was good that we were able to (create turnovers), otherwise it would have been tough to beat them," the coach concluded.
Behind Terry and Beaubois' quick-trigger shooting, the Mavs also knocked down 9-of-17 from behind the 3-point line.
Terry finished the night with a game-high 26 points off the bench on 9-of-18 shooting, but the scoring threat will see a doctor on Thursday to treat swelling to his face after colliding with Brewer.
"(Terry) is tough. I think he'll be alright," Nowitzki said. "He'll probably see the doctor tomorrow and see what happens."
Seeing double teams all night long, Nowitzki went 6-for-14 en route to his 22-point night. Meanwhile, Marion matched Beaubois with 17 points, while Butler recorded 14.
Brewer led the Wolves with 24 points and Flynn added 19.
Next up, the Mavs try to run their winning streak to double digits when they welcome in the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. That game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. The Mavs lead the season series 2-0. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
"The winning streak helps because you're not losing ground -- other teams are winning and you're winning," Carlisle said. "You get a lot of questions about swagger and confidence when you win some games in a row. We're such a veteran team, with the exception of Roddy and some of the other guys, that these guys have been through all that...I think we're still hungry and I think we're going to stay hungry, because we've got more ground to make up."
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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