Mavericks-Kings Recap

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dirk, Kidd do it again
Dallas Mavericks 126 at Sacramento Kings 108

There are no more superlatives left to describe Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd. Saturday night, the two future Hall of Famers added to both of their legacies, letting their play speak for itself.

Just 24 hours after claiming the Southwest Division title for the third time in franchise history, the Dallas Mavericks galloped into Arco Arena for a joust with the Sacramento Kings. Coming off of a much-needed 83-77 win in Portland, where the Mavericks avoided a season sweep by the Trail Blazers, the squad from Big D tried to complete the last back-to-back of the season by concluding a 4-0 season series against the Kings. Dallas also sought its third consecutive win overall, while looking to take the second contest of a three-game West Coast road trip. A 126-108 blowout win accomplished all of the above.

"Different kind of game, different kind of team," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said when comparing the last two matchups. "It is the same kind of formula for success -- tough, hard-nosed defense, rebounding and being efficient on offense. It is a solid win for us. We need them all."

Having two superstars doesn't hurt, coach. Nowitzki followed up a 40-point night in Portland with 39 more, coupling with Kidd's 105th career triple-double to power the Mavericks to the rout.

"(The Mavericks are) a team that's playing their best basketball at the most important time of the year," Kings coach Paul Westphal said after watching the Dallas up close and personal. "They steamrolled us tonight, after they got Portland last night. We did hold Dirk to 39 -- he had 40 last night.

"It's beautiful to watch (Kidd) play. He fills up the stat sheet but he doesn't play for stats. He just plays for making the right play every time, and he gets them in the right situations... It's going to be an interesting playoff run. I think the Mavericks are poised to really do some damage."

And they certainly did a great amount of damage Saturday night.

Playing their third straight game without forward Shawn Marion (left oblique strain), the Mavs once again looked for someone to step forward to make up for No. 0's output. In the opening quarter, that someone was Kidd. After a 1-for-8 shooting night against the Blazers, Kidd aggressively looked for his own shot early.

"(Kidd) came out with such great urgency to begin the game. He came out and 'bang, bang,' hit two jump shots to start the game, and that set the tone for us," Carlisle said.

Meanwhile, Nowitzki picked up right where he left off against Portland. On the defensive end, inserted starter DeShawn Stevenson did his best to keep rookie sensation Tyreke Evans out of the lane. But it was an Eduardo Najera 3-pointer that gave the Mavs a double-digit advantage. The Dallas lead reached as much as 17 in the quarter, eventually going in front 35-24 at the end of one.

The Mavs connected on 12 of 20 shots in the quarter, compared to the Kings' 9-for-19 from the floor.

"I think we set the tone early on," Nowitzki said. "Kidd was pushing the ball for us. We were getting some stops and got an early lead. We carried it on through there."

Sacramento climbed back into the game with long-range shooting early in the second quarter. To the Mavs' misfortune, big man Brendan Haywood headed to the locker room after turning his right ankle. But the 7-footer returned to the bench in time to watch his team extend the lead with an active defense and timely scoring from Nowitzki. A 12-2 Dallas run and Caron Butler's assertiveness put the Mavs ahead by 18, before the Kings closed to within 65-53 entering the halftime intermission.

Behind Nowitzki's 15 first-half points, the Mavs out-shot the Kings 55 percent to 50 percent at the midway point. Carl Landry led Sacramento with his 14-point half. The Kings' 22-14 rebounding edge kept the home team in the game.

Coming out of the break, the Mavericks tried to make quick work off the Kings in the third quarter. Nowitzki did his best to make that happen, scoring on an array of shots early in the period to build up a 21-point lead. But a 10-1 Kings run keep Sacramento's heartbeat ticking.

"They made a couple runs and a few pushes at us, but we made some timely shots when we needed them and got some stops," Nowitzki explained.

Kidd quieted the comeback attempt, ending a stretch of seven straight Dallas misses with a three, before Jason Terry followed that up with a bomb of his own from behind the arch. That's when Nowitzki once again took over, scoring 13 straight Dallas points to end the quarter and lifting the Mavs to a 100-79 lead entering the final stanza.

"I was just being aggressive," Nowitzki said of the sequence. "If I'm open, shoot the ball or put it on the floor and get to the foul line. That always helps."

With Nowitzki resting on the bench, the story turned to Kidd in the fourth. The pass-first floor general not only pulled down his 10th rebound of the night at the 11:03-mark to collect his second triple-double of the season, he also found Terry in the corner for his 13th assist. The 10-time All-Star and his 11 points then headed to the bench for the night just a minute later, after being assessed a technical for kicking the ball.

"Kidd had a triple-double, which was phenomenal, in 31 minutes," Carlisle said.

Terry then took over the scoring, matching Omri Casspi basket for basket after the Kings cut into a 25-point deficit. Before exiting the game as well, Nowitzki added a couple more points at the foul line. With the game well in hand, the Dallas reserves finished off the Mavs' NBA-best tying 26th road win in the 80th game of the season.

Dallas finished the game out-shooting Sacramento 53 percent to 47 percent. The Mavs also connected on 13-of-21 from deep, overcoming the Kings' 41-36 rebounding advantage and 48-32 edge in points in the paint.

Nowitzki fell just short of the 40-point plateau, though he did nail 12 of 20 shots, 13-for-13 at the foul line and 2-of-2 from three-point range.

"If he's open, there is a good chance he is going to make the shot. He is that kind of a scorer and that kind of big shooter," Carlisle said.

Off the bench, Terry added 25 points on 8-for-14 from the floor. In addition to Kidd's output, Butler (15) and J.J. Barea (10) made it five Maverick scorers in double figures.

"We have a lot of guys that can score...If our guys are shooting the ball the way we were tonight, it makes everything a lot easier. It was definitely a good game," Nowitzki said.

Landry finished with a team-high 30 points, while Evans added 27.

Now, after the win and Denver's loss to San Antonio, the Mavericks have a full game lead in the race for the Western Conference's No. 2 seed in the playoff tree.

"It was definitely a good outing for us. Now we are going to try and get the second seed if we can," Nowitzki concluded.

"Each game has critical meaning in terms of the seeding. Our guys are focused in on what we need to do," Carlisle added.

The Mavericks conclude their road trip against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center on Monday night. Dallas can also sweep that season series, after winning the first two games against the Clippers. That game will air locally on KTXA and KTXA HD and nationally on NBA TV at 9:30 p.m. CT.

The team returns to the American Airlines Center for the final regular season game against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night. Tickets 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 www.twitter.com/EarlKSneed.

Mavericks-Kings Preview

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Mavs try to sweep the Kings off their throne
Dallas Mavericks (52-27) at Sacramento Kings (25-54)

Clinching only the third Southwest Division crown in Dallas Mavericks franchise history was nice, but the team believes it has more on deck.

After the Mavericks escaped Portland with an 83-77 win on Friday night, coupled with San Antonio's loss to Memphis, Dallas once again seized the division title. Now it's time to turn their attention towards a possible No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoff picture.

Entering Saturday, the Mavs sit in the two hole, but the team is in a virtual dead heat with Denver for the spot. Fortunately for the Mavericks, they don't expect to give ground as they head into Sacramento to play a Kings squad that they've beaten three times this season.

"We'd love to finish second and have home-court (advantage in the playoffs) as long as we can," forward Dirk Nowitzki said.

Nowitzki certainly did his part Friday night, scoring 40 points and snatching down 10 rebounds for his 19th double-double of the season. The 7-footer connected on 11 of 24 shots, also swishing 17-of-17 from the free throw line. Just another day's work for the nine-time All-Star.

"Dirk's our guy," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of Nowitzki. "We play through him. He's going to make good things happen for us."

And good things certainly did happen. Not only did the Mavericks clinch the division, they also avoided a season sweep by the Blazers. In a game that resembled a playoff battle, the Mavericks served notice that they can match any team's intensity and physicality.

"It was a tough, physical game," Nowitzki said. "Both teams didn't give up a lot...The last time we played (in Portland), they were just way more physical and they were way more ready. They were more physical, they got every loose ball and we talked about that -- about how we had to be ready from the jump. And I think we did a better job staying with them and playing a more physical game. It was great."

"You play a game in the 70s, and you're looking at a playoff-type game. I love the way we battled. I love the way both teams battled. We really wanted this game (Friday night) and you can tell," Carlisle added.

Now the Mavericks look for that intensity to carry over in the second half of the team's final back-to-back of the regular season. But this time, the roles are reversed. The Kings are the ones trying to avoid a sweep.

While Nowitzki is the answer offensively, on the defensive end the Mavericks know that if they are to move to 4-0 against Sacramento it will be because they shut down rookie standout Tyreke Evans. The 6-foot-6 point guard is undoubtedly the hands-down favorite to win this season's Rookie of the Year Award. His 20.1 points per game season scoring average and 5.8 assists have been elevated against Dallas, averaging 21.0 points, 7.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds against the Mavericks, albeit in three losses.

"It's just going to be a matter of time, if (Evans) can get some minutes under his belt, until he's an elite player in this league," Jason Kidd said of his point guard counterpart.

"(Evans) is a terrific young player. He does a little bit of everything. We're going to have to have a lot of guys coming at him, and we're going to have to be ready to double-team him if we need to," Carlisle said is the strategy to stop the first-year sensation.

In all likelihood, the Mavericks will be without forward Shawn Marion, who has missed the last two games with a strained left oblique muscle. But the Mavs have won 21 of 26 meetings between the teams, including the last five matchups. Those are the type of stats to beware of, according to sixth man Jason Terry.

"They're scrappy. They're a scrappy bunch, and if you don't come out ready to play, it's going to be a grind-it-out game," Terry concluded.

Dallas will be looking for the sweep and their third consecutive win overall, as the squad heads into Arco Arena. The Mavericks-Kings matchup will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 9 p.m. CT.

NOTE: The Mavericks conclude their three-game road trip against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center on Monday night. Dallas can also sweep that season series, after winning the first two games against the Clippers. That game will air locally on KTXA and KTXA HD and nationally on NBA TV at 9:30 p.m. CT.

The team returns to the American Airlines Center for the final regular season game against the San Antonio Spurs on April 14. Tickets 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 www.twitter.com/EarlKSneed.

Kings-Mavericks Preview

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Sacramento Kings (21-40) at Dallas Mavericks (41-21)

Life without Jason Terry officially begins for the Dallas Mavericks.

(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

The reigning Sixth Man of the Year suffered facial injuries from an incidental elbow in the Mavericks' 112-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. As a result, Terry underwent a surgery Friday afternoon to repair any damage sustained from the incident. It is unclear when he'll return to the court, but it is clear that the Mavericks will have to move ahead without the versatile guard. Riding a nine-game winning streak, Friday night the Mavs welcome in a Sacramento Kings squad that Dallas has already beaten twice.

But without Terry's 17.0 points, 3.8 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game, the Mavericks are missing a big part of their team. While the sharpshooter has been a star in a sixth man role, Mavs Rick Carlisle thinks of him as a first-stringer.

"(Terry) is really a starter. What we've lost is our sixth starter. We'll look at it that way," Carlisle said.

As Terry battles his way back for the Mavs' stretch run, Carlisle will be looking for a committee of players to step in and fill No. 31's output. The list starts with rookie Rodrigue Beaubois, J.J. Barea and DeShawn Stevenson.

"There's a lot of guys that can fill that position...Stevenson is certainly going to play some there, Beaubois can play some there and J.J. can play some at that spot," the coach added. "The different guys that we have available all bring something a little different. Stevenson's a tough, physical defender who plays well in our system. Beaubois can bring us some athleticism and quickness. Barea brings some play-making. All those guys are going to be certainly involved in the thought process, and a lot of them will be playing quickly."

"We're going to miss a great player in JET (Terry)," Barea said. "He'll be back soon, he's a fighter. We can't wait to have him back -- a great off the bench player. He's one of the main guys on this team, so we've got a bunch of guys that's got to step up and play for him."

Still, it is important that the Dallas reserves not try to individually fill Terry's shoes.

"It's had to say that we need one guy off the bench to give us 20 a game. That's hard to do...That collective group is going to have to fill the void with JET out," Carlisle said.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
But while the Mavericks attempt to fill the void, the upset-minded Kings squad come in looking for retribution. Led by Rookie of the Year frontrunner Tyreke Evans, the Kings will be out to end the Mavs' streak dead in its tracks. Stopping Evans is priority No. 1 for the Mavs.

"(Evans) is a terrific young player. He does a little bit of everything. We're going to have to have a lot of guys coming at him, and we're going to have to be ready to double-team him if we need to," Carlisle concluded.

Fortunately for the Mavericks, while Terry will be out, point Jason Kidd will be back on the hardwood after sitting out a game to rest. The 36-year-old has been on a tare since making his 10th All-Star appearance.

"I think it was a great thing for me (to rest). The unfortunate thing was JET getting hit in the face, but that happens. But it was good watching from a different seat," Kidd said.

Now, with the Mavericks' 10th straight win in sight, Kidd and the Mavs look to remain hot while pedaling towards a postseason push. Kidd says the absence of Terry could be a blessing in disguise.

"It's something that we look forward to getting some guys some minutes, and look at it like JET gets some rest because he's been logging a lot of minutes, too," Kidd explained. "It's a two-way street, it gets the other guys an opportunity and it also gives JET a time to catch his breath and be ready to go once the playoffs start."

The Mavs try to run their winning streak to double digits, hosting the Kings on Friday night. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets 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.

Mavericks-Kings Preview

(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks (22-10) at Sacramento Kings (14-18)

The calender marks a new day for the Dallas Mavericks, after 2009 came to a screeching end New Year's Eve night in Houston.

After winning back-to-back games, the Mavericks ended the '09 portion of their regular season with a heart-breaking 97-94 road loss to the division rival Rockets. Falling behind by double-digits early against Houston, a late comeback attempt from the Mavs ran out of gas during the stretch run on the last day of the year.

"We just couldn't come up with enough plays down the stretch. We had a couple of good looks…We had our chances down the stretch, but just didn't have enough to get over the hump," forward Dirk Nowitzki said of the loss.

Now the Mavericks begin the new year by heading to the sunny West Coast for a back-to-back with two Pacific Division challengers, leading the season series 1-0 against both teams. It is the conclusion of four consecutive road games.

Dallas is not looking ahead to Sunday's matchup with the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, knowing that they first have a formidable foe standing in their way in the Sacramento Kings. The Mavs squeaked out a 104-102 home win against the Kings on Nov. 20, needing a total team effort to hold off a furious charge in the final minute. Playing without center Erick Dampier (illness) and swingmen Josh Howard (surgically-repaired left ankle) and Shawn Marion (left ankle), the Mavericks' bench played a big role in Dallas getting the victory on that November night, as the Dallas reserves outscored their Sacramento counterparts 52-14 in bench scoring.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Mavericks also saw plenty of rookie sensation Tyreke Evans, as the former Memphis standout finished with a game-high 29 points, albeit in a loss. Evans and the Kings are certainly on the Mavericks' radar in the second meeting between the two teams.

"They have a great rookie point guard," sixth man Jason Terry said. "They're a scrappy bunch, and if you don't come out ready to play, it's going to be a grind-it-out game."

"All the games are hard, we know that," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "There are no breaks in the West. Even the teams with lesser records, they're all improving. They all play with a lot of energy and they're all very good on their home court."

The Kings will come in especially hunger after coming just short of a road victory in L.A. on New Year's Day, that was before Kobe Bryant's buzzer-beating three swished through the bottom of the net to give the Lakers a 109-108 win. Evans was out of the lineup in the loss to the Lakers, sidelined with a right ankle injury, but the combo guard says he will be ready to play with the Mavericks in town. Also well aware of what Bryant and the Lakers are capable of, the Mavericks know that they must claim momentum with a win over the Kings before entering the Staples Center for a second time.

"We want to build momentum. That's the idea. And we want to make sure we don't have letdowns," Carlisle said.

The Mavericks open up the new year by traveling to Sacramento to battled the Kings on Saturday night, with the game airing locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 9:00 p.m. CT.

Sunday night the Mavericks head into Los Angeles to play the Lakers for the second time this season, as that matchup will air on KTXA and KTXA HD at 8:30 p.m. CT. Dallas defeated the defending champion Lakers 94-80 at the Staples Center on Oct. 30 in the only meeting between the two teams.

Dallas returns to the American Airlines Center on Jan. 5 to host the Detroit Pistons. That game will air 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 Practice Report

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Mavs Practice Report (11/19/09)

After back-to-back 53-minute games, the Dallas Mavericks got off their feet Thursday, using the day as a film and treatment day before their upcoming matchup against one of the NBA's rising stars.

The Mavericks are on a four-game winning streak, but Dallas has needed two straight wins in overtime to run that streak to four, giving the veteran team plenty of reason to need a day of rest.

"We're looking to play 48 minutes of solid basketball," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "That's what Mavericks' basketball is -- it's 48 minutes long, and some nights it's 53 minutes long. Whatever gets you from start to finish and gives you the chance to win is what we're looking for."



Despite their 9-3 record and first place in the Southwest Division standings, the Mavericks are not convinced that they have played a full 48 minutes in any game thus far. So for now, the Mavericks are less focused on their spot in the standings and more focused on improving as a team.

"You definitely want to get out ahead of the curve rather than trying to play catch-up," sixth man Jason Terry said. "Our emphasis this year has been on getting off to a good start and primarily we've done that. But we're still not out off the first month yet so we'll hold off on any assumptions right now."

"In terms of keeping our eye on the ball, it's got to be about getting better. This is no time for complacency or feeling like we have anything solved because we really don't. We have a long ways to go," Carlisle said.

One reason for Carlisle's focused demeanor is the team's poor shooting early this season. Coupled with their ever-changing health situation, Dallas has plenty to be alarmed about, despite the winning record.

Yet Carlisle isn't stressed, just focused on improving.

"Stress is a relative term," Carlisle said. "I think you always have to be very honest in evaluating your team and how you're playing, whether you're winning or losing."

"Something we have to start working at is putting teams away and not having all of these close games with teams," forward Drew Gooden said. "Yeah, our record is nice but a lot of our games have been nail-bitters. It's building a lot of nervous energy out there on the bench and probably some more grey hairs for Coach."

(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
Mavs are preparing to defend rookie star Tyreke Evans


Carlisle is hoping Gooden's prediction rings true, especially with the Sacramento Kings and rookie sensation Tyreke Evans coming into the American Airlines Center on Friday night. Evans has caused many opposing coaches to grow new grey hairs with his scoring and play-making in his first year. The rookie ranks second in scoring (17.1 ppg) and third in assists (4.3 apg) for first-year pros.

"He's (Evans) a very solid player," Carlisle said. "He's very athletic. He's got unusual strength for a young player, so I think using size (a larger player guarding Evans) when we can do that is going to be something we'll want to do, but again he's one of those guys that you're going to end up throwing a lot of different guys at before the night's over."

"He can just do so many different things. He can shoot it, he can drive it, he can make plays, he can post up. He's just a very good all-around young player."

The Mavericks will try to slow Evans down, first and foremost, in hopes that that brings the Sacramento attack to a halt.

Meanwhile, Carlisle is hoping that Dallas can break out of their shooting slump. The Mavs shot just 40 percent in their 99-94 overtime win over the Spurs on Wednesday night. It is trend that can't continue if Dallas is going to eventually contend for an NBA title.

"I just don't want to get caught up in how things have gone the last couple of games and not look ahead and put our efforts into getting better, because we can. We have to get healthier and better, and we have a long way to get where we really want to be," Carlisle said.

The Mavs host the Kings on Friday night, with the game airing locally on FSN 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.