Pistons-Mavericks Recap

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Detroit Pistons 93 at Dallas Mavericks 98

There is no better refuge for an NBA team than the basketball court after a disappointing loss.

Tuesday night, the Dallas Mavericks returned to their haven to match up with the Detroit Pistons just two days after a 35-point defeat suffered at the hands of the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavericks faced a Pistons squad that was reeling on a nine-game losing streak, as Dallas tried to win the season series after snatching a 95-90 win in Detroit on Nov. 15. Though the first half wasn't pretty, behind sixth man Jason Terry and a strong second half effort, the Mavericks got back on track with a 98-93 win on the American Airlines Center floor.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

"We definitely didn't get off to a good start but at home, here in the new year, we wanted to make sure we got the win," Terry said. "Whatever it takes to get it done, that is what we did tonight. In the second half we stepped up and played great Maverick basketball."

The Mavericks outscored the Pistons 62-49 in the second half to move to 12-5 at home this season.

"Twenty-four good minutes and 24 lousy minutes," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said when breaking down the win. "Maybe 15, I don't know. We played some good stretches in the first half. But you've got to put two halves together to get where we want to be, to get where we want to go. That's the priority right now."

With the game against Detroit sandwiched in between the lost to L.A. and Friday's game against the division rival San Antonio Spurs, the Southwest Division-leading Mavericks know that though Tuesday was a win, they will have to play a full 48 minutes in their tests ahead.

"Frankly, we haven't played at the level we need to play at in terms of energy, disposition, all those things," Carlisle said. "We've got a couple days to try to get it resolved. We have a tough game at San Antonio. That's kind of where we are.

"If we play that way in the second half, we can probably play that way in the first half, too. I thought the second half was great."

For the second straight game the Mavericks were without their big man in the middle of the lineup, as center Erick Dampier sat once again with a left knee effusion. Stepping in to provide the rebounding and gritty play in the paint would be Drew Gooden.

"We've got a group of good players. It shouldn't matter who starts. We should have enough to win our share of games. Who starts isn't the biggest issue for us. The biggest issue is consistent, hard play. That's where we have to pick it up," the coach said.

The Pistons where playing without combo guard Will Bynum (ankle), who scored 27 points in the November meeting between the two teams. Without a key contributor on the floor for both teams, the play in the opening quarter was sporadic to say the least. With the Mavericks missing on a stretch of seven straight field goal attempts, while Pistons forward Chris Wilcox finished above the rim early and often, the Mavericks found themselves trailing by as much as nine before ending the period down 22-14. Both teams struggled with their shooting in the first, as Detroit's 8-for-21 from the field was just better than Dallas' 6-of-21.

"Early on we were missing bunnies at the basket...What can you do about that but continue to play hard and continue to get stops," Terry said.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

With Charlie Villanueva catching fire from deep early in the second quarter, the Pistons' lead grew to double digits. Meanwhile, Terry did his best to keep the Mavs close. Despite his best efforts, Terry and the Mavs entered the halftime break down 44-36.

"JET (Terry) really carried us offensively all night long," forward Dirk Nowitzki said. "He came in with the energy off the bench. He kept making shots and kept making big plays for us. That was great."

With Villanueva and Tayshuan Prince each scoring 12 first half points, the Pistons connected on 42 percent of their shots and 4-of-7 from behind the 3-point arch. Terry's 11 points helped the Mavericks stay within arm's reach, though Dallas shot just 35 percent in the half.

"We can't expect our fans to get into the game just because they are here," Carlisle said of the play early in front of the home crowd. "We've got to make things happen. Our energy wasn't where it needed to be in the first half. Second half, it was a lot better."

Looking for quick scoring and a boost of energy in the second half, Carlisle inserted Terry into the lineup in J.J. Barea's place to start the third quarter.

"JET (Terry) had it going good in the first half and was really getting into the game, so we decided to start him (in the second half)," Carlisle said.

The combo guard was the spark plug for a Mavericks' comeback attempt, but Terry's fiery play earned him a technical foul for arguing a missed call at the 9:23-mark of the third. With Terry joining Jason Kidd to quicken the tempo, Nowitzki and Shawn Marion took over the scoring duties as Dallas surged ahead briefly before entering the fourth knotted at 68-all. Nowitzki, Marion and Terry combined to score 30 points as the Mavericks outscored the Pistons 32-24 in the third.

"The third quarter came and we pushed the tempo and that is the way we like to play," Terry said. "We like to free will and not so much set it up in the half court, we like to get out and run."

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Terry's assault on Detroit continued at the onset of the fourth, but the Pistons countered with an attacking Rodney Stuckey. That's when Kidd began to put his stamp on the game with his timely play-making, including his no-look bounce pass to Gooden to put Dallas up 85-78 with 5:30 remaining. The veteran lead guard then got Josh Howard into the act, as No. 5's 3-pointer put the Mavericks in charge with a 90-82 advantage with 3:43 showing on the game clock. But after Stuckey and Ben Gordon brought Detroit back to within one in the final minute with a 7-0 run, the Mavs turned to Nowitzki, and the team's leading-scorer kept the Pistons at bay with a pair of free throws with just 10.4 ticks left.

The Mavs then got a bit of luck, as a scrambling defense left Stuckey open for a game-tying 3-point attempt, which the guard missed.

"We got very lucky...Miscommunication and a guy gets a wide-open shot to tie the game," Carlisle said of the play. "That was dodging a bullet. I'm not exactly sure what happened...but sometimes you have to be lucky to win.

"The second half, we played hard enough to where the basketball Gods might give us that kind of a break, but it doesn't happen very often."

Marion grabbed the defensive rebound and, after a subsequent foul, calmly nailed a pair at the charity stripe with 6.5 seconds remaining. Stuckey's second long range miss in the final seconds found its way into Nowitzki's hands and the star dribbled the clock out.

Led by Terry's game-high 26 points and Nowitzki's 22-point, 12-rebound night, the Mavericks captured their 24th win of the season. Marion pitched in 18 points, while Howard added 12 points.

But it was Gooden that had his teammates and coaching staff raving, battling through a 4-for-16 shooting night in Dampier's stead to record 10 points and a season-high 18 rebounds. Though many of which came off of his own misses, the former Kansas standout grabbed a career-best nine offensive rebounds in the win.

"It is amazing what Drew Gooden can do for us and he is a valuable asset," Terry said of his teammate. Especially, without Erick Dampier out there, he is our only big man on the roster, so he has a tough task."

Richard Hamilton led five Pistons in double figures with 20 points, as Detroit finished the night shooting just under 48 percent. Dallas' 47-41 rebounding edge and 19-11 advantage in fast break points helped the Mavericks mask a 44 percent shooting night.


Now the Mavericks prepare to head to face the Spurs in San Antonio in the third of four meetings. The season series is tied 1-1, with each team winning on their home floor, including Dallas' 99-94 win on Nov. 18. The Mavericks-Spurs matchup will air locally on KTXA and KTXA HD on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. CT.

Dallas returns to the American Airlines Center on the second night of a back-to-back Saturday, hosting the Utah Jazz, with the game airing locally on Fox Sports Southwest 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.

Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.

Pistons-Mavericks Preview

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Detroit Pistons (11-21) at Dallas Mavericks (23-11)

The true testament of how successful a team will be is how well they respond to defeat and adversity.

Not making any excuses for the way they played against the Los Angeles Lakers in a 131-96 blowout defeat on the road, the Southwest Division-leading Dallas Mavericks don't intend to hang their heads. Instead the Mavericks can't wait to hit their home court for the first time in 2010 on Tuesday night to do battle with the Detroit Pistons, a team riding a nine-game losing streak.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

"Once we got on that plan ride, it was such a long flight," sixth man Jason Terry said of the team's trip back after losing in L.A. "We're back at home now, it's a new year and hopefully we can get things off to a good note with a win against Detroit tonight.

"No excuse, no excuse...Whether you lose by forty or one, it's still a loss. Tonight's another opportunity for us to get a win. We want to get off to a great start in the new year, so that's how we're approaching things."

What failed the Mavs against L.A. was the balanced team basketball display that has been featured throughout the season. As Dallas found out in a 95-90 win in Detroit on Nov. 15, the Mavericks will be playing against a Pistons team that runs several isolation plays. The Mavericks will due their best to keep from falling into the loll of mano-a-mano play and focus on a more team-oriented effort.

"They're a movement, pin-down team and some of their possessions end up in one-on-one situations," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of the Pistons squad. "We're not a one-on-one team. We're a movement, pick-and-roll, post-up, fast-break team and if we get into that kind of stuff it's not our game.

"We've got to remember the things that made us an effective team to this point, and that is attention to detail at the defensive end and offensively getting it out and running -- then making sure we have multiple guys touching the ball."

If the Mavericks can return to the balanced play that was so successful before the Lakers loss, then they believe it will lead to improved play at the American Airlines Center. Despite their 11-5 home record, the Mavs admittedly have yet to showcase consistent dominance on their home hardwood. That is is something that must change, the coach said, with four of their next five games at home starting with Tuesday night.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

"Anytime is a good time when you're at home. We've played well at times at home but we want to be more consistent and we can. It comes down to the same things I've been repeating over and over and over again -- defense, rebounding and ball movement. Those are the key things and making sure that we're dialed in for 48 minutes," Carlisle said.

"We just need that extra energy here," forward Shawn Marion said of what it will take for better play at home. "We just have to regroup at home tonight and get this thing going."

Dallas returns to the American Airlines Center on Tuesday night to host the Pistons, with the game airing locally on Fox Sports Southwest 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.

Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.

Mavericks-Pistons Recap

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks 95 at Detroit Pistons 90

Since making a Draft Day trade to bring in rookie Rodrigue Beaubois, the Dallas Mavericks and Mavs coach Rick Carlisle have seen something special in the Guadeloupe native.

Getting his second straight start, the first-year pro stepped in once again for Josh Howard (out indefinitely as he rehabs his surgically-repaired left ankle) at the starting shooting guard spot. If Carlisle was impressed with Beaubois before, the coach was wowed by his rookie's performance Sunday evening against the Detroit Pistons. Behind a career-high scoring night from Beaubois, a double-double from a surprise starter at center and a big fourth quarter from Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas exited the Palace of Auburn Hills with a 95-90 victory.

(Photo by Allen Einstein/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
Beaubois' career night powers Mavs to 95-90 win


"Detroit is a persistent team and extremely well-coached," Carlisle said. "We knew that they were going to battle hard and so did we. Both teams had struggles at times and we were just fortunate to get a spurt and enough of a cushion in the fourth quarter to get out of here alive. We will take it."

Sunday night the rookie got the start next to Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Nowitzki and Drew Gooden, as center Erick Dampier stayed in the locker room due to illness. The center later left the arena and checked in at a local hospital for precautionary reasons, accompanied by Head Athletic Trainer Casey Smith. Dampier will not travel with the team to Milwaukee, staying in Detroit for further testing though his symptoms have subsided.

"I didn’t know I was in the starting lineup until they went through the starters," Gooden said. "Coach said 'Drew you are starting,' and then I heard ‘Drew Gooden’ and I was like, ‘Oh...’ and I ran out there. I thought Dampier was still out there."

As he has in all three of his career starts, Beaubois got the Mavericks on the scoreboard, this time with a floater in the lane. The rookie's defense on sharpshooter Ben Gordon, his quick-trigger offense and his ability to finish above the rim was instrumental for Dallas in the opening quarter, as Beaubois poured in eight points (4-of-4 from the field) in the period to lift the Mavs to a 22-18 advantage after one.

After the first quarter, the objective was clear for Dallas: Push the tempo on offense and wear down Detroit's tired legs as the Pistons were playing on the second night of a back-to-back.

With Beaubois on the bench most of the second quarter the tempo slowed, as Detroit took control of the game in the halfcourt. Struggling to defense point guard Rodney Stuckey and unable to score with the game at a slower pace, Dallas found themselves outscored 28-18 in the second period, as Detroit took a 46-40 advantage into halftime.

Stuckey scored 17 first half points to lead all scorers, while Beaubois led Dallas with eight. The Mavs hit on just 15-of-41 shots (37 percent), while Detroit shot 48 percent through the first 24 minutes of play. The Pistons out-rebounded Dallas 24-18 in the half.

"The first half we played hard, but we just had some tough luck," Carlisle said. "We just needed to stay with our game plan and pick it up a little bit defensively, so that we could get our offense going a little bit and fortunately that is what happened."

The rookie got the start again in the second half and he quickly resuscitated the Maverick lineup. After falling behind by seven early in the third quarter, Beaubois moved into double figures for the first time in his young career and back-to-back scores from Marion brought Dallas back to tie the game at 49-all at the 8:26-mark. Marion then found Kidd in transition to give Dallas a brief lead.

Beaubois' offensive game began to develop before the Mavericks' very eyes, after his stop-and-pop 3-pointer late in the shot clock gave Dallas a 54-53 lead before running the two-man game with Nowitzki. After Beaubois exited the game, Nowitzki took over the scoring load until back-to-back dunks from Marion and Kris Humphries powered Dallas to a 71-66 lead after three. The Mavs outscored the Pistons 31-20 in the quarter.

The fourth quarter began with Marion, Humphries and J.J. Barea quickly lifting Dallas to a 78-70 advantage. Detroit came charging back behind an 8-0 run off the dribble-penetration from their three-guard lineup of Stuckey, Gordon and Will Bynum. The Mavs then turned to Nowitzki, whose timely three-point play with 5:45 on the game clock put Dallas back ahead.

(Photo by Allen Einstein/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
Nowitzki's second half finished off the Pistons


"Sometimes it isn't going to be how it was drawn up," Marion said. "Sometimes it is going to be a grind and this was one of those games that was a grind and it was a battle in there. Everyone was battling inside and we were going back and forth."

Then, with Stuckey limping in the backcourt, Dallas took advantage of a 5-on-4 situation by finding the open man, Jason Terry, in the corner for a 3-pointer to put the Mavs up 86-79 with 4:21 left. With Stuckey shaken up and on the sideline, Bynum became Detroit's central figure on offense, bringing the Pistons to within three before Nowitzki's fadeaway jumper over Ben Wallace with 35.3 seconds remaining found the bottom of the net to keep Detroit at a safe distance.

After Bynum once again cut the lead to three, Dallas ran the shot clock all the way down before Terry's 3-point attempt hit the front of the rim and Detroit grabbed the rebound and called a timeout with 5.7 seconds still on the clock. The Pistons went to Gordon out of the timeout, whose three bounced off the iron bringing his shooting night to 1-of-16. Terry secured the rebound and iced the game at the foul line.

"We got some big shots tonight when we needed them. We got some big stops on the defensive end and then made the shots on the offensive end to get a little of a cushion. The Pistons hit some good shots in the fourth quarter, but we were able to walk it on in at the end," Marion said.

Shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the field, Beaubois' career-high 14 points and four assists in 19 minutes paced Dallas in the first and third quarter, while Nowitzki finished the win off with his team-high 25 points (19 in the second half).

"He came in and played well for us, and we did what we needed to do to get a win tonight," Marion said of Beaubois' play.

Meanwhile Gooden, who stepped in right before tip-off, collected a double-double in his first start of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

"It was about opportunity and I had to use it with all the talent on this team and I was just happy that it was my night tonight," Gooden said.

Marion (11) and Kidd (10) were also in double figures.

Stuckey finished with a game-high 28 points and Bynum added 27 to led Detroit.

"Those guys (Stuckey and Bynum) had huge nights last night as well and you aren’t going to shoot that well every night, so we were paying a lot of attention to them, but they also missed shots that they usually make. We were fortunate tonight, but our effort was definitely worthy of a win tonight," Carlisle said.

Though the Pistons out-shot the Mavs 46 percent to 44 percent and won the rebounding edge 44-38, Dallas made Detroit pay from long range by hitting 7-of-16 from behind the 3-point arch. The Dallas defense also forced Detroit into 13 turnovers, while the Mavs committed just seven giveaways themselves.

Dallas completes its four-game road trip on the second night of a back-to-back in Milwaukee, taking on rookie standout Brandon Jennings and the Bucks with the game airing on FSN Southwest at 7:00 p.m. CT. Jennings scored 55 points in Milwaukee's 129-125 win over Golden State on Saturday night, which is the fifth best scoring output by a rookie in NBA history.

Dallas returns to the American Airlines Center on Oct. 18, when the Mavs host the San Antonio Spurs, after the Spurs handed Dallas a 92-83 road loss on Wednesday night. The game will air locally on KTXA 21 and KTXA 21 HD and nationally on ESPN at 8:30 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.

Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.

Mavericks-Pistons Preview

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks (6-3) at Detroit Pistons (5-4)

As they have needed to do so much of the last two seasons, the Dallas Mavericks proved they can win without swingman Josh Howard on the court in their 89-77 road win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Though Dallas is clearly a better team when Howard is on the court, with No. 5 out indefinitely while he returns to rehabbing his surgically-repaired left ankle, Dallas has to move on and find a way to make up for his production on the court.

With and without Howard, the Mavs have shot poorly for long stretches this season but Dallas has learned how to win when the shots aren't falling. Dallas' defensive intensity has made up for their inability to score at times, though the Mavericks will need both if they are going to win the third game of a four-game road trip against the offensively-potent Detroit Pistons.

(Photo by Tim Heitman/NBAE via Getty Images)
Defending Ben Gordon tops Dallas' priority list


The two teams met exactly one month ago in the preseason, with Dallas leaving their home floor with a 113-88 runaway win. Now Dallas enters Detroit and the game actually counts in the standings. Despite their 5-4 record, the Pistons are on a three-game win streak and figure to be a much-improved team by season's end.

"They’re still a team that’s going to compete in the East. To me, they’re certainly a playoff team," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "There are probably going to be better than a lot of people think. They’ve got a lot of weapons, and they’re going to stretch you out with a lot of ball movement, drive-and-kick and pick-and-rolls, so it’s going to be another good test for our defense."

The new-look Pistons made a great impression on Carlisle when they signed free agent forward Charlie Villanueva and guard Ben Gordon this offseason. While stopping Villanueva is one of the Mavs' top priorities, containing Gordon heads the list of concerns.

“(Ben Gordon) is a big time scorer,” Carlisle said of Detroit's high-volume scoring sixth man before their preseason matchup. “He is going to be extremely aggressive, and he’s capable of 30 and 40-point nights. That type of weapon off the bench is extremely valuable.”

The Mavs take on the Pistons on Sunday evening, with the game airing on FSN Southwest at 5:00 p.m. CT. Dallas completes its four-game road trip on the back end of a back-to-back in Milwaukee, taking on rookie standout Brandon Jennings and the Bucks with the game airing on FSN Southwest at 7:00 p.m. CT.

Dallas returns to the American Airlines Center on Oct. 18, when the Mavs host the San Antonio Spurs, after the Spurs handed Dallas a 92-83 road loss on Wednesday night. The game will air locally on KTXA 21 and KTXA 21 HD and nationally on ESPN at 8:30 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.

Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.