Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com Possible playoff preview in Rip City Dallas Mavericks (47-24) at Portland Trail Blazers (42-29)
The Dallas Mavericks don't expect to finish too many games without Dirk Nowitzki on the court. But if the Mavericks have to, as they did in Tuesday's 106-96 home win over the Los Angeles Clippers, then they know they're in good hands with Jason Kidd.
With Nowitzki ejected for just the third time in his career at the 9:16-mark of the third quarter, Kidd celebrated his 37th birthday by festively scoring a season-high 26 points, dishing out 12 assists and grabbing six rebounds to lead the Mavs to the W. The 10-time All-Star also connected on 6-of-11 from 3-point range, the most he's tallied from behind the arch in a game this season.
"With Dirk out, I thought I'd play Dirk," Kidd said. "I didn't want a bad birthday, so I was going to take the blame if we lost with my offensive output."
(Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) "I thought (Kidd) willed the team with his energy and his enthusiasm," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of the future Hall of Famer's performance. "He got guys engaged and it wasn't just playmaking -- it was shotmaking, it was assists, it was defensive plays, it was giving guys confidence out there."
Now the Mavericks will once again need Kidd at his best, with Nowitzki back in action, against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden to start a two-game road trip.
As the two teams battle for playoff positioning, it is possible that the Mavs and Blazers could meet in an opening postseason series. If that's the case then the Mavericks would really like to make a statement, after dropping the first two games to the Blazers this season at the American Airlines Center by a total of six points.
"We haven't beat them all year, so this is a big game for us," sixth man Jason Terry said of the matchup.
Big game is right.
The Blazers have won eight of their last 10 games and four straight at home. But Portland still only sits in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Meanwhile, the Southwest Division-leading Mavericks enter Thursday with the two seed, but they are locked in a dogfight with the Denver Nuggets for the second spot in the standings. With the contest against the Blazers and Saturday's road game against the Golden State Warriors, the squad is doing its best not to look ahead to Monday night's date at home against the Nuggets.
"Looking at Golden State and then Denver - so a big three-game stretch for us and we want to win them all," Terry added.
But winning all three games starts with slowing down a Portland squad that has out-executed the Mavericks down the stretch of the first two meetings. In the Mavs' 85-81 loss on Dec. 22, it was Brandon Roy that torched the Dallas defense for 10 of his team-high 23 points in the fourth to lead the Blazers to the victory. That was nothing compared to Andre Miller's career-high 52 points against the Mavs, with Roy sidelined due to a hamstring injury, to help the Blazers to a 114-112 overtime win on Jan. 30.
(Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images)
Miller's performance was the third-best by any scorer against the Mavericks in franchise history, and his 22 made field goals is an American Airlines Center record.
"Guys in this league, when they get in a groove, they can have special nights like that," Carlisle said of Miller's night. "We tried a lot of different guys on him...He played a phenomenal game. Guys like him get the rolls. A lot of those hung on the rim and went in. So, you have to give him his due. It was a phenomenal effort. We obviously didn't do a good job on him."
Now the Mavericks try to do a better job defensively on Miller and Roy, coming off of a fourth quarter performance that held the Clippers in check. Dallas outscored L.A. 30-19, holding the Clippers to just 5-of-22 shooting in the final quarter. According to Kidd, the defense will once again be the key come Thursday night.
"We're a pretty good team when we get defensive stops," the veteran point guard said.
Beginning a two-game expedition on the road, the Mavs travel to meet the Blazers in front of a national audience. The game will be televised nationally on TNT, airing at 9:30 p.m. CT.
The Mavericks return to the American Airlines Center on Monday night when they host the Nuggets. The squads have split the first two games of the season series. That matchup will air nationally on NBA TV and locally on KTXA 21 at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com Portland Trail Blazers 114 at Dallas Mavericks 112 F/OT
The Dallas Mavericks entered their matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers looking to avenge an 85-81 home loss on Dec. 22.
After Andre Miller's performance on Saturday night left the Mavericks scratching their heads, the December loss was the furthest thing from their minds.
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) With Portland's All-Star guard Brandon Roy out with a hamstring injury, Miller showed up and showed out. Hitting on 22-of-31 shots he hoisted up, the veteran point guard poured in a career-high 52 points to power the Blazers to a 114-112 overtime win on Dallas' home floor, yet again. Though they had their chance to win, Miller was simply too much for the Mavericks down the stretch.
"Guys in this league, when they get in a groove, they can have special nights like that," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of Miller's night. "We tried a lot of different guys on him...He played a phenomenal game. On nights like tonight, guys like him get the rolls. A lot of those hung on the rim and went in. So, you have to give him his due. It was a phenomenal effort. We obviously didn't do a good job on him."
"I've had a few heated nights in my career, but I think this was one of those nights where I just didn't stop shooting," Miller said of his career outing, eclipsing his previous career-high of 37.
The Mavericks were a little shorthanded as well, playing without reserve big man Tim Thomas after the veteran left the team for personal reasons. With no Thomas coming off of the bench, Carlisle needed more from his starting unit. Behind a quick start from forwards Shawn Marion and Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs came out of the gates sprinting. But Miller ran the pick-and-roll to perfection with big man LaMarcus Aldridge in the opening quarter, powering Portland to a 26-21 edge after one.
"A poor start to the game defensively," the coach said plainly.
Playing without Thomas, big man Drew Gooden and rookie Rodrigue Beaubois sparked the Mavericks' second string to begin the second stanza. Also providing fireworks was forward Eduardo Najera, who saw his first game action since returning to the team via a Jan. 11 trade with New Jersey. The fan favorite got the hometown faithful out of their seats with a 3-pointer, putting the Mavs ahead 32-29 with 6:42 remaining in the first half. But the second quarter was all about Josh Howard, raining in 14 points with an array of shots to lift his team to a 47-44 lead heading into halftime.
The Blazers out-shot the Mavericks, connecting on 47 percent of their shots compared to Dallas' 44 percent shooting in the half. But Dallas held the scoring edge at the midway point despite Miller's 19 first half points.
"It all started with easy layups that got him going," Nowitzki said of Miller's early scoring attack.
Miller continued his scoring assault on the Dallas defense to start the third quarter. As they did in first quarter, the Mavericks countered with more Nowitzki and Marion in the halfcourt. But the Mavericks' offense was out of sorts, causing Nowitzki to succumb to the frustration, as the superstar was assessed a technical foul at the 1:06-mark of the quarter. Meanwhile, Aldridge came on strong in the period, giving the Blazers a seven-point edge before J.J. Barea's buzzer-beating three cut the deficit to 73-69 heading into the fourth. The Mavericks shot just 7-for-19, as Portland outscored Dallas 29-22 in the third.
"In the fourth quarter, it was just make something happen. We really didn't look great (in the third) and we were down," Nowitzki said.
With his team down, Nowitzki attempted to rally the troops. But Miller and Steve Blake continued to keep the Mavs at bay. Despite the best efforts of Portland's backcourt, the Mavericks knotted the game at 88-all on a driving score by Jason Terry with 5:09 remaining. The two teams then exchanged jabs, and the lead, like prize fighters, as Nowitzki and Miller refused to let their teams lose.
Nowitzki got a little help from Jason Kidd, as the veteran lead guard knocked home a three to put Dallas ahead 97-96 with 1:48 remaining. Miller came right back with a three-point play. The game was once again tied at 99-all when Nowitzki sent Aldridge to the line with 59.0 ticks left in regulation, but the big man went 0-for-2 at the charity stripe. After collecting the rebound, the Mavericks went to their go-to guy, and Nowitzki once again thrived. No. 41 swished home a patented jumper to put his team ahead two with 41.9 seconds on the game clock.
After a Portland timeout, Marion was called for a foul, sending Miller to the line where he calmly tied the game once again. Matched up one-on-one with Aldridge, Nowitzki got the ball on the right elbow, but Aldridge poked the All-Star forward in the eye. Back at the line with 26.8 seconds, Nowitzki nailed a pair of clutch free throws, as the Mavericks went back ahead on the scoreboard. But as he had all night long, Miller brought his team back, this time connecting on a running hook to tie the game at 103-all.
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) As they have his whole career, the Mavericks expected another game-winner from Nowitzki, but No. 41's go-ahead shot attempt bounced off of the iron and into Juwan Howard's hands with 1.3 ticks left for Portland to end things.
"I had a good look at the game-winner. It's a shot that I've got to make," Nowitzki said.
After a timeout, the Blazers went to Aldridge, but the big man's fadeaway jumper hit the front of the rim as time expired.
"You can't let teams hang around at home, you can't turn it into a shot-making contest," the coach said. "We can't be adrenaline junkies and take it down to the last possession every night. We should be a better basketball team than that."
The extra period began with a three from Miller, as his career night continued. The veteran point guard hit the 50-point mark on a jumper with 3:21 left in the overtime.
"I didn't look at it as scoring the ball, but just going out and making plays and being the point guard," Miller said. "The shots came, and since they were going in, I was just going to keep shooting."
But a three from Terry and Kidd's tip-in had the Mavs in front 112-108 with 2:22 on the clock. After a pair of free throws from Jerryd Bayless, Miller knotted the game again with a driving score. Portland then surged ahead on Howard's jumper with 44.9 seconds remaining. The Blazers then forced a Nowitzki miss, grabbing the rebound and calling timeout with 20.3 seconds left.
But the Dallas defense held its ground, forcing a Blake miss from 3-point range. Barea grabbed the subsequent rebound and called timeout with just 3.2 seconds available for a tying shot. Again the Mavericks went to Nowitzki, but his shot over Nicolas Batum rimmed in and rolled out as time expired.
"In overtime, the same thing," Nowitzki added. "I had a couple of good shots. This is definitely a tough one to swallow."
"You're going to have nights when it comes down to the last shot and you don't make it. But the question you've got to ask is, 'Is that the play to reflect on or is it a total of a lot of other things going on that put you in that position?' In my view, it's a lot of other things going on," Carlisle concluded.
The game finished with 20 ties and 13 lead changes. The Mavericks are now 3-3 in overtime games.
Miller's output is the third best performance against the Mavericks in the team's history, and his 22 made field goals is an American Airlines Center record.
"It seemed like Miller got to the basket whenever he wanted," Nowitzki summed up the night.
Nowitzki finished with a team-high 28 points to lead six Mavericks in double figures. Terry (18), Howard (17), Barea ((13), Marion (12) and Kidd all scored in double figures. Kidd also record his 14th double-double of the season, dishing out 10 assists, albeit in a loss. Kidd's assists total was one more than Portland's entire team, as most of the Blazers' offense was Miller's scoring.
Aldridge added 21 points as four Blazers scored in double figures.
Portland finished the night out-shooting Dallas 54 percent to 47 percent, though the Mavs hit 7-of-14 from behind the arch. The Mavericks did out-rebound the Blazers 42-39 and the Dallas bench outscored Portland's reserves 44-18. But it wasn't enough to overcome a 60-46 points in the paint differential in the Blazers' favor.
Now, the Mavericks head back out on the road and touch down in Salt Lake City on Monday for a battle with the Utah Jazz. The two teams have split the first two games of the season series, with the Jazz most recently leaving Dallas with a 111-93 win on Jan. 9. The Mavericks-Jazz matchup will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 8 p.m. CT.
"Utah's a tough place to play," Nowitzki said. "They're really starting to play better...I think they're really starting to come along, and really being the force at home that they really have been the last couple of years.
"It's a tough building to play in, but we've usually been good at recovering from losses and turning losses into something positive."
Dallas returns home to host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. The Mavericks will be out to avenge a 111-103 home loss on Nov. 24.
Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com Portland Trail Blazers (27-21) at Dallas Mavericks (30-16)
Saturday night's matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers figures to look much differently than the first time the two teams met this season.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) Losing a hard fought Dec. 22 contest 85-81 on their home floor, the Mavericks understand that they can not drop both home games against the Blazers. Fortunately for Dallas, the two teams look a little differently these days.
"They're different," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of the Portland squad. "In the last eight to 10 days, they've kind of redeveloped a style."
The Blazers are certainly different because they are playing without leading scorer Brandon Roy (right hamstring), who scored 23 points in the December meeting. Roy took over that game late, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter to help his team escape the American Airlines Center floor with a win. Meanwhile, the Mavericks have inserted guard Jason Terry into the starting lineup, getting instant scoring from last season's Sixth Man of the Year. Dallas' newly appointed starter says it is important that the Mavericks come out and send a message early on Saturday.
"For us, it's all about how we come out and play. We're a beast if we can come out and jump on a team early," Terry said.
With no Roy in the lineup, Portland has had other players step up and rally in the All-Star's absence. After battling through an early season injury-riddled stage, the Blazers are proving that they are more than a one-man show.
"They're a little different (without Roy), but they play harder," Terry said. "This is another opportunity for guys to step up in his absence...These guys are basically hired guns. They come out and shot to kill. And you never know what to expect out of them."
Still, the Blazers have dropped three straight games, and the Mavericks would love to hand them their fourth consecutive loss.
"They're a team that's going to play a precise game, not matter who they have. And you better play a precise game, both defensively and offensively, and bring the effort or they're going to be tough to play."
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) The Mavericks will be looking to combat Portland's versatile style with a more assertive effort coming from the Dallas bench. The reserves have struggled since Terry moved to the first unit, taking with him the vast majority of the scoring from the Mavericks' second-stringers. It is certainly an area of concern for Carlisle and his coaching staff.
"We've just got to make sure that whoever is in the game, we're playing with the right level of intensity and the right disposition. With JET (Terry) in the starting lineup, it's taken a little bit of our scoring away from our bench, obviously.
"But, you know, we've got Josh (Howard), J.J. (Barea), (Drew) Gooden, Roddy (Beaubois) and a bunch of other guys sitting over there that are good players. Whoever goes in the game, we need them to play the game -- when the shots are there you step into them, when they're not you move it again...We've got to have everybody playing at a high level."
The Mavericks host Portland on Saturday night, with the game will airing locally on TXA 21, TXA HD and HD NET at 8 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com Portland Trail Blazers (17-12) at Dallas Mavericks (20-8)
If the role players for the Dallas Mavericks have learned anything in the wake of Dirk Nowitzki suffering a deeply lacerated elbow injury last Friday night, it's be prepared because your number can be called at any point and time.
After Tim Thomas' 22-point effort while starting for Nowitzki in a 102-95 win over Cleveland on Sunday night, that point was reaffirmed.
"Injuries are a part of this league," point guard Jason Kidd said after the team's Tuesday morning shootaround. "More than anything, (role players) have to be professionals and ready at any time because they can be called on."
Someone else may be called on Tuesday night as the Mavericks host the Portland Trail Blazers. Dallas' depth may once again play a big role with Nowitzki's status for the game still unclear.
"(Nowitzki) is doing better but it's going to be a game-time decision," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "If there's no infection and everything checks out, it will probably be up to him. But we'll know more tonight."
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) Bottling up Roy tops Dallas' to-do list After proving that they are more than just a one-man team against Cleveland, the Southwest Division-leading Mavericks are preparing to win their second straight without their leading-scorer. Enter perhaps the perfect opponent, as the Mavericks have won the last 11 meetings with the Blazers in Dallas. The Mavs have taken 18 of the last 20 games with the team from the Northwest Division.
The key to Dallas running their winning streak against Portland at home to 12 will be stopping swingman Brandon Roy. The versatile guard is one of the upper-echelon stars in the league, though he is not as heralded.
"(Roy) is a great player, though he may not be quite up there with LeBron James or Dwyane Wade," Kidd said. "But as we've seen, he can take over a game in the fourth quarter like he did in Miami."
Roy nailed three 3-pointers in the last 4 1/2 minutes of a 102-95 road win against the Heat on Sunday. The All-Star scored 28 points on the night.
"We're going to have to have a lot of different guys ready to guard (Roy). We're going to have to have our team defense geared towards containing him, because one guy can't do it -- you just simply can't. He's a perennial All-Star player, he's a perennial All-NBA guy and he's a great guy in crunch time."
Portland has been decimated by injuries, mainly to the former No. 1 overall draft pick, the 7-foot Greg Oden, and to Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillian.
McMillian had surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon in his right foot after participating in practice to give his injury-plagued team 10 men for five-on-five scrimmages.
The Blazers will be without Oden (fractured patella) for the remainder of the season and without reserve Nicolas Batum (shoulder) for most of the year.
"If you look at their situation, they were so banged up that the coach had to practice, and then he went down," Carlisle said.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) LaMarcus Aldridge is a versatile big man "(The Oden injury) takes a dominate, athletic center out of the equation. But they make up for it with (Joel Przybilla), who is one of the best defensive centers in the league. And then they can slide (LaMarcus Aldridge) up to the five, which causes matchup problems. Aldridge is going to be an All-Star in this league, we all know that."
Dallas will try to keep Aldridge and the Roy-led Blazers under wraps in the third game of the Mavs' four-game home stand. It is the first meeting between the two squads this season. The game will air locally on TXA 21, TXA HD and HD NET at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.
Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com Mavericks Practice Report (12/21/09)
The Dallas Mavericks have a message to the rest of the NBA: Sunday night was no fluke.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) With leading-scorer Dirk Nowitzki sidelined due to a deeply lacerated right elbow, the veteran Mavericks didn't miss a beat as they used a complete team effort to defeat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-95 on the American Airlines Center floor. As six Mavs scored in double figures, led by forward Tim Thomas' 22 points after being inserted into the starting lineup in place of Nowitzki, the Mavericks proved to the rest of the league that Dallas is not a one-man team.
A strong effort on defense in the fourth quarter, holding James to just two of his 25 points in the final period, coupled with balanced scoring lifted Dallas to the win. Now, with Nowitzki's status still unknown for Dallas' game on Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Mavericks are preparing for an encore performance against Brandon Roy and company.
"It was a good win for us," center Erick Dampier said after the team's Monday practice. "It just shows that even though our best player is out of the lineup, we still have guys that can step up and give us quality minutes and give us the scoring we need."
"It was a team effort last night. We went out there and got the job done defensively, got rebounds and got stops. We were able to put the ball in the basket and we played good last night."
The Mavericks have talked about their depth since Training Camp, but Sunday it was truly on display. Though Mavs coach Rick Carlisle decided to play just an eight-man rotation against the Cavaliers, he certainly got his full use out of all of his players in the win.
With guys available at the coach's disposal nightly that have played in big games, balancing playing time for a team this deep is a nice problem to have, according to Carlisle.
"That's why we put the team together the way that we did, because we felt we had to have a lot of depth and a lot of protection because you go through injuries," Carlisle said. "You have to have other guys ready to step up."
"All of our guys played well. Some nights it will be eight, some nights it will be nine or 10, but whoever is on the floor has got to give us great effort and they have to bring to the table what they do -- if it's a shooter, or driver or whatever. But everyone on the floor has got to give us defense."
Dallas certainly received a strong effort defensively from their full compliment of players against James and the Cavs. A defensive disposition is one that Carlisle feels his team can not lose, especially with Roy, one of the league's most dangerous scorers, coming in town.
"The improvements in our team this year has been more about better things we're doing at the defensive end, and we have to stick with that," Carlisle said. "Shot-making can come and go, but your defense can hold you in games and give you a chance to win if you're not making it."
The Mavericks admit that Roy presents different challenges than James, though he may not equal the reigning MVP in talent. But after limiting James' scoring opportunities down the stretch to claim then win, Dallas is fairly confident that they can contain the league's ninth-leading scorer.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) "They're both great players, LeBron James and Roy," Carlisle said. "We're going to have to have a lot of different guys ready to guard him. We're going to have to have our team defense geared towards containing him, because one guy can't do it -- you just simply can't. He's a perennial All-Star player, he's a perennial All-NBA guy and he's a great guy in crunch time."
"Brandon Roy is not LeBron James, so we'll approach him differently. He's the best player on their team, so he's going to take shots. He's not really a post-up guy. We just have to give him different looks, blitz him on picks, make him find other guys and make them be play-makers. He's the best player on their team, we just have to find a way to get him under control," Dampier said.
Dallas will try to keep Roy under control when the Blazers head into Dallas for the third game of the Mavs' four-game home stand. Though he is still listed as questionable, the Mavericks could have Nowitzki back in action as soon as Tuesday night. That game will air locally on TXA 21, TXA HD and HD NET at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.
Miller's performance was the third-best by any scorer against the Mavericks in franchise history, and his 22 made field goals is an American Airlines Center record.
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