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[jcisco loboe'77]

February 22,Wednesday....Opponent.....Time.........Local TV.................Radio.
(21-12) Mavericks-vs-Lakers (19-13)....8:30pm CT....ESPN...KESN-FM (103.3), KFLC-AM (1270 in Spanish)
American Airlines Center, Dallas,TX.



Southwest..W-L...PCT CONF DIV HOME ROAD L 10 STREAK
Dallas------21-12 0.636 15-8 3-1 13-5 8 -7 7-3 W 1
L.A.L.-----19-13 0.594 13-6 4-3 14-2 5-11 6-4 W 1
Pacific

...SERIES...Dallas (0-1)
DATE OPPONENT RESULT W/L
1/16 Dallas 70-73..Lost
2/22 at Dallas 8:30 pm
3/21 at Dallas 8:30 pm
4/15 Dallas 12:30 pm



http://www.nba.com/g...L/gameinfo.html
lakers-Mavericks Preview.
By BRETT HUSTON.

"For a team that's sitting just outside the top four in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers certainly seem to have a lot of issues.

Their lackluster play on the road is perhaps the biggest.

Beating anyone - particularly quality opponents - away from Staples Center has been a challenge for the Lakers, who will have two prime chances to rectify that with a difficult back-to-back that begins Wednesday night against the surging Dallas Mavericks.

Los Angeles beat Dallas 73-70 at Staples last month, hardly revenge for the Mavs sweeping them out of the West semifinals but a win that seemed to have the Lakers moving in the right direction.

That was their 10th victory in 13 games, but a month later, it's unclear exactly how together the Lakers are. An unhappy Lamar Odom was shipped to Dallas before the season after a proposed three-way trade to land Chris Paul fell through, and now it appears Los Angeles (19-13) may have to do the same with the other key component of that deal.

Kobe Bryant ripped Lakers management after a 102-90 loss at Phoenix on Sunday for allowing Pau Gasol to dangle as additional trade rumors have surfaced. The team seemed to respond a night later against Portland, opening on a 37-7 run en route to a 103-92 victory.

That was followed by a brief players-only meeting to clear the air ahead of the back-to-back in Dallas (21-12) and Oklahoma City.

"I can tell when (Gasol) is down, and when enough is enough," Bryant said Monday. "He went through the first phase and kind of played through that and came out of that, and then he gets hit with another one. You can tell he's down, and it's a little hard to overcome. We've got two big games coming up ... and I don't want him thinking about it."

The win over the Trail Blazers was the Lakers' 14th in 16 games at home, but they've done little to sustain that momentum on the road. After going a conference-best 27-14 away from home last season, they're 5-11.

That includes 1-6 against teams at or above .500 - bad news considering the Mavs and Thunder are a combined 46-19.

"I think we just have to go (on the road) and play with confidence and get rest," center Andrew Bynum said. "We get rest, we're good."

The Lakers could use a big effort from Bynum, who had 17 points and 15 boards to lead Los Angeles past Dallas last month. That performance could be tougher to repeat at the American Airlines Center, where Bynum will certainly get a rough reception after being ejected from the Game 4 loss last season for clotheslining J.J. Barea.

This is the Mavericks' final game before the All-Star break, and they're heading in with momentum. Dallas has won seven of eight after beating Boston 89-73 on Monday, as Dirk Nowitzki moved into the top 20 on the all-time scoring list with a game-high 26.

The Mavs have held opponents to 85.8 points per game and 38.9 percent shooting while winning four in a row at home.

"Our identity this year is that we're a defensive team," coach Rick Carlisle told Dallas' official website. "You look at our stats and you look at our record, you look at when we've struggled and when we play well. Our defense and rebounding is defining who we are."

The loss to the Lakers is Dallas' only one in the 14 games in which it's held opponents to 90 or fewer points.

Jason Terry has averaged 24.0 points - hitting 20 of 33 3-pointers - in the Mavs' last five home games against Los Angeles. Bryant has averaged 18.2 points in that stretch, missing all 16 attempts from beyond the arc."




{C}http://www.nba.com/l.../news/notes.pdf{C}

SEASON & SERIES NOTES; CONNECTIONS
"Current Streak Los Angeles (Won 3) The Lakers currently lead their season series with the Mavericks 1-0 after taking last season’s series from Dallas 2-1. The Lakers last lost a season series to Dallas in 2006-07 (1-3), their first series loss to the Mavericks since the 1986-87 season and only the third ever (1983-84). Overall,
the Lakers are 7-3 against the Mavericks in their last 10 games. In Dallas, the Lakers have gone
4-6 in their last 10 games at American Airlines Center. The Lakers are 19-4 all-time against the
Mavericks at STAPLES Center and 8-2 in their last 10 home games overall. In their first meeting
this season, Derek Fisher connected on a game-winning three-pointer with 3.1 seconds
remaining to give the Lakers a 73-70 victory on 1/16/12 at STAPLES Center. The Lakers won in
spite of recording the franchise’s second lowest scoring quarter in the NBA’s shot clock era (7
points, third quarter) as their defense limited Dallas to their lowest scoring game in series history
(previous low was 80 points 4/6/97 in a game that included the Mavericks posting an NBA recordlow
two point quarter). In their first meeting of the 2009-10 season (10/30/09), the Lakers lost for
just the 11th time at home against the Mavericks in the regular season, ending a 6-game win
streak against Dallas as well as a 4-game home win streak against the Mavs. Also that season,
on 1/3/10 at STAPLES Center, the Lakers established a new series record for margin of victory
over Dallas, defeating the Mavericks by 35 (131-96), surpassing the old 33-point margin of victory
established 12/1/93 (124-91). In their first meeting of the 2008-09 season, Jason Kidd posted his
101st career triple-double and his fourth ever against the Lakers. In December of 2005, Kobe
Bryant established a new series record with 62 points against the Mavericks in a 112-90 victory at
STAPLES Center. In that contest, Bryant single-handedly outscored the Mavericks 62-61
through three quarters. In 2007-08, Bryant again went over the 50-point mark against the
Mavericks, scoring 52 points in the Lakers 108-104 overtime victory March 2 at STAPLES Center.
Mavericks forward Lamar Odom was traded to the Mavericks earlier this season on December
11th. In 519 games (382 starts) with the Lakers over seven seasons (2004-2011), Odom posted
career averages of 13.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists while earning the 2010-11 Sixth
Man of the Year Award and helping the Lakers to two NBA Championships. In the postseason,
the Lakers and Mavericks have met in the playoffs four times (1984 WC Semifinals (4-1), 1986
WC Semifinals (4-2), 1988 WC Finals (4-3), 2011 WC Semifinals (0-4)) with the Lakers advancing
on three occasions."


LAKER'S PROBABLE STARTERS
15
METTA WORLD PEACE
F 6-7 260
LAST GAME: Tallied 2 points and 2 rebounds in 19 minutes 2/19 @ PHX.
NOTES: Has 204 career 20+ point games, 22 30+ point games and 34 career double-doubles
… Finished among NBA top-5 in steals 5 times while leading his team in steals 10 out of 12
seasons … Totaled 11,000th point 2/11/11 @ NY and 2,000th assist 12/12/09 @ UTAH …
2004 NBA Defensive Player of the Year … All-NBA Third Team (2004) … All-Defensive First
Team (2004, 2006); Second Team (2003, 2009) … 2010 NBA Champion … 2011 J. Walter
Kennedy Citizenship Award recipient.
SEASON AVERAGES
PTS REB AST STL BLK MIN
4.7 2.6 1.7 0.73 0.30 22.6


16
PAU GASOL
F 7-0 250
LAST GAME: Posted 17 points (6-11 FG), 12 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal 2/19 @ PHX.
NOTES: Ranks among league leaders in points (29th/16.6), rebounds (7th/10.7), FG%
(27th/.496), blocks (21st/1.29) and minutes (11th/37.0) … Has posted 4 triple-doubles, 337
double-doubles, 40 30+ point games, 2 40+ point games, 6 20+ rebound games and 5 10+
assist games … 4-time NBA All-Star (2006, 2009-11) … All-NBA Second Team (2011); All-
NBA Third Team (2009, 2010) … 2008-10 European POY … 2008 Olympic silver medalist …
Back-to-Back European Championships gold medalist (2009 MVP, 2011) … 2006 FIBA World
Championships gold medalist (MVP) … Two-time NBA Champion (2009, 2010).
SEASON AVERAGES
PTS REB AST STL BLK MIN
16.6 10.7 3.1 0.52 1.29 37.0


17
ANDREW BYNUM
C 7-0 285
LAST GAME: Recorded 16 points (7-12 FG), 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 blocks 2/19 @
PHX.
NOTES: Ranks among league leaders in points (31st/16.3), rebounds (3rd/12.5), FG%
(6th/.549), blocks (6th/2.11) and minutes (36th/34.5) … Has posted 100 double-doubles, 116
10+ rebound games, 39 20+ point games and 3 20+ rebound games … At time, 7th youngest
to 1,000 points (12/21/07 @ PHI) and 8th youngest to 1,000 rebounds (11/18/08 vs. CHI) in
NBA history … Scored a career- high 42 points (17-24 FG) 1/21/09 @ LAC … Youngest Laker
ever to record a double-double (19 years, 11 days) 11/7/06 vs. MIN, passing Magic Johnson
(20 years, 75 days) … Two-time NBA Champion (2009, 2010).
SEASON AVERAGES
PTS REB AST STL BLK MIN
16.3 12.5 1.3 0.44 2.11 34.5


24
KOBE BRYANT
G 6-6 205
LAST GAME: Totaled a game-high 32 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals 2/19 @
PHX.
NOTES: Ranks among league leaders in points (1st/29.0), assists (25th/5.0), FT%
(31st/.838), steals (34th/1.26) and minutes (2nd/38.3) … Youngest player to 28,000 points in
NBA history … Scored career-high 81 points (55 in 2nd half) 1/22/06, 2nd highest game & half
totals in NBA history … 24 career 50-point games (3rd all-time: Chamberlain (118) & Jordan
(31), 111 career 40+ point games, 151 double-doubles and 17 triple-doubles … 2007-08 NBA
MVP … 2009 & 2010 NBA Finals MVP … 5th on NBA’s all-time scoring list (4th all-time on
NBA playoff scoring list) … 1st on Lakers franchise regular & postseason scoring list … 5-
time NBA Champion (2000-02, 2009-10) … 2008 Olympic gold medalist…14-time All-Star & 4-
time All Star MVP…13-time All NBA (9x 1st Team)…11-time NBA All Defense (9x 1st Team).
SEASON AVERAGES
PTS REB AST STL BLK MIN
29.0 5.9 5.0 1.26 0.32 38.3


2
DEREK FISHER
G 6-1 210
LAST GAME: Registered a rebound, an assist and a steal in 18 minutes 2/19 @ PHX.
NOTES: Has posted 10 career double-doubles, 50 20+ point games, 15 career 10+ assist
games and has pulled down 10+ rebounds once … 9,000th career point 2/23/10 at MEM …
1,000th career steal 2/18/09 @ GS … 3,000th career assist 3/11/09 @ HOU … 5-time NBA
Champion (2000-02, 2009, 2010).

LAKER'S INJURY REPORT LAKERS SEASON TRANSACTIONS
▪ Steve Blake (costochaondral fracture) is probable.


DALLAS' INJURY/PLAYER STATUS:
Rodrigue Beaubois (personal reasons) is NWT;
Delonte West (right ring finger fracture/dislocation) is out;
Sean Williams –Assigned to Texas Legends (D-League).

{C}http://www.nba.com/m.../news/notes.pdf{C}

DALLAS' PROBABLE STARTERS
2011-12 SEASON AVERAGES NOTES

#0 SHAWN MARION
F • 6-7 • 228 • UNLV
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
12.0 6.4 2.1 0.9 0.5 30.3
Last Game: 14 points (6-11 FGs, 2-2 FTs), 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 36
minutes at NY (2/19/12). Notes: Only Maverick to start all 32 games
this season … DAL is 13-2 when he scores 13+ points … 5 doubledoubles
… 3 games with 20+ points.


#41 DIRK NOWITZKI
F • 7-0 • 245 • Germany
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
19.1 6.3 2.4 0.8 0.6 32.6
Last Game: Season-high 34 points (11-20 FGs, 4-5 3FGs, 8-9 FTs),
5 rebounds, 2 steals, 38 minutes at NY (2/19/12). Notes: Needs 1
block to become the 3rd player in NBA history with 1,000+ blocks and
1,000+ 3-pointers (C. Robinson, R. Wallace).


#33 BRENDAN HAYWOOD
C • 7-0 • 263 • North Carolina
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
5.4 6.7 0.4 0.5 1.1 22.2
Last Game: 9 points (4-6 FGs, 1-3 FTs), 6 rebounds, 2 blocks in 27
minutes at NY (2/19/12). Notes: Recorded his 500th career start vs.
IND (2/3/12) … 1 double-double … 4 games with 10+ points (3-1
record) … 6 games with 10+ rebounds (5-1 record).


#25 VINCE CARTER
G • 6-6 • 220 • North Carolina
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
10.9 3.2 2.6 1.1 0.4 24.1
Last Game: 9 points (3-9 FGs, 2-4 3FGs, 1-1 FTs), 3 rebounds, 2
assists, 2 steals, 26 minutes at NY (2/19/12). Notes: Ranks 7th in the
NBA in 3FG% (.457) … DAL is 14-2 when he scores 10+ points and
6-0 when he scores 15+ points.


#2 JASON KIDD
G • 6-4 • 210 • California
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
5.0 4.8 5.4 1.7 0.2 28.3
Last Game: 8 points (3-9 FGs, 2-8 3FGs), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3
steals, 28 minutes at NY (2/19/12). Notes: Had 3 steals at NY
(2/19/12) and is now tied with Michael Jordan (2,514) for 2nd place on
the NBA’s all-time steals list … 3 games with 10+ assists.


SERIES NOTES: "The Lakers have won 11 of the last 14 regular-season meetings with the Mavericks, including the most recent three...In the first meeting between the two clubs in 2011-12 (on 1/16/12), Derek Fisher hit a 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds remaining to give the Lakers a 73-70 win…It was the Lakers’ only 3-pointer on the night (Los Angeles went 1-of-10 from beyond the arc in the game)…Dallas held Los Angeles to just seven points in the third quarter, marking a franchise opponent low for points in a period (was eight)…Dirk Nowitzki (21) and Lamar Odom (10) were the only Mavericks in double figures…The Mavericks are 6-4 in their last 10 meetings with the Lakers at home…The Lakers defeated Dallas 96-91 in their most recent trip to American Airlines Center on 3/12/11…The Mavericks have struggled mightily on the road against the Lakers…With the 73-70 loss at Los Angeles on 1/16/12, Dallas has now lost 36 of the last 40 regular-season matchups against the Lakers on the road…The Mavericks snapped a 26-game losing streak in Los Angeles with a 110-93 victory on 12/12/03...Dirk Nowitzki averaged a team high 22.0 points and 10.3 rebounds against the Lakers during the 2010-11 regular season…Shawn Marion averaged 18.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in three games against Los Angeles last season…Jason Terry averaged 13.3 points…Jason Kidd averaged 10.7 points and 8.3 assists in three regular-season matchups with the Lakers last year…The Mavericks swept the Lakers (4-0) in the 2011 Western Conference Semifinals… They outscored the Lakers 118-79 in the fourth quarter in the series…Dallas averaged 29.5 points in the fourth and became the first team in NBA history to sweep a best-of-seven playoff series while outscoring their opponent by five-plus points in the fourth quarter of every game…Dallas recorded a 36-point victory (122-86) in the closeout win over Los Angeles in Game 4 on 5/8/11…The Lakers became the seventh defending NBA champion to be swept in a playoff series and their 36-point margin of defeat was the largest to cap any of those sweeps…The Mavericks went 20-of-32 (.625) from beyond the arc in Game 4…The 20 treys tied the NBA record for the most 3-point field goals in a playoff game (Seattle also made 20 vs. Houston 5/6/96)…Jason Terry (9-10 3FGs) and Peja Stojakovic (6-6 3FGs) combined for 15 of Dallas’ 20 threes in the contest… Dallas’second unit outscored Los Angeles’ bench 86-37 in the game.

CONNECTIONS: Lakers Head Coach Mike Brown was an assistant under Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle in Indiana from 2003-05
…Carlisle coached Lakers forward Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest) for three seasons when they were both with the Indiana Pacers
…Mavericks forward Lamar Odom played seven seasons with the Lakers from 2004-11, and won back-to-back titles with the franchise in 2009 and 2010
…Odom won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award while with the Lakers in 2010-11
…Mavericks player development coach and radio analyst Brad Davis was drafted by the Lakers in 1977 and played one season for Los Angeles
… Lakers guard Steve Blake was a teammate of Mavericks center Brendan Haywood on the Washington Wizards from 2003-05
…Lakers forward Luke Walton was a redshirt freshman at Arizona when Mavericks guard Jason Terry was a senior at the school in 1998-99."

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2012/2/23/ ... ose-to-los

Dallas Mavericks Can't Capitilize on Late Game Chances, Lose to Los Angeles Lakers 95-91.
by tcat75.

"The Mavericks are headed into the All-Star break on a high note. Sure, the loss tonight was frustrating, but they've won seven of their last nine, going from a meandering 14-11 to a much more respectable 21-13. Dirk, who looked positively Brian Cardinal-esque for an early portion of the season, is finally rounding into form. He's scored 20+ points in ten of his last eleven games, only failing to meet that mark in a blowout win against Denver where he took merely 12 shots. So hold your head up; these are your defending champions.

With that said, this whole Lakers game was very frustrating to watch. With as many good things the Mavericks did and as many bad things the Lakers did, it would not be too far of a stretch to have seen a Maverick double digit win. Instead, they lose by four. Dirk Nowitzki was the high man with 25 points and 12 boards, but ask him, and I bet he would say he's unhappy with his play. He missed two huge free throws late in the fourth, was only 1-6 from deep despite getting wide open looks, and gave up the dagger offensive rebound to Matt Barnes after Pau Gasol missed another free throw (he was definitely pushed, but it is what it is).

Late games are not my forte, so let's go right to bullets.

Vince was the hero in the first half, scoring 18. No dunks, but let me tell you, the basket early in the first where he drove right, pivoted to the left side, and finished with a lefty layup was just as good. He's just so damn fluid when he makes ridiculously difficult moves like that, I could watch it all day. However, he gave the Mavericks nothing in the 2nd half -- just two points on a trip to the line. Some of it was the lack of involvement from the Mavericks, some of it was just him missing shots. I would like to see an emphasis to get the ball to him in the low post in the first quarter in every single game.

No Odom meant that all the bigs got thrown in there against the Lakers. Yi, Wright, and Mahinmi all got chances, but none of their play jumped out.

With that said, Wright did have the highest Mavericks +/-, and it wasn't even close. His +19 was twelve higher than Yi's. Hmm.

It seems like Kidd is still struggling a bit with his shot, but he's actually shooting 39% this month from deep. Also, one of my favorite plays of the night was a classic JKidd play. He gets blocked on a three point attempt in the corner, but he recovers to get the ball as it comes down and swings it right to the mitts of Vince Carter for a triple. He is an absolute wizard for just knowing where the ball is going to be in every aspect of the game.

So much for keeping him under 30 minutes, though. He had 34, and Dojo got just 5.

Marion played great defense on Kobe, who was not himself. Some of Bryant's seven turnovers were just sloppy plays, but several were due to defensive pressure. However, limiting Kobe to 15 doesn't matter if you can't pull out a dubya.

The Lakeshow missed 8 of 15 free throws in the 4th."




http://espn.go.com/b... ... id=4685510
Rapid Reaction: Lakers 96, Mavs 91.
•Comments By Tim MacMahon.

How it happened: Derek Fisher got the job done against Dallas in crunch time again.

Fisher, the man who hit the game-winning 3-pointer against the Mavs at Staples Center earlier this season, keyed a critical, tiebreaking 7-0 run late in the fourth quarter. The 37-year-old point guard hit a 3-pointer and a driving floater on consecutive possessions to give the Lakers enough breathing room to seal the win in the arena where their season ended in embarrassing fashion last spring.

Fisher (15 points, 6-8 FG), power forward Pau Gasol (24 points, 11-of-18 FG) and big man Andrew Bynum (19 points, 6-of-10 FG, 14 rebounds) carried the Lakers on an off night for Kobe Bryant. With Shawn Marion in his face and getting help, the NBA’s leading scorer had more turnovers (seven) than field goals (4-of-15). Bryant finished with 15 points, a little more than half his average.

The Mavs, who needed a 20-6 run to tie the score at halftime, wasted one of Vince Carter's best offensive performances of the season. Carter scored 20 points, one shy of his season high. The Mavs are now 14-3 when he scores in double figures.

Dallas superstar Dirk Nowitzki had 25 points and 12 rebounds, including two buckets in a frantic comeback attempt that fell short in the final couple of minutes.

What it means: The Mavs missed a chance to enter the All-Star break with major momentum. This was only their second loss in the last nine games. It could be considered a statement win for the Lakers, who looked forward to seeing how they measured up against the Mavs, according to Bryant. L.A. improved to 6-11 on the road this season.

Play of the game: Bryant drove baseline with his left past Jason Kidd and absorbed strong contact from 7-foot, 263-pound Brendan Haywood before flipping the ball off the glass for an and-1 circus shot late in the third quarter. Kobe missed the free throw, but that didn’t affect the aesthetics of the drive and finish.

Stat of the night: The Lakers, who were swept by the Mavs in the West semifinals last season, have won the last four regular season meetings between the teams."



http://lakersblog.la... ... ricks.html
Five things to take from Lakers' 96-91 win over Dallas Mavericks.
"1. The Lakers made it harder than necessary in securing a 96-91 victory Wednesday over the Dallas Mavericks. They should feel happy by collecting a rare road win. But it didn't have to be this hard. Despite leading 93-86 with 1:06 remaining, the Lakers nearly squandered the game. They missed six consecutive free throws. They gave Jason Terry a wide-open three-pointer and failed to box out Dirk Nowitzki on a tip-in, plays that cut the lead to 93-91 with 29 seconds left. But the Lakers still prevailed, partly because Matt Barnes secured a rebound off Pau Gasol's second missed foul shot. Barnes then made both free throws to secure the win.

2. Pau Gasol played aggressively. It's easy to psychoanalyze the reason behind Gasol's 24 points on 11-for-18 shooting with nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. This came days after Kobe Bryant publicly blasted the front office for not providing clarity on Gasol's future. It also marked his first visit to Dallas since the Lakers' sweep by the Mavericks in the 2011 Western Conference semifinals, a series in which Gasol proved a huge factor in the Lakers' fall. Whatever it was, Gasol looked agressive right from the first possession.

He attacked the Mavericks on hook shots in the lane, turnaround jumpers and putbacks. Gasol made two crucial baskets late in the game. He tipped in Bryant's miss, tying the score, 80-80, with 6:41 to play. Gasol also converted off Bryant's jump pass to him inside, extending the Lakers' lead to 91-86 with 1:29 remaining. Despite having trouble guarding him in last year's playoffs, Gasol held Dirk Nowitzki to 25 points on nine-for-22 shooting by forcing him to take off-balance shots that even he couldn't make. He didn't avoid the brutal contact Brendan Haywood delivered with his elbow with 20 seconds left.

Gasol wasn't perfect. He committed five turnovers and missed his two free throws in the fourth quarter. But his aggressiveness, enthusiasm for greeting the bench after a hot start and high-fiving Bryant throughout the game demonstrated his sharp focus.

3. Derek Fisher had a strong shooting night. Don't look now, but Fisher has put a string of performances that shows he's still capable of providing some supplementary shooting. He scored 15 points on six-for-eight shooting. He successfully advocated for an official's replay in the third quarter on an out-of-bounds call that went the Lakers' way. Fisher held possession off an inbounds pass with 27 seconds left despite facing a double team.

It's unrealistic to think Fisher will sustain the 8.8 points on 62.5% shooting he has averaged in the last four games. But at least against the Mavericks, Fisher played with great efficiency. His shots came in rhythm and off great ball movement. That included a sequence that entailed Bryant facing a double team and feeding to Gasol at the left elbow, Gasol passing to Bynum inside and Bynum kicking the ball out at the top of the key. Fisher nailed the three-pointer to give the Lakers an 87-82 lead with 4:13 remaining. He then made a floater in the lane on the next possession, a shot Fisher usually never makes. For his strong play, Fisher played the last 5:28 of the fourth quarter. Brown usually has granted that time to Steve Blake both to rest Fisher's body and because of his shooting and defensive struggles. But against Dallas, Fisher rightfully earned the 27 minutes.


4. Kobe Bryant struggled for most of the game. He scored 15 points on four-for-15 shooting and committed seven turnovers. Bryant, who played 38 minutes against Dallas, has had to play those minutes on most nights and it appeared that fatigue caught up to him. He took awfully hard shots off the dribble and from long distance. Dallas forward Shawn Marion hardly gave him much room to operate. Only Bryant could make a 25-foot three-pointer and an and-one layup that went off the glass over his head. But it's good he didn't carry a gunning mentality. In fact, Bryant made two crucial passes late in the fourth quarter. That included his aforementioned jump pass to Gasol. On the next possession, Bryant then threw a lob to Bynum, who gave the Lakers a 93-86 lead with 1:07 left.

The Lakers are fortunate they had a strong supporting cast during Bryant's off night. But this game provides a stern reminder that Lakers Coach Mike Brown can't afford to give Bryant such heavy minutes. Sometimes it's necesary because of the Lakers inconsistent options. But the strategy reeks of desperation, stunts the team's development and sets Bryant up for fatigue in the postseason.

5. The role players did little things. Metta World Peace grabbed eight rebounds, set teammates up in the post and made defensive stops. Matt Barnes scored nine points, made a crucial late-game offensive rebound and two free throws that secured the win and constantly made off-ball cuts. Andrew Goudelock helped space the floor by scoring six points on two open three-pointers. It's good for the Lakers to find such a niche since most of the offense rarely centers on them."--Mark Medina



http://www.cbssports... ... -over-mavs
Lakers survive against Mavs.
CBSSports.com wire reports.

DALLAS--"Andrew Bynum had a huge smile on his face after he grabbed a rebound of his own miss and got fouled on an attempted putback.

Not long after making both those free throws that put the Los Angeles Lakers ahead to stay, Bynum was running after teammate Derek Fisher to give him a big hug following a 3-pointer.

Bynum had 19 points and 14 rebounds, including several big plays in the final 5½ minutes, as the Lakers hit the halfway point of their season with a 96-91 victory against the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

"Andrew was great," coach Mike Brown said.

The free throws by Bynum broke an 82-82 tie with 5:29 left and put the Lakers (20-13) ahead to stay after 13 ties and 10 lead changes.

After the Mavericks failed to take advantage of a turnover by Kobe Bryant when Jason Terry gave it right back, Bynum was underneath the basket with the ball. But he instead passed it to Fisher in the left corner for a 3-pointer. Bynum was smiling broadly when he chased down and hugged Fisher when Dallas called timeout.

Fisher, whose driving short jumper with 3:41 left ended a 9-0 run and made it 89-82, had given Bynum a pep talk before the game. They were also thinking about the playoffs against Dallas last season.

"We got swept last year, and it was on our minds," Bynum said.

There was also Bynum's alley-oop dunk from Bryant with 1:05 left that stretched the lead to 93-86. The Lakers then held on despite missing six consecutive free throws after that.

Bryant missed two free throws with 37 seconds left. After Dirk Nowitzki's tip-in got Dallas within 93-91, Pau Gasol was fouled and missed both of his free throws with 20 seconds left.

"I'm a little overweight, I'm too young to have a heart attack," Brown said after watching all those misses.

But Matt Barnes grabbed the rebound after Gasol's second miss and was quickly fouled himself. He ended the Lakers' charity-line slump with two free throws.

"That was big," Fisher said. "The way last season ended, this game was big for a lot of us."

Gasol had 24 points for the Lakers, while Bryant and Fisher each had 15. Bryant shot 4 of 15 while being held 14 below his NBA-leading scoring average, and was scoreless until two free throws with 10 seconds left in the first quarter.

Nowitzki had 25 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Mavericks (21-13), who played their final game before the All-Star break after winning seven of their previous eight games. Vince Carter had 20.

"I'm disappointing tonight, I'm not dismayed," coach Rick Carlisle said. "Our effort was there, we just didn't make enough plays at both ends. ... The break's coming at a good time."

The Lakers have one more game before the All-Star break. They play Thursday night at Oklahoma City.

Lamar Odom missed the game for the Mavericks against his former team. Odom was the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year for the Lakers last season and won three NBA championship rings in seven years in Los Angeles.

Carlisle said Odom was excused from the game to attend to a family matter and will rejoin the team after the All-Star break.

The Lakers had their biggest lead when Steve Blake had a steal and passed ahead to Gasol for a running one-handed slam that made it 42-28 with 6:21 left in the first half. That ended 12 consecutive points and a 17-2 Los Angeles run.

"I was aggressive in the beginning. I was able to knock down some shots and make plays," Gasol said. "[This win] shows we're on the same page and we've got a lot of character."

But the Mavericks finished the half with a 20-6 run over the final 5:33 to tie the game at 48-all by the break.

Nowitzki scored the last six Dallas points, two free throws with 1:23 left and then a pair of jumpers in the final 42 seconds. He made a 15-foot floater and after grabbing a long rebound of a miss by Gasol, Nowitzki made a tying jumper.

"It just seemed like we'd get a little momentum and then we had trouble sustaining," Carlisle said. "Tough game, but you've got to give them credit."

Notes
•All the Mavericks except Nowitzki, who will make his 11th consecutive All-Star appearance, have the next four days off. They play nine games in 12 days, starting with Tuesday's home game against New Jersey.
•Texas Rangers designated hitter/first baseman Michael Young was shown on the overhead video board before the start of the fourth quarter. Young is a big Lakers fan. Rangers position players don't have to report to training camp in Arizona until Saturday.
•The Lakers jumped out to a 12-3 lead in the first four minutes, and Carlisle used two timeouts in that span."




{C}http://www.nba.com/g... ... GIboxscore{C}
Notebook: Lakers 96, Mavericks 91.
By Dave Ivey, for NBA.com.

THE FACTS: Pau Gasol scored 24 points and Andrew Bynum added 19 points and 14 rebounds on Wednesday, offsetting an off night by Kobe Bryant and off-target free-throw shooting by the Lakers in the final minute of a 96-91 victory against the Mavericks in Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki had 25 points and 12 boards and Vince Carter scored 20 for the Mavs in a hard-fought, back-and-forth battle that featured 11 ties and eight lead changes in the second half.

QUOTABLE: "The ball was moved very well. I thought we got the ball from one side of the floor to the other, made their defense move a little bit, and made some plays at the right time."
-- Lakers head coach Mike Brown.

THE STAT: The Lakers improved to 6-11 on the road, with all six of those victories coming by five or fewer points.

TURNING POINT: Derek Fisher (15 points) buried a 3-pointer and a short jumper on back-to-back possessions, capping a 9-0 run that gave L.A. the lead for good at 89-82 with 3:43 to play.

QUOTABLE II: "I'm disappointed tonight, but I'm not dismayed. I thought our effort was there, we just didn't make enough plays at both ends. Sometimes that happens, but the break's coming at a good time. I told the guys to enjoy the break and come back ready because we've got a very busy schedule coming back."
-- Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle on reaching the All-Star break at 21-13.

HOT: Carter scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half. Nowitzki (10) and Jason Terry (nine) accounted for all of the Mavericks' points during the fourth quarter.

NOT: The Mavericks were 1-for-11 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter and 8-for-32 overall.

GOOD MOVE: Shawn Marion played exceptional defense against Bryant, who scored 15 points -- 14 below his league-leading average -- and was just 4-for-15 from the field with seven turnovers. Bryant's first three field goals were against other defenders, with his only bucket against Marion not coming until midway through the fourth quarter.

BAD MOVE: The Mavericks missed four straight free throws in the fourth quarter, only to be outdone by the Lakers. Matt Barnes bricked two with 49.1 seconds left, Bryant missed two more with 37.4 seconds left and Gasol got in on the act with two more misses with 20 ticks remaining and L.A. clinging to a 93-91 lead. Fortunately for Los Angeles, Barnes grabbed the offensive rebound after Gasol's second misfire and made both shots after he was fouled by Jason Kidd.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Marion filled the stat sheet with nine rebounds, eight points, five assists and three steals and Haywood had 11 rebounds. Barnes had nine points and nine boards off the bench.

ROOKIE WATCH: Lakers guard Andrew Goudelock sank both of his 3-point attempts in the second quarter and finished with six points and three fouls in 10:03.

NOTABLE: Dallas forward Lamar Odom did not play against his former teammates. He was excused from the team for a family matter and will rejoin the Mavericks on Monday. ... This was the first meeting in Dallas since the Mavericks completed a sweep in last year's Western Conference semifinals. ... The Lakers have won four straight regular-season meetings. ... Dallas is 1-7 when trailing after the first quarter (0-4 at home). ... The Mavs scored 25 points off 17 turnovers and scored a season-high 21 second-chance points.

UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Tuesday vs. New Jersey, Wednesday @ Memphis."


.......Lakers-Mavericks
FG%==46.1%..40.0%
3FG%=40.0%..25.0%
FT%==58.1%..68.8%


.......................LAL-DAL
Total Rebounds......49-50
Offensive Rebounds.17-21
Turnovers............17-12
Fast Break Pts........4-11
Biggest Lead........14--3
Points in the Paint.38-32


...............LAL............DAL
p.......Gasol=24..Nowitzki=25
rb.....Bynum=14..Nowitzki=12
a.........Blake=5..2 players=5
s.........Gasol=3....Marion=3
b World Peace=2..3 players=1


...SERIES...Dallas (0-2)
01/16 - DAL 70 @ LAL 73
02/22 - LAL 96 @ DAL 91
03/21 - LAL @ DAL
04/15 - DAL @ LAL



FINAL
LAL-25 23 24 24=96
DAL-21 27 24 19=91

http://www.cbssports... ... 22_LAL@DAL

"Los Angeles Lakers Statistics
STARTERS M FG 3FG FT OR TR A TO STL BLK PF=PTS
P. Gasol, PF 39 11-18 0-0 2-6 4 9 4 5 3 0 2 24
K. Bryant, SG 38 4-15 2-5 5-9 1 5 4 7 1 0 1 15
A. Bynum, C 34 6-10 0-0 7-8 5 14 3 1 1 1 3 19
D. Fisher, PG 27 6-8 2-3 1-2 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 15
M. World Peace, SF 20 1-4 1-1 1-2 4 8 3 3 1 2 3 4
BENCH M FG 3FG FT OR TR A TO STL BLK PF=PTS
M. Barnes, SF 28 3-7 1-3 2-4 3 9 2 0 0 1 3 9
T. Murphy, PF 22 2-5 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 4
S. Blake, PG 21 0-4 0-2 0-0 0 1 5 1 1 0 0 0
A. Goudelock..SG 10 2-5 2-4 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 6
J. Kapono,.....SG Did Not Play
L. Walton,.....SF Did Not Play
J. McRoberts,.PF Did Not Play
D. Morris,.....PG Did Not Play
D. Ebanks,....SF Did Not Play
Totals....35-76 8-20 18-31 17 49 21 17 8 4 17=96
............46.1% 40.0% 58.1%
Team Rebounds - 10
Defensive 3-second violations - 0
Points Off Turnovers - 13
Fastbreak Points - 4
Points In The Paint - 38
Second Chance Points - 14


Dallas Mavericks Statistics
STARTERS M FG 3FG FT OR TR A TO STL BLK PF=PTS
S. Marion, PF 37 3-11 0-3 2-2 7 9 5 1 3 0 2 8
D. Nowitzki, PF 36 9-22 1-6 6-8 2 12 2 0 1 0 3 25
J. Kidd, PG 34 2-6 1-5 0-0 1 2 4 2 2 0 2 5
B. Haywood, C 32 2-6 0-0 0-2 6 11 2 1 2 1 5 4
V. Carter, SG 31 7-17 3-7 3-4 2 5 1 2 0 1 3 20
BENCH M FG 3FG FT OR TR A TO STL BLK PF=PTS
J. Terry, SG 31 7-16 2-7 0-0 0 4 5 4 1 0 1 16
Y. Jianlian, PF 12 2-3 0-0 0-0 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 4
B. Wright, PF 10 2-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 1 2 4
B. Cardinal, PF 7 1-4 1-4 0-0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 3
I. Mahinmi, C 6 0-1 0-0 0-0 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0
D. Jones, SG 5 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2
L. Odom,......PF Did Not Play
D. West,......SG Did Not Play
S. Williams,..PF Did Not Play
R. Beaubois,.PG Did Not Play
Totals.......36-90 8-32 11-16 21 50 22 13 10 3 20=91
..............40.0% 25.0% 68.8%

Team Rebounds - 4
Defensive 3-second violations - 0
Points Off Turnovers - 25
Fastbreak Points - 11
Points In The Paint - 32
Second Chance Points - 20

GAME INFORMATION
Attendance - 20577
Game Time - 2:37
Officials - Mike Callahan, John Goble, James Williams."



UP NEXT: All Star Game is 1irst,then...
For the Mavericks, Tuesday vs. New Jersey, Wednesday @ Memphis."

[jcisco loboe'77]

Southwest.......W-L...PCT...GB..CONF.DIV.HOME.ROAD.L 10.STREAK
San Antonio..2 23-10 0.697..0.0 17 -8 8-3 13 -1 10 -9 9-1 L 1
Dallas............4 21-13 0.618..2.5 15 -9 3-1 13 -6..8 -7 7-3 L 1
Houston.......6 20-14 0.588..3.5 13-12 4-4 14 -4 6-10 7-3 W 3
Memphis......7 19-15 0.559..4.5 12-13 4-4 13 -5 6-10 7-3 W 1
New Orleans.....8-25 0.242 15.0..3-19 0-7..3-14 5-11 4-6 W 1


December Opponent Results
Sun 18 vs Oklahoma City Preseason L 92-106
Tue 20 @ Oklahoma City Preseason L 83-87

2011-12 Dallas Mavericks 21-13
Sun 25 vs Miami L 94-105
Mon 26 vs Denver L 93-115
Thu 29 @ Oklahoma City L 102-104
Fri 30 vs Toronto W 99-86

January Opponent Results
Sun 01 @ Minnesota L 82-99
Mon 02 vs Oklahoma City W 100-87
Wed 04 vs Phoenix W 98-89
Thu 05 @ San Antonio L 71-93
Sat 07 vs New Orleans W 96-81
Tue 10 @ Detroit W 100-86
Wed 11 @ Boston Celtics W 90-85
Fri 13 vs Milwaukee W 102-76
Sat 14 vs Sacramento W 99-60
Mon 16 vs LAL L 70-73
Wed 18 vs LAC L 89-91
Thur 19 vs Utah W 94-91
Sat 21 @ NO W 83-81
Mon 23 vs PHO W 93-87
Wed 25 vs MIN L 90-105
Fri 27 vs Utah W 115-101
Sun 29 vs San Antonio W 101-100
Mon 30 @ Phoenix W 122-99

February Opponent Results
Wed 01 vs Oklahoma City L 86-95
Fri 03 vs IND L 87-98
Sat 04 vs CLE L 88-91.
Wed 08 vs Denver W 105-95.
Fri 10 @ Minnesota W 104-97
Sat 11 vs Portland W 97-94
Mon 13 vs LAC W 96-92
Wed 15 vs Denver W 102-84
Fri 17 @ Philadelphia W 82-75
Sun 19 @ New York L 97-104
Mon 20 Boston W 89-73
Wed 22 LAL L 91-96.







Western Conference
Northwest........W-L PCT GB CONF DIV HOME ROAD L 10 STREAK
Oklahoma City.1 26 7 0.788 0.0 20-6 5-1 14-1 12-6 8-2 W 4
Portland........8 18 16 0.529 8.5 13-12 3-2 13-5 5-11 4-6 W 1
Denver............18 16 0.529 8.5 9-16 2-4 9-7 9-9 3-7 L 1
Minnesota........17 17 0.500 9.5 12-8 1-3 10-10 7-7 5-5 W 1
Utah...............15 17 0.469 10.5 10-14 3-4 12-6 3-11 2-8 L 3

Pacific.........W-L PCT GB CONF DIV HOME ROAD L 10 STREAK
L.A.C.......3 20 11 0.645 0.0 11-9 2-2 12-4 8-7 6-4 W 1
L.A.L.......5 20 13 0.606 1.0 14-6 4-3 14-2 6-11 6-4 W 2
Golden State 13 17 0.433 6.5 8-12 4-4 9-9 4-8 5-5 W 2
Phoenix.......14 20 0.412 7.5 7-14 3-4 7-9 7-11 4-6 L 1
Sacramento..11 22 0.333 10.0 7-13 2-2 7-5 4-17 3-7 W 1

Southwest.......W-L PCT GB CONF DIV HOME ROAD L 10 STREAK
San Antonio..2 23 10 0.697 0.0 17-8 8-3 13-1 10-9 9-1 L 1
Dallas.........4 21 13 0.618 2.5 15-9 3-1 13-6 8-7 7-3 L 1
Houston......6 20 14 0.588 3.5 13-12 4-4 14-4 6-10 7-3 W 3
Memphis.....7 19 15 0.559 4.5 12-13 4-4 13-5 6-10 7-3 W 1
New Orleans....8 25 0.242 15.0 3-19 0-7 3-14 5-11 4-6 W 1




---ALL STAR BREAK---



http://www.nba.com/s... ... able1.html
Team Offensive Statistics for 2011-2012
PPG FG% 3PT% FT% APG
TEAM GAMES HME OPP DIFF HME OPP HME OPP HME OPP HME OPP DIFF
1 Miami 33 103.79 94.58 +9.21 0.488 0.424 0.402 0.364 0.785 0.720 21.15 20.24 +0.91
2 Denver 34 103.56 100.91 +2.65 0.470 0.453 0.322 0.363 0.733 0.758 22.79 22.53 +0.26
3 Oklahoma City 33 102.76 96.58 +6.18 0.475 0.424 0.350 0.327 0.795 0.788 18.33 20.27 -1.94
4 Golden State 30 99.20 100.70 -1.50 0.459 0.453 0.396 0.366 0.750 0.739 22.43 22.23 +0.20
5 San Antonio 33 98.85 95.49 +3.36 0.459 0.457 0.390 0.348 0.729 0.747 22.09 19.36 +2.73
6 Portland 34 98.44 93.06 +5.38 0.447 0.440 0.338 0.312 0.783 0.744 22.03 19.38 +2.65
7 L.A.C. 31 97.90 95.26 +2.64 0.452 0.439 0.352 0.365 0.687 0.741 21.36 20.58 +0.78
8 Houston 34 97.53 95.91 +1.62 0.452 0.452 0.354 0.310 0.786 0.761 20.71 19.15 +1.56
9 Chicago 35 97.34 87.89 +9.45 0.460 0.425 0.383 0.331 0.729 0.719 23.26 19.20 +4.06
10 Minnesota 34 96.79 95.62 +1.17 0.430 0.438 0.322 0.352 0.777 0.737 18.68 20.32 -1.64
11 Utah 32 96.16 97.66 -1.50 0.451 0.454 0.297 0.333 0.747 0.758 20.72 19.25 +1.47
12 Indiana 33 95.52 92.55 +2.97 0.429 0.429 0.364 0.343 0.784 0.729 17.79 19.27 -1.48
13 New York 34 95.44 93.82 +1.62 0.433 0.442 0.303 0.369 0.755 0.737 19.29 19.27 +0.02
14 Phoenix 34 94.62 97.09 -2.47 0.447 0.451 0.340 0.362 0.773 0.760 22.24 21.82 +0.42
15 Milwaukee 33 94.55 96.79 -2.24 0.424 0.447 0.330 0.351 0.792 0.753 21.06 21.82 -0.76
16 Dallas 34 94.35 90.82 +3.53 0.438 0.416 0.325 0.339 0.741 0.742 21.88 18.85 +3.03
17 Sacramento 33 94.18 102.09 -7.91 0.410 0.470 0.311 0.338 0.748 0.754 17.27 23.09 -5.82
18 Philadelphia 34 94.03 87.53 +6.50 0.449 0.419 0.372 0.316 0.730 0.725 21.71 18.74 +2.97
19 Cleveland 31 93.74 97.32 -3.58 0.424 0.449 0.357 0.353 0.697 0.759 20.39 22.07 -1.68
20 Atlanta 33 93.67 92.06 +1.61 0.443 0.438 0.377 0.356 0.720 0.752 21.88 21.24 +0.64
21 Orlando 34 93.53 91.06 +2.47 0.437 0.434 0.392 0.333 0.651 0.767 20.27 19.97 +0.30
22 Memphis 34 93.44 92.18 +1.26 0.444 0.438 0.326 0.361 0.754 0.754 18.82 19.24 -0.42
23 L.A.L. 33 93.39 91.12 +2.27 0.451 0.417 0.305 0.327 0.737 0.719 20.97 20.70 +0.27
24 New Jersey 35 92.51 99.26 -6.75 0.422 0.481 0.357 0.387 0.771 0.714 19.77 23.20 -3.43
25 Washington 33 91.88 100.82 -8.94 0.429 0.455 0.303 0.359 0.722 0.748 17.67 22.46 -4.79
26 Boston 32 89.41 88.53 +0.88 0.455 0.418 0.380 0.302 0.761 0.763 21.94 17.41 +4.53
27 Detroit 35 89.26 95.86 -6.60 0.428 0.474 0.338 0.376 0.768 0.770 18.74 22.17 -3.43
28 Toronto 33 89.24 94.30 -5.06 0.431 0.434 0.327 0.348 0.748 0.751 20.97 19.06 +1.91
29 New Orleans 33 88.15 93.21 -5.06 0.439 0.446 0.319 0.312 0.741 0.766 19.82 19.67 +0.15
30 Charlotte 32 86.50 100.81 -14.31 0.415 0.468 0.307 0.357 0.728 0.751 19.41 22.94 -3.53

*FG%: Field Goal Percentage *3PT%: Three-Point FG Percentage *FT%: Free Throw Percentage
*PPG: Points Per Game *APG: Assists Per Game


http://www.nba.com/s... ... nf=1&prd=1
Team Defensive Statistics for 2011-2012
RPG BPG SPG
TEAM GAMES HME OPP DIFF HME OPP DIFF HME OPP DIFF
1 L.A.L. 33 45.82 41.58 +4.24 5.06 3.85 +1.21 6.03 8.33 -2.30
2 Chicago 35 45.51 40.03 +5.48 5.69 4.94 +0.75 7.29 7.23 +0.06
3 Minnesota 34 45.09 42.56 +2.53 4.38 5.71 -1.33 7.59 8.97 -1.38
4 Indiana 33 44.06 42.30 +1.76 5.52 6.00 -0.48 8.21 6.76 +1.45
5 Dallas 34 43.74 44.03 -0.29 5.24 4.44 +0.80 9.15 9.15 -0.00
6 Sacramento 33 43.73 45.64 -1.91 4.33 6.46 -2.13 8.15 8.27 -0.12
7 Cleveland 31 43.68 41.65 +2.03 4.68 6.23 -1.55 7.55 7.42 +0.13
8 Oklahoma City 33 43.61 41.30 +2.31 7.85 4.91 +2.94 7.88 8.27 -0.39
9 Orlando 34 43.41 42.29 +1.12 4.09 4.44 -0.35 6.29 7.53 -1.24
10 Denver 34 43.09 41.91 +1.18 5.27 6.65 -1.38 8.88 8.50 +0.38
11 Miami 33 42.91 39.70 +3.21 4.97 4.21 +0.76 8.42 8.24 +0.18
12 L.A.C. 31 42.90 39.58 +3.32 5.07 4.23 +0.84 7.84 6.45 +1.39
13 Philadelphia 34 42.74 44.59 -1.85 4.79 4.59 +0.20 8.47 5.44 +3.03
14 Houston 34 42.47 40.79 +1.68 4.82 5.15 -0.33 7.79 7.59 +0.20
15 Utah 32 42.31 41.41 +0.90 5.91 5.78 +0.13 8.13 7.50 +0.63
16 Memphis 34 42.27 40.97 +1.30 5.24 5.79 -0.55 9.94 8.12 +1.82
17 Portland 34 42.03 42.21 -0.18 5.24 5.00 +0.24 8.85 7.62 +1.23
18 Toronto 33 41.85 41.55 +0.30 5.03 5.06 -0.03 7.03 7.46 -0.43
19 New York 34 41.74 41.97 -0.23 4.15 4.94 -0.79 9.59 8.65 +0.94
20 New Orleans 33 41.73 40.55 +1.18 4.85 5.82 -0.97 7.55 7.79 -0.24
21 Washington 33 41.49 45.24 -3.75 7.27 4.94 +2.33 8.18 7.88 +0.30
22 Milwaukee 33 41.39 45.12 -3.73 5.21 4.91 +0.30 8.03 7.61 +0.42
23 Atlanta 33 41.30 42.97 -1.67 5.09 4.85 +0.24 8.24 7.30 +0.94
24 Phoenix 34 41.27 44.12 -2.85 5.24 4.35 +0.89 7.27 8.29 -1.02
25 San Antonio 33 41.18 42.00 -0.82 4.39 5.18 -0.79 7.00 7.61 -0.61
26 Charlotte 32 40.09 45.47 -5.38 5.88 5.88 -0.00 5.63 7.75 -2.12
27 Detroit 35 39.77 39.74 +0.03 3.91 5.63 -1.72 7.14 8.31 -1.17
28 Golden State 30 39.57 44.37 -4.80 5.57 4.10 +1.47 8.60 7.50 +1.10
29 New Jersey 35 39.43 41.97 -2.54 4.23 5.26 -1.03 7.00 8.29 -1.29
30 Boston 32 38.78 41.94 -3.16 5.72 5.06 +0.66 6.38 8.16 -1.78

*RPG: Total Rebounds Per Game *BPG: Blocks Per Game *SPG: Steals Per Game



#5.Dallas 34 43.74 44.03 -0.29 5.24 4.44 +0.80 9.15 9.15 -0.00
16.Dallas 34 94.35 90.82 +3.53 0.438 0.416 0.325 0.339 0.741 0.742 21.88 18.85 +3.03




http://www.nba.com/mavericks/stats
2011-12 Mavericks Regular Statistics
"PLAYER AVERAGES.................REBOUNDS.
Player G GS MPG FG% 3p% FT% OFF DEF TOT APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
Dirk Nowitzki 30 30 32.7 .454 .278 .876 .70 6.10 6.80 2.3 .83 .60 1.60 2.10 19.6
Jason Terry 32 0 30.6 .431 .376 .875 .30 1.80 2.10 3.8 1.22 .13 2.06 1.10 14.8
Shawn Marion 34 34 30.4 .454 .317 .778 2.60 3.90 6.40 2.1 1.00 .50 1.41 1.20 11.9
Vince Carter 29 19 24.5 .442 .440 .797 .40 2.80 3.20 2.6 1.10 .41 1.59 2.30 10.9
Delonte West 29 20 22.7 .428 .327 .909 .30 2.20 2.50 3.4 1.59 .24 1.69 1.40 8.3
Lamar Odom 32 4 21.4 .357 .259 .577 .70 3.80 4.50 1.7 .44 .28 1.19 2.30 7.7
Rodrigue Beaubois 24 5 18.0 .409 .327 .857 .40 2.40 2.80 2.5 1.04 .88 1.08 1.80 7.3
Ian Mahinmi 32 1 17.7 .560 .000 .632 1.70 2.80 4.50 .2 .44 .53 .88 2.70 6.3
Brandan Wright 23 0 13.1 .583 .000 .618 1.00 1.60 2.60 .3 .35 1.17 .52 1.50 5.8
Brendan Haywood 33 33 22.3 .541 .000 .441 2.60 4.20 6.80 .4 .48 1.03 .94 2.40 5.3
Jason Kidd 24 24 28.3 .325 .299 .889 .40 4.20 4.60 5.5 1.75 .17 2.21 1.80 5.1
Sean Williams 3 0 5.7 .714 .000 1.000 1.00 1.00 2.00 .0 .33 .33 1.00 2.70 4.7
Yi Jianlian 14 0 7.9 .409 .667 .625 .60 1.20 1.90 .1 .21 .29 .50 1.00 3.1
Dominique Jones 19 0 8.3 .362 .167 .850 .40 .90 1.30 1.3 .21 .11 .89 1.10 2.7
Brian Cardinal 23 0 8.3 .195 .162 .833 .10 1.00 1.10 .5 .35 .04 .30 1.10 1.2
Team Averages..34 0 242.2 .438 .325 .741 10.7 33.0 43.7 21.9 9.2 5.2 14.6 19.8=94.4
Opponents........33 0 242.3 .415 .337 .749 11.4 32.5 43.9 18.8 9.2 4.4 15.9 18.8=90.7


PLAYER TOTALS............................REBOUNDS.
Player G GS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF DEF TOT AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
Dirk Nowitzki 30 30 980 214-471 25-90 134-153 20 184 204 69 25 18 48 63 587
Jason Terry 32 0 979 178-413 68-181 49-56 9 59 68 120 39 4 66 34 473
Shawn Marion 34 34 1,034 171-377 13-41 49-63 88 131 219 71 34 17 48 42 404
Vince Carter 29 19 710 115-260 40-91 47-59 11 81 92 74 32 12 46 67 317
Lamar Odom 32 4 685 89-249 22-85 45-78 23 122 145 55 14 9 38 72 245
Delonte West 29 20 659 92-215 16-49 40-44 9 63 72 100 46 7 49 42 240
Ian Mahinmi 32 1 567 70-125 0-1 60-95 55 90 145 6 14 17 28 87 200
Brendan Haywood 33 33 736 73-135 0-0 30-68 87 139 226 13 16 34 31 79 176
Rodrigue Beaubois 24 5 431 70-171 17-52 18-21 9 57 66 60 25 21 26 42 175
Brandan Wright 23 0 301 56-96 0-1 21-34 22 37 59 7 8 27 12 35 133
Jason Kidd 24 24 679 41-126 32-107 8-9 10 100 110 131 42 4 53 43 122
Dominique Jones 19 0 158 17-47 1-6 17-20 7 17 24 24 4 2 17 20 52
Yi Jianlian 14 0 110 18-44 2-3 5-8 9 17 26 2 3 4 7 14 43
Brian Cardinal 23 0 192 8-41 6-37 5-6 3 22 25 12 8 1 7 26 27
Sean Williams 3 0 17 5-7 0-0 4-4 3 3 6 0 1 1 3 8 14
Team Totals..34 0 8,235 1,217-2,777 242-744 532-718 365 1,122 1,487 744 311 178 497 674=3,208
Opponents....33 0 ------ 1,094-2,636 220-653 584-780 377 1,071 1,448 620 303 147 526 620=2,992."

[jcisco loboe'77]

February 28,Tuesday....Opponent.....Time...........Local TV.................Radio.
(21-13) Mavericks-vs-Nets (10-25)....7:30pm CT....FSSW...KESN-FM (103.3), KFLC-AM (1270 in Spanish)
American Airlines Center, Dallas,TX.


Western Conference
Southwest..W-L...PCT CONF DIV HOME ROAD L 10 STREAK
Dallas----------21-13 0.618 15 -9 3-1 13-6 8-7 7-3 L 1
New Jersey-10-25 0.286..8-18 3-3 3-13 7-12 2-8 L 1
Atlantic
Eastern Conference


standings..w-l..l10..h..a
NJN
5th Atlantic 10-25 2-8 3-13 7-12
DAL
2nd Southwest 21-13 7-3 13-6 8-7

ppg
rpg
apg
bpg
spg
NJN
Williams 22.2
Humphries 10.5
Williams 8.2
Lopez 1.5
Williams 1.1


ppg
rpg
apg
bpg
spg
DAL
Nowitzki 19.6
2 players 6.8
Kidd 5.5
Wright 1.2
Kidd 1.8

,,,SERIES...(0-0)
02/28 - NJN @ DAL

http://www.nba.com/g...L/gameinfo.html
Nets-Mavericks Preview.
By JEFF BARTL.

"Defense has helped the Dallas Mavericks maintain a spot in the top half of the Western Conference playoff picture near the midway point of the season.

Shutting down the New Jersey Nets' offense may not be too difficult, which Dallas will try to do as seeks its 12th straight home victory in the series Tuesday night.

The Mavericks (21-13) won the NBA championship last season with a defensive focus, and their title defense has been built the same way. They are tied for fourth in the league with 90.8 points allowed per game and rank first in field-goal percentage defense at 41.6.

Dallas has held 12 of 13 opponents to fewer than 100 points.

"We sell (defense)," coach Rick Carlisle said. "Our emphasis is the defensive end, because we feel our flow game offense is good enough to where we can create shots. But that doesn't happen if we don't get the stops."

Owner Mark Cuban has been pleased with the team's effort despite losing Tyson Chandler, J.J. Barea and Caron Butler during the offseason.

"We've got a better record than I thought we would at this point, but we haven't played great basketball yet," Cuban said. "A lot to like, a lot to look forward to."

The Mavericks, winners of seven of nine, went into the All-Star break in fourth place in the West, one game ahead of Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers. Dallas, though, fell 96-91 to the Lakers on Wednesday despite 25 points and 12 rebounds from Dirk Nowitzki.

"I'm disappointed, I'm not dismayed," Carlisle said. "Our effort was there, we just didn't make enough plays at both ends. ... The break's coming at a good time."

The four days off should help Dallas as it begins a stretch of nine games in 12 days against New Jersey, one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league.

The Nets (10-25) rank 24th with 92.5 points per game and are 28th with a 42.2 field-goal percentage. They lost 108-91 to Orlando on Wednesday, falling for the 10th time in 12 games.

New Jersey used its 17th different starting lineup because Kris Humphries sat out with a calf injury, though he's expected to return against Dallas.

Brook Lopez scored 15 points in his second game after breaking his foot just before the start of the season. He played Feb. 19 against Milwaukee but sat out the following night in a win over New York.

MarShon Brooks scored a career-high 24 points and Deron Williams added 23, though the Nets' bench was outscored 42-21 by the Magic's reserves.

Williams has averaged 26.1 points and 8.6 assists in his last seven games at Dallas, where the Nets haven't won since a 103-102 victory March 2, 2000. They haven't beaten the Mavericks in the last five meetings overall.

Nowitzki scored 23 points and hit a jumper with 6 seconds remaining to give Dallas an 87-86 win in the most recent matchup Jan. 22, 2011.

The Mavericks have won 19 of the last 22 meetings, with the Nets' last victory in the series coming by a 121-97 score Dec. 19, 2008. Current Mavericks guard Vince Carter scored 34 points for New Jersey in that contest."

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://blogs.bettor.com/Dallas-Mavericks-star-Dirk-Nowitzki-makes-an-interesting-revelation-NBA-Update-a132463
Basketball News Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki makes an interesting revelation - NBA Update.
Posted By Adrian Murphy.

"Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki is perhaps the best power forward in the league and surely the best foreign player the league has ever seen. Despite his hard work for almost seventeen years, the German sharp-shooter had never managed to win NBA champion.

However, it all changed last season, after he led the Dallas Mavericks to their first ever NBA championship. With that, Dirk achieved everything in NBA, so the question that kept troubling him throughout the extended off season was “what next now?”

Dirk had lost the drive, the hunger and therefore, has also struggled at the start of this shortened season. Recently, in an interview to Sports Illustrated, Dirk admitted the fact that he completely lost the drive to do more after winning the championship.

“I know one thing changed, and that was my motivation was gone for a little bit,” Nowitzki went on. “And I really had to fight to get it back and get the fun back.”

This season, for the first time in his career, Dirk looked offbeat at the start of a season, and although the lack of drive had much to do with it, it was also that he was still in a partying mode. Nowitzki didn't have any time to celebrate and cherish his biggest basketballing achievement.

Soon after the NBA win, he rushed to Germany to represent his country in the European Championship and after he returned, there were no facilities available for him to practice on as the NBA was in a lockout. When the season did get a go-ahead, he had not time to conduct his usual training regime and it was because of the lack of conditioning that the Mavs decided to rest for nearly two weeks.

However, he still prefers playing the game.

“Now I reached both goals, and it was just hard in the beginning,” he said. “The Euros came too quick, right after the [NBA] championship. I only had, like, a month off. I needed more time to get away and enjoy the championship. If I would have had a couple months off to enjoy it, party, get everything out of the way, then start slowly back up — that would have been the way to go. But I decided to play”.





{C}http://espn.go.com/l... ... -mavericks{C}
Lamar Odom not back with Mavs yet.
Comments By Jeff Caplan.
ESPNDallas.com.
DALLAS--"Lamar Odom did not report back to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday and coach Rick Carlisle did not give a timetable for the forward's return.

Odom left the team last Wednesday to attend to his ill father in Los Angeles, a source confirmed. Odom missed the Mavs' loss to his former team, the Lakers, and apparently won't be in uniform when Dallas resumes the regular season at home Tuesday night against the New Jersey Nets.

"Lamar is not here today," Carlisle said Monday. "He is still dealing with a family matter and the hope is he'll join us soon, and we'll update you when there's an update."

Amid rumors that Odom might not return to the Mavericks and a midseason buyout could be a possibility, owner Mark Cuban told ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon via email Monday night: "We haven't discussed a buyout and we wouldn't do a buyout. No chance that happens at all. We want to help Lamar work through any personal issues and expect him to be a valuable contributor to the Mavs this season. Players go through challenges from time to time and we try to be (an) organization that fully supports our players when things are challenging for them. We will do the same for Lamar."

Two sources with knowledge of Odom's thinking told ESPN.com's Marc Stein on Monday night that -- while the 32-year-old admittedly did briefly ponder retirement during the offseason following the death of a younger cousin -- Odom wants to keep playing despite his season-long struggles.

Guard Rodrigue Beaubois did return to the Mavs on Monday. The third-year guard missed the last five games after the death of his father.

Odom has had a disappointing two months in his first season with the Mavs. He had trouble overcoming the death of his younger cousin last summer and reported to the Mavs admittedly out of shape.

He has averaged 7.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in 32 games. He won the league's Sixth Man of the Year award last season with the Lakers having averaged 14.4 points and 8.7 rebounds.

After three hopeful games in which Odom averaged 11.0 points on 13-of-25 shooting and 3.9 rebounds, Odom followed up in his final three games before the All-Star break with a total of 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Carlisle expressed optimism Friday during his weekly appearance on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM's "Galloway & Co." that Odom was getting close to turning a corner.

"I think we're closer than we've ever been to him playing well," Carlisle said. "We've just got to stay the course and stay positive about it. The guy's too good of a player and ... he has two bad games in a row and everybody's ready to jump again, but I'm not going there.

"I'm looking forward to getting him back after the break, and we're going to get right back at it. These nine games in 12 days will completely immerse all of us, and we won't have time to think twice about anything, so we're just going to play."

Jeff Caplan covers the Mavericks for ESPNDallas.com.



http://www.nj.com/ne... ... es_hi.html
Nets' Deron Williams praises his hometown Dallas Mavericks amid uncertainty over his future.
By Colin Stephenson/The Star-Ledger The Star-Ledger.

Deron Williams said he enjoys playing in Dallas' arena and in front of friends and family. The Nets visit the Dallas Mavericks tonight.

DALLAS—"Nets fans who worry that point guard Deron Williams might walk as a free agent this summer and sign with his hometown Dallas Mavericks won’t get any reassurance from Williams’ comments after the Nets’ practice Monday at Southern Methodist University.

“I always like playing here,” Williams said when asked about his thoughts on playing in Dallas’ American Airlines Center, where the Nets will take on the Mavericks tonight. “It’s probably my favorite (arena) to play in. I just enjoy playing here — I enjoy playing in front of my friends, family. It’s always good they get the chance to come and see me play.”

Williams could play in front of his family and friends 41 times a year if he signs with the Mavericks this summer, and Nets coach Avery Johnson admitted he realizes that is a very real possibility.

“For me personally, working for Mark Cuban, he’s a threat, okay?” said Johnson, who coached the Mavs 2005-2008. “I know the guy. So I think because of the success he’s had — and I know he got criticized a lot for ... all those years where he didn’t win a championship — but he’s had some really great success here that rivals any situation. So that’s a threat. And for us, we don’t make any assumptions until we get Deron signed on the dotted line.

“So the main thing is, we keep doing what we’re doing, Deron’s been a major part of what we’re doing behind the scenes,” Johnson said. “He’s been a major part of what we’re doing with the new Barclays Center. So we’re saying he’s doing all of that with the intent that he’s going to remain with us in the future.”

But the uncertainty remains, and Williams is not willing to do anything to clear anything up. It is assumed that if the Nets are successful in acquiring Howard, either in a trade before the March 15 deadline, or as a free agent July 1, Williams will re-sign with the Nets after he opts out of the final year of his deal to become an unrestricted free agent. If the Nets don’t get Howard, well, that’s where it gets dicey. Most people assume in that case Williams would bolt the Nets and likely sign with the Mavericks, who are trying to clear out salary cap room to be able to offer near-max deals to both Williams and Howard.

Asked about his future Monday, Williams delivered what has become his standard response: “You know, I’m just trying to play out the season and look at my options after the season.”

He repeated that answer two more times in the interview, with a playful smile on his face.

Williams was asked whether he likes the arena itself, or just the idea of playing home.

“Home,” he said. “(And) I just like the arena. I think it’s a good shooting background. I just enjoy playing here. Fans — the fans are great. It’s always good when arenas have a lot of energy. Ours (the Prudential Center) doesn’t have too much energy.”

Of course, to be fair, the Nets have won only three games in Newark this season, so it’s not like the team has given the fans much reason to cheer.

NOTES:
Williams actually missed practice at SMU because he went for an MRI on his left foot, which he said swelled up before Sunday’s All-Star game. He brushed off questions about the foot, though, saying it doesn’t hurt. He said he didn’t want to miss practice, and insisted he will play tonight.

The Nets signed 6-8 F Gerald Green, who won MVP honors in the D-League All-Star game over the weekend, to a 10-day contract. Green averaged 19.1 points and 4.6 rebounds in 22 games for the Los Angeles D-Fenders this season. He as a first-round pick of the Boston Celtics in 2005 and won the NBA Slam Dunk contest in 2007."


http://www.nydailyne... ... bled=false
NJ Nets point guard Deron Williams says he loves playing in his hometown of Dallas, could be headed to Mavericks after season. Says arena in Big D has a lot more energy than Newark.
By Stefan Bondy / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS.

Avery Johnson knows his star guard, Deron Williams, could end up in Dallas after the season.

DALLAS—"The Mavericks have always been the biggest threat to land Deron Williams and end the Nets’ dream of bringing a championship contender to Brooklyn. Monday, the free-agent-to-be added fuel to that possibility while showering love on Mark Cuban’s palace.

“Fans are great (at American Airways Center). It’s always good when arenas have a lot of energy,” Williams said a day before the Nets play in his hometown for the only time this season. “Ours (in Newark) doesn’t have too much energy.”
Whether it was intended or not, Williams gave indications he is amenable — and perhaps leaning— to signing with the Mavs when he becomes a free agent. He also mentioned the “good shooting background” in Dallas, the comments coming about a month after he criticized the sightlines in the Nets’ stopgap home in Newark, saying, “I don’t like this arena one bit.”

The Nets (10-25) are moving to the $1 billion Barclays Center in Brooklyn next season. Whether Williams goes with them is the question.

“I always like playing (in Dallas),” Williams said. “It’s my favorite arena — one of my favorite arenas to play in, probably my favorite to play in.

“I just enjoy playing here — enjoy playing in front of my friends, family. It’s always good for them to get the chance to come and see me play.”

Avery Johnson said he’s also aware that Williams could end up in Dallas, saying his former boss is the biggest factor.

“For me personally, working for Mark Cuban, he’s a threat,” the coach said. “I know the guy. So I think because of the success he’s had and I know he got criticized a lot for having all those years when he didn’t win a championship.
“But he’s had some really great success here that rivals any situation, so that’s a threat. And for us, we don’t make any assumptions until we get Deron signed on the dotted line.”

For the record, Williams reiterated his line from the All-Star break — “I’m just trying to play out the season and look at my options after the season.” But it seems different from his preseason outlook, when he said there’s a “90%” chance he’d re-sign with the Nets.

Asked Monday to compare Cuban with Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, Williams referenced a hazard of an owner running for president of Russia: Prokhorov is never around, and hasn’t attended a game this season.

“I don’t know Mark Cuban. I’ve come in contact with Mikhail Prokhorov like three times,” Williams said. “I don’t know enough about either one to compare.”

Former Nets star Jason Kidd seemed ready to embrace Williams, saying Monday he’d back up “one of the top point guards in the league.

“Of course, because I know he’ll play 40 minutes so I can give him an eight-minute break,” Kidd said. “Wherever he ends up he’s one of the top point guards in the league.

“If it’s Brooklyn or Dallas, that franchise has a great point guard.”

The Mavericks will have enough cap space to sign Williams in the offseason. If they make some moves — including using their amnesty clause and trading away some big contracts — they can create enough space to also sign Dwight Howard, and, at the time, put a big dent in the Nets before they ever get to Brooklyn."


http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/mavericks/post/_/id/4685668/avery-johnson-mavericks-major-threat-to-sign-deron-williams
Avery Johnson: Mavericks major threat to sign Deron Williams.
Comments By Tim MacMahon.

DALLAS--"All-Star point guard Deron Williams doesn’t want to address the subject of possibly playing in his hometown on a permanent basis during this trip to Dallas, but his coach acknowledged that the Mavericks are a major threat to sign the free agent-to-be.

New Jersey Nets coach Avery Johnson believes that because of the respect he has for his former boss, billionaire Mavs owner Mark Cuban, who has teamed with Dallas president basketball of operations Donnie Nelson to give the Mavs the financial flexibility this summer to attempt to sign Williams and/or Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard.

“He’s a threat, OK?” Johnson said of Cuban after the Nets’ practice Monday night at SMU. “I know the guy. I think because of the success he’s had -- and I know he got criticized a lot for quote-unquote having all those years where he didn’t win a championship -- but he’s had some great success here that rivals any situation. So that’s a threat.”

Williams, whose team plays the Mavericks on Tuesday night, pretended to not be aware that the Mavericks would have enough salary-cap space to be major players in free agency this offseason. He made it clear that he had no intention of discussing the possibility of joining Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas next season.

“I’m just going to play out this season and look at my options after this season,” Williams said, repeating several variations of that statement during a five-minute session with the media.

But Williams, a native of Dallas suburb The Colony who attended several Mavs playoff games during last year’s championship run, acknowledged that he enjoys playing in the American Airlines Center.

“I’ve always liked playing here,” Williams said. “This is one of my favorite arenas to play in, probably my favorite arena to play in. I just enjoy playing in it. I enjoy playing in front of my friends and family. It’s always good for them to get the chance to see me play.”

Williams, who has averaged 22.3 points on 50.3 shooting in 10 career games at the American Airlines Center, said he likes the shooting background in the arena. He also appreciates the atmosphere.

“It’s always good when an arena has a lot of energy,” Williams said. “Ours doesn’t have too much energy.”

The Nets hope that changes when they move into the Barclays Center in Brooklyn next season. They also hope that Williams will be the face of the franchise when that happens.

“For us, we don’t make any assumptions until we get Deron signed on the dotted line,” said Johnson, who played 55 games for the Mavs late in his career and was the head coach in Dallas from 2005-08. “The main thing is we keep doing what we’re doing. Deron’s been a major part of what we’re doing behind the scenes. He’s been a major part of what we’re doing with the new Barclays Center, so we’re saying he’s doing all of that with the intent that he’s going to remain with us in the future.”

However, Johnson is also saying that he’s aware that Cuban’s Mavs will be serious competition for Williams’ services this summer."



http://www.google.co... ... VnVK2fOKJQ
Mavs hoping to form own 'Big 3' this summer.
by Paul Garcia|.

"The Dallas Mavericks are currently in 4th place in the Western Conference at 21-13, and though they're still capable of putting a strong run together to finish the season, the Mavs could be crossing their fingers win or lose this season.

The reason is because after this season, there's a chance the Mavs could land two possible big name free agents in Orlando's Dwight Howard and New Jersey's Deron Williams.

According to the New York Daily News, that is exactly the Mavs' goal this summer.

The ultimate disaster for New Jersey would be if Williams and Howard end up playing together, but not in Brooklyn. With some roster alterations that are doable, including using their one amnesty move on Brendan Haywood, the Mavs could be set up, cap-wise, to accommodate both players.

“The Mavs want to do what Miami did and put together their own big three,’’ said another GM. “That’s their goal.”

Williams privately told members of the Mavs last June during their Finals celebration that he would love to go back home and be a part of team with Dirk Nowitzki.

A lot of cards would have to fall in place for a move like this to take place. The first date to keep an eye on is the March 15 NBA trade deadline, if Howard isn't dealt before that date, then the Mavs' chances will have increased."

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://sportdfw.com/2012/02/29/why-the-dallas-mavericks-should-let-shawn-marion-shoot-more-three-pointers
Why The Dallas Mavericks Should Let Shawn Marion Shoot More Three Pointers.
by Daanesh Ibrahim.

"It’s no secret that Dallas Mavericks’ Forward Shawn Marion has one of the most ‘unique’ jump shots in the NBA. Most fans cringe a little when he launches a three with that “T-Rex form,” often criticizing him for not passing the ball to Dirk Nowitzki or staying under the basket where he belongs. From the 2009-2010 season when he first joined the Mavericks to last year’s championship season, Marion averaged an unimpressive 15.4% from behind the arc (8 out of 52). Teams would literally let him shoot wide open three’s—and with those numbers, who blames them?

Don’t forget “The Matrix” was an above average three point shooter in Phoenix, where he averaged around a 32.1%, so he has the ability. During his years as a Sun, he was the king of fantasy basketball: he contributed across the board. Despite having a skill set that is better suited to staying in the post and the fact that the Mavericks have much better long distance shooters, Marion is shooting 3 pointers far more frequently than last year. He has already attempted more threes (38) than he did all of last season (33), even in this shortened lockout season. It’s paying dividends too. He has hit 34.2% of his attempts from behind the arc this year, and it appears his confidence behind the perimeter is returning.

Why is this important for the Mavericks? In the past, defenses would leave Marion open, if he was near the 3 point line, to encourage a wild shot. This allowed them to concentrate on defending the post or double-teaming Nowitzki. Now, besides the added production, Marion’s success shooting three pointers is forcing defenders to guard him behind the arc. This opens up the floor, spaces the defenders out, and forces them to stay true to their man-to-man assignments. Now that he is having more success, when Marion is wide open with the ball behind the three point line, a defender will run full speed to prevent the shot rather than letting him attempt an uncontested three. As you probably already know, the Dallas Mavericks’ offense is extremely efficient when it is permitted to operate in wide open space. When a defender is forced out beyond the arc to try to defend the three pointer, Marion can either take it to the basket, or pass it with one less defender to worry about. One thing the Mavs excel at is finding the open player.

The Mavericks are already seeing the benefits of Marion’s three-point shooting. This season Brendan Haywood averaged 4.6 points per game up until the January 23rd game against Phoenix, when Marion went 4 out of 6 from three point range and finished with 29 points. Since that game, Haywood has averaged 5.9 points per game. The Mavericks are exploiting the space in the post and making a conscious effort to get Haywood the ball. Along with the high-flyer Brandon Wright, and the driving ability of Vince Carter and Delonte West, the Mavs can get those easy buckets in the paint they previously struggled so much for.


If the Mavericks want this success to continue, Marion has to shoot the three pointers when he is open. He is an above average open shooter, but he struggles if there is a hand in his face (probably due to the release point of the ball). The Mavericks need to make an effort to get him open behind the arc for at least 3 attempts per game, and he has to continue to show that he has the ability to knock down the open shot.

Marion’s shooting may look ugly, but the results would be nothing short of beautiful."


http://espn.go.com/n... ... n-williams
Mavericks and Nets share common goal.
Both hope to unite Dwight Howard and Deron Williams, if L.A. doesn't get in the way.
By Jeff Caplan.
ESPNDallas.com.
DALLAS--"It makes perfect sense that Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard will land in Los Angeles in a couple weeks to play with Kobe Bryant.

It almost seems predestined. Just look at the Los Angeles Lakers' ludicrous lineage: Wilt Chamberlain traded by Philadelphia in 1968; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar traded by Milwaukee in 1975; Shaquille O'Neal signed as a free agent out of Orlando in 1996; Andrew Bynum drafted by L.A. in 2005.

Big men -- dominant big men, the most precious commodity in the history of the game -- spring up in Tinseltown like starlets. And here we sit, 16 days out from the March 15 NBA trade deadline and the Lakers hold the primo hand to nab Howard in a trade. The Magic must first decide to trade him, however, and that means giving up the hope -- the fantasy? -- that Howard can be convinced to stay.

Nets fans, much like Mavs fans, would like to see both Dwight Howard and Deron Williams playing for their team.

Two teams that Howard lists as top destinations play Tuesday night in Dallas -- the woebegone New Jersey Nets with soon-to-be free agent Deron Williams, a wild card in the Howard sweepstakes, and the defending champion Dallas Mavericks with owner Mark Cuban's ready-made roster for implosion this summer and a cap-friendly blueprint to rebuild with a superstar or two around Dirk Nowitzki.

Sometimes the NBA schedule plays funny tricks. Before the All-Star break, Howard and the Magic played at New Jersey. He further seduced Nets fans and Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov by padding a stat line of 20 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals in a blowout win.

Then Howard returned to Orlando and greeted a legion of considerably leery-minded fans at the All-Star Game, serenading them with microphone in hand and spotlight shining down, about how wonderful it is for "our city" to play host to the midseason showcase.

The Avery Johnson-coached Nets, all of 10-25, resume the regular season in Dallas, where the Mavs' dream of not only snapping up Howard, but also taking the Nets' Dallas-reared All-Star point guard Williams, too.

But, back to Howard, the 6-foot-11, three-time defending defensive player of the year who puts up double-doubles in his sleep and 20-20 games with one eye open.


Do the Mavs really have a chance?

They certainly aren't the Lakers when it comes to outfitting centers. James Donaldson hadn't played here since 1992, yet it took until last season for him to finally be unseated as the franchise's No. 1 big man. The list of trees that have traipsed through town since Cuban bought the team is lengthy, mostly loathsome, and loaded down by Cuban's Benjamins.

From Shawn Bradley's extension as a broken-down bit player to Evan Eschmeyer's odd pay day to Raef LaFrentz to Erick Dampier to DeSagana Diop to Brendan Haywood, Cuban has showered centers with contracts that approach $300 million. To Cuban's credit, he's also gotten off the hook early on several deals, such as LaFrentz's seven-year, $69 million mistake and Diop's $32 million full mid-level blunder, by convincing some other team to take them on and pay the bill.

Cuban said he has never regretted handing one out.

"No, not really because you build a team," Cuban said. "You guys [the media] are so intense about how much you pay one guy. Well, the value of the rest of your roster goes to hell if you don't have that one guy, so it's about what it costs to build a team, nothing else, absolutely nothing else.

"Anybody who worries about the price per position is a moron and they deserve to be in last place like they probably are."

For example, Cuban says, Dampier's seven-year, $73 million contract on the heels of his one and only double-double season with Golden State, paid off with a trip to the 2006 NBA Finals.

"We don't go there with no center," Cuban said. "You don't get anywhere."

Of course, the Dampier deal paid off even more handsomely when Cuban and president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson parlayed the $13 million nonguaranteed final year on Dampier's contract for 7-foot-1 center Tyson Chandler and a championship.

The irony, of course, is that the Mavs finally found their big man -- athletic, good hands, nasty defender, vocal leader -- and Cuban chooses to let him walk.

The new collective bargaining agreement changed the game for Cuban, leading him to chase summer cap space, the golden ticket to make a full-force charge at Howard, as well as Williams, one of the elite point guards for which Howard is apparently desperately yearning.

"I would have been one of those morons if I would have tried to anticipate and try to guess," Cuban said, referring to why he didn't re-sign Chandler to a mega-deal prior to the lockout as Chandler admittedly had hoped. "Whatever the rules are, you read them, you learn them, try to evaluate them and try to make the best decisions possible."

In 16 days, Cuban will better know if a decision on Howard or Williams or both is coming in July. And really, what decision would there be? If one or both want to make Dallas home, then Cuban will surely spare no cost to oblige.

There are rumors swirling that both Howard and Williams will land in Big D in what would be the most ballyhooed free-agent double-dip since LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in South Beach. Some suggest Williams is headed home no matter what.

Still, it's not a slam dunk. If the Nets believe they can't get Howard in a trade, they could opt to deal Williams or risk holding onto him with the hope of ultimately alluring both to Brooklyn.

On Monday night, two teams meet in Dallas with vastly differing season goals, but bound by the common objective of contending for future championships by pairing an elite point guard with the top center of his generation.

That is if the Lakers don't get in the way first.


THE CHASE FOR A CENTER
The centers who have graced the Dallas Mavericks' roster after Mark Cuban took over ownership Jan. 14, 2000, with the ones he re-signed and the contracts he awarded:

Player Seasons The Big Deal Result
Alexis Ajinca 2010-11
Calvin Booth 2001/2004-05
Shawn Bradley 1996-2005 7 years, $35 million Retired with three years left on deal
Tyson Chandler 2010-11
Erick Dampier 2004-10 7 years, $73 million* Traded to Charlotte (7-13-10) after sixth year of deal
DeSagana Diop 2005-08/08-09 5 years, $32 million Traded to Charlotte (1-16-09) during first year of deal
Evan Eschmeyer 2001-03/04-06 6 years, $20 million Traded to Golden State (8-18-03), traded back (8-24-04), retired (10-23-04) with two years left on deal
Danny Fortson 2003-04
Brendan Haywood 2010-present 6 years, $55 million** Starting center in second year of deal
Ryan Hollins 2009
Raef LaFrentz 2001-03 7 years, $69 million Traded to Boston (10-20-03) after first year of deal
Jamaal Magloire 2007-08
D.J.Mbenga 2004-07
Mamadou N'Diaye 2001-02
Pavel Podkolzin 2004-06
Wang Zhizhi 2000-02

*Final year, $13 million, was not guaranteed **Final year, $10.5 million, is a team option."


http://espn.go.com/d... ... esday-game
Lamar Odom not back with Mavs.
Comments By Jeff Caplan.
ESPNDallas.com.

DALLAS--"Lamar Odom missed Tuesday's home against the New Jersey Nets and will also miss Wednesday's game at the Memphis Grizzlies as he remains away from the team to tend to a family matter, coach Rick Carlisle said Tuesday.

Mavs owner Mark Cuban said Tuesday that he expects Odom to return to the team, but he doesn't know when that will be. Cuban said that Odom is "dealing with issues and like we do with anybody else who's had personal issues, my job is to help him out and not to comment beyond that.

"He has to clear things out and that's what we're trying to help him do."

Cuban reiterated that he will not negotiate a buyout of Odom's contract and that he believes the 6-foot-10 forward will remain with the team for the remainder of the season. However, Cuban could not say with confidence that Odom in a state of mind conducive to be a consistent contributor for the defending champions in the second half of the season.

"Every player goes through ups and downs. But, when an issue happens it happens," Cuban said. "We just won't know until we know and we'll provide him all the support he needs to get where he wants to go."

Two sources with knowledge of Odom's thinking told ESPN.com's Marc Stein on Monday night that -- while the 32-year-old admittedly did briefly ponder retirement during the offseason following the death of a younger cousin -- Odom wants to keep playing despite his season-long struggles.

Odom left the team last Wednesday to attend to his ill father in Los Angeles, a source confirmed Monday. But, as his absence closes in on one week, it is unclear if the reason for his extended absence is due to his father's health or other issues.

Asked if Odom is excused from the team indefinitely, Cuban said, "We'll just keep on working with him and when it's resolved it's resolved."

If Odom decides he doesn't want to return, Cuban might have to revisit the buyout option. But, for now Cuban said setting Odom free with a buyout is not the answer. He defended Odom's underwhelming statistics this season -- 7.7 points and 4.5 rebounds a game -- and said Monday night that Odom can still be a "huge plus" for the team.

"We're not going to buy out anybody, there's no reason to do it. We're not going to do that," Cuban said. "That's not the way we work. We try to find what the problem is and fix it."

Odom, the Sixth Man of the Year last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, has had a disappointing two months in his first season with the Mavs. He had trouble overcoming the death of his younger cousin last summer and reported to the Mavs admittedly out of shape.

He had three poor games before leaving the team, which followed three hopeful ones that had Carlisle suggesting on his weekly ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM radio show that they were as close as they'd been all season to seeing Odom turn the corner.

"It's going to work itself out one way or another," Mavericks guard Jason Kidd said of the Odom situation. "We just hope it works itself out soon."

After Tuesday morning's shootaround, Carlisle said he would update Odom's situation on Thursday when the team has an off-day in New Orleans.

The Mavs will be without Odom on Tuesday night and reserve point guard Delonte West, who is expected to miss a few more weeks after undergoing surgery on his fractured right ring finger.

Dallas will have backup guard Rodrigue Beaubois, who returned Monday after leaving the team last week following the death of his father."

Jeff Caplan covers the Mavericks for ESPNDallas.com. Marc Stein of ESPN.com contributed to this report.



{C}http://espn.go.com/d... ... -mavericks{C}
Lamar Odom not back with Mavs yet.
Comments By Jeff Caplan.
ESPNDallas.com.
DALLAS--"Lamar Odom did not report back to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday and coach Rick Carlisle did not give a timetable for the forward's return.

Odom left the team last Wednesday to attend to his ill father in Los Angeles, a source confirmed. Odom missed the Mavs' loss to his former team, the Lakers, and apparently won't be in uniform when Dallas resumes the regular season at home Tuesday night against the New Jersey Nets.

"Lamar is not here today," Carlisle said Monday. "He is still dealing with a family matter and the hope is he'll join us soon, and we'll update you when there's an update."

Amid rumors that Odom might not return to the Mavericks and a midseason buyout could be a possibility, owner Mark Cuban told ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon via email Monday night: "We haven't discussed a buyout and we wouldn't do a buyout. No chance that happens at all. We want to help Lamar work through any personal issues and expect him to be a valuable contributor to the Mavs this season. Players go through challenges from time to time and we try to be (an) organization that fully supports our players when things are challenging for them. We will do the same for Lamar."

Two sources with knowledge of Odom's thinking told ESPN.com's Marc Stein on Monday night that -- while the 32-year-old admittedly did briefly ponder retirement during the offseason following the death of a younger cousin -- Odom wants to keep playing despite his season-long struggles.

Guard Rodrigue Beaubois did return to the Mavs on Monday. The third-year guard missed the last five games after the death of his father.

Odom has had a disappointing two months in his first season with the Mavs. He had trouble overcoming the death of his younger cousin last summer and reported to the Mavs admittedly out of shape.

He has averaged 7.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in 32 games. He won the league's Sixth Man of the Year award last season with the Lakers having averaged 14.4 points and 8.7 rebounds.

After three hopeful games in which Odom averaged 11.0 points on 13-of-25 shooting and 3.9 rebounds, Odom followed up in his final three games before the All-Star break with a total of 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Carlisle expressed optimism Friday during his weekly appearance on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM's "Galloway & Co." that Odom was getting close to turning a corner.

"I think we're closer than we've ever been to him playing well," Carlisle said. "We've just got to stay the course and stay positive about it. The guy's too good of a player and ... he has two bad games in a row and everybody's ready to jump again, but I'm not going there.

"I'm looking forward to getting him back after the break, and we're going to get right back at it. These nine games in 12 days will completely immerse all of us, and we won't have time to think twice about anything, so we're just going to play."

[jcisco loboe'77]

Tuesday, February 28,2012
7:30 PM CT-American Airlines Center, Dallas,TX
FINAL
NJN-28-28-23-14=93
DAL-23-22-31-16=92


New Jersey Nets (11-25) field goals......rebounds
pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba=pts
D. Stevenson G 17:13 0-2 0-2 0-0 -3 0 4 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 0
K. Humphries F 37:05 5-7 0-0 0-0 -11 4 11 15 0 3 1 4 3 1 10
B. Lopez C 36:14 17-28 0-0 4-5 +5 3 3 6 1 1 0 2 0 3 38
M. Brooks G-F 33:40 2-4 0-1 2-2 -3 1 1 2 3 3 2 2 1 0 6
D. Williams G 37:39 3-15 2-9 4-5 -8 0 4 4 12 1 2 4 0 0 12
G. Green 18:42 4-6 2-3 0-0 +2 1 1 2 1 3 0 2 0 0 10
A. Morrow 27:44 5-15 3-9 2-2 +6 1 2 3 0 2 1 3 0 2 15
She. Williams 04:36 0-0 0-0 0-0 -2 0 2 2 0 4 1 0 0 0 0
J. Petro 16:08 1-4 0-0 0-0 +10 2 6 8 1 0 1 0 0 0 2
S. Gaines 10:58 0-3 0-1 0-0 +9 0 7 7 5 2 0 2 0 1 0
J. Farmar....DND - Groin Strain
D. James....NWT - Right Foot Surgery
J. Williams..DNP - Coach's Decision
Total....240 37-84 7-25 12-14 12 41 53 23 21 9 19 4 7=93
...............44.0% 28.0% 85.7% team rebs: 3 total to: 19


Dallas Mavericks (21-14) field goals.........rebounds
pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba=pts
S. Marion F 30:55 5-16 1-3 0-0 +6 4 4 8 2 4 0 3 0 1 11
D. Nowitzki F 36:11 7-19 3-4 7-11 +6 4 6 10 1 0 3 1 0 1 24
B. Haywood C 29:12 7-10 0-0 4-5 +8 5 5 10 1 4 1 0 3 0 18
V. Carter G-F 22:24 1-4 0-2 0-1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 2
J. Kidd G 29:51 1-7 1-7 0-0 +7 0 4 4 8 0 2 1 0 0 3
R. Beaubois 24:09 3-10 1-3 4-4 -13 1 2 3 2 1 3 2 0 1 11
Y. Jianlian 07:38 1-3 0-0 2-3 -4 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4
J. Terry 33:00 4-14 2-6 2-2 -1 0 4 4 3 0 4 4 2 0 12
D. Jones 03:47 0-0 0-0 0-0 -2 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
I. Mahinmi 12:23 1-4 0-0 1-2 -6 3 4 7 0 1 0 0 0 1 3
B. Wright 06:25 2-2 0-0 0-0 -3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4
B. Cardinal 04:05 0-0 0-0 0-0 -3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
L. Odom....NWT - Personal Reasons
Total.........240 32-89 8-25 20-28 17 32 49 19 12 13 13 7 4=92
....................36.0% 32.0% 71.4% team rebs: 9 total to: 13


inactive
Nets: Okur, Williams
Mavericks: West, Williams

technical fouls
Nets: --
Mavericks: --

scoring
Lead Changes: 4
Times Tied: 6

arena stats
Arena: American Airlines Center, Dallas,TX
Officials: #57 Greg Willard, #26 Pat Fraher, #6 Tony Brown
Attendance: 20170
Duration: 2:14




Lopez scores 38 as Nets beat Mavericks 93-92.
By STEPHEN HAWKINS.

DALLAS (AP)"Brook Lopez missed almost the first two months of the season because of a broken right foot, and the New Jersey Nets eased him back into the lineup.
While the 7-foot center finally played his first two games last week, his minutes were somewhat limited and he was even inactive for the game in between those. There was more rest during the All-Star break over the weekend before the Nets finally let him loose.
Lopez scored 38 points, including the go-ahead free throws with 42 seconds left, and the Nets held on for a 93-92 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
"We kind of took the handcuffs off him. We weren't putting him on a minute restriction," New Jersey coach Avery Johnson said. "He got a pretty good rest over the break, and we kept feeding him."
The two free throws by Lopez came right after the Mavericks had taken the lead with a 13-2 run after missing 14 consecutive field goals.
Jason Kidd's 3-pointer from the right wing only 6 seconds earlier had put Dallas ahead 92-91.
Jason Terry forced a turnover with 18 seconds left, and Dallas called timeout. Kidd then had the ball in the left corner, but it was knocked loose by DeShawn Stevenson. Kidd got it back but his desperate heave at the buzzer was short.
Stevenson, who got his NBA championship ring from the Mavericks before the game, thrust both arms in the air as it ended. He was scoreless, but part of the game-ending play.
"It's tough with Dirk (Nowitzki). I've seen that move about 1,000 times, so I kind of cheated that way, and he passed to Jason Kidd," said Stevenson, who left Dallas in free agency. "I was going to jump, and I got my hand on the ball and got a win off of that."
The 38 points by Lopez, one short of his career high, were the most against the Mavericks since LeBron James scored 37 for Miami in the season opener on Christmas Day.
Anthony Morrow had 15 points for the Nets, while Deron Williams had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
"Brook was a monster tonight. He carried us from the start. With him back, we're a different team," Williams said. "I just wasn't feeling it and Brook was."
Nowitzki had 24 points despite shooting 7 of 19 from the field and 7 of 11 from the free-throw line. Brendan Haywood had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Dallas, which shot only 36 percent (32 of 89).
"It was brutal, like the whole game. We were off. We couldn't make a shot," Nowitzki said. "It was ugly, ball-handling and shooting. Everything was sloppy. It was a tough night. It wasn't the way we wanted to start this off, with a loss a home."
The Mavericks played the first of nine games in 12 days, a stretch that will take them to seven different cities and three time zones. They have lost three of their last four games.
When Lopez scored with 5:23 left, the Nets had an 89-79 lead and Dallas still hadn't made a field goal in the fourth quarter.
Terry drove for a right-handed layup with 1:22 left to get the Mavs within 91-89. He then blocked a shot by Morrow. When Kris Humphries rebounded the miss, Terry stole it. That led to Kidd's go-ahead 3-pointer.
Williams, a free agent at the end of the season who is from the Dallas area, got off to a fast start in his only game this season against the Mavericks. He had 10 points, four assists and two rebounds in the first 9 minutes while New Jersey built a 24-18 lead.
Williams missed his last 10 field-goal attempts in the game, adding only two more points after his early surge.
"Deron wanted those shots to go down like he was in his backyard," said Johnson, who before the game said he believes Williams has every intention to re-sign with the Nets but isn't surprised by free agency speculation. "He's a guy who can hit 30 and 15 on a night."
Lopez scored 13 consecutive points for the Nets during over a more than 9-minute span of the second quarter.
"The guys got the ball to me in spots where I could lay it up and score," Lopez said.

NOTES: Terry took over sixth place on the NBA career list for 3-pointers made. He has 1,720, which is 40 shy of Peja Stojakovic at No. 5.
... The only member of Dallas' 2010-11 team who hasn't received his ring is Tyson Chandler. His new team, the New York Knicks, are in Dallas next Tuesday night.
... Nets G Jordan Farmar missed his fourth straight game with a strained right groin. Johnson said Farmar could be back Friday at Boston or Sunday at Charlotte.
... Lamar Odom missed his second straight game for Dallas for personal reasons. He will also be out Wednesday night at Memphis."

{C}http://www.nba.com/g... ... GIboxscore{C}
Notebook: Nets 93, Mavericks 92
By Dave Ivey, for NBA.com.

"THE FACTS: Playing just his third game of the season because of a broken foot, Brook Lopez stomped all over the Mavericks in the Nets' stunning 93-92 victory Tuesday. Lopez scored a season-high 38 points and sank the game-winning free throws with 42.4 seconds left, snapping a 12-game losing streak in Dallas by New Jersey that dated back to March 2, 2000.
Deron Williams added 12 points and 12 assists and Anthony Morrow scored 15 points off the bench for New Jersey. Dirk Nowitzki (24 points, 10 rebounds) and Brendan Haywood (season-high 18 points, 10 boards) posted double-doubles for Dallas, which shot just 36.0 percent against a Nets team that entered the game ranked last in the league in field-goal defense (48.1 percent).

QUOTABLE: "We kind of took the handcuffs off [Lopez] tonight. We weren't putting him on a minute restriction. We've got a pretty good schedule right now and he got a pretty good rest over the break, so we just kept feeding him."
-- Nets head coach Avery Johnson, who coached Dallas from 2004-08 and played for the Mavericks in 2002-03.

THE STAT: The Mavericks are 1-10 this season when behind entering the fourth quarter. They are also 1-10 in games where they have trailed by 10 or more points.

TURNING POINT: Dallas missed its first 14 shots in the fourth quarter and trailed 89-79 with less than five minutes remaining. That should have clinched it for the Nets, but the Mavs rallied with a 13-2 run and took a brief 92-91 lead on a 3-pointer with 48.9 seconds left by Jason Kidd. That turned out to be the only basket of the night for Kidd (1-for-7, all from 3-point range). After Lopez converted his two decisive free throws on the next possession, Kidd missed with 25.9 seconds left and then missed a contested 3-pointer at the final buzzer after the Nets' defense had ganged up on Nowitzki.

HOT: Lopez matched his previous season high in the second quarter alone, scoring 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting. He accounted for 13 straight points by the Nets during one stretch.

NOT: Even though one of them didn't count because of a lane violation by the Nets, Nowitzki missed three consecutive free throws at 7:59 of the second quarter. That's about as rare as snow in Dallas for a player who has finished in the top 10 in the NBA in free-throw percentage nine times and entered the game ranked fifth among active players and 14th all-time at 87.7 percent for his career.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Lopez was 17-for-28 from the field and 4-for-5 at the line. Nowitzki was just 7-for-19 from the floor and 7-for-11 at the stripe. Williams was just 3-for-15 and missed his last 10 shots.

INSIDE THE ARENA: About 18 hours after crossing the finish line, 2012 Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth was at the American Airlines Center. Before the game, he received a basketball autographed by the Mavericks from head coach Rick Carlisle and presented Carlisle with a signed hat.

ROOKIE WATCH: Guard MarShon Brooks started for the Nets and contributed six points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals.

NOTABLE: New Jersey forward DeShawn Stevenson received his 2011 NBA championship ring from the Mavericks during a pregame ceremony. He was center stage at the end of the game, too, getting a hand in Kidd's face and contesting the final shot.
... Dallas began a stretch of nine games over 12 days in seven cities.
... Nets guard Jordan Farmar (strained right groin) did not dress.
... Mavs forward Lamar Odom (personal reasons) was not with the team and will miss at least one more game.
... A trey by Jason Terry with 2:26 left in the third was the 1,720th 3-pointer of his career, moving him past Dale Ellis for sixth place on the NBA's all-time list.

UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Wednesday @ Memphis, Friday @ New Orleans, Saturday vs. Utah. For the Nets, Friday @ Boston, Sunday @ Charlotte, Tuesday @ Miami."


.........Nets-Mavericks
FG%==44.0%-36.0%
3FG%=28.0%-32.0%
FT%==85.7%-71.4%


.......................NJN-DAL
Total Rebounds......53-49
Offensive Rebounds.12-17
Turnovers............19-13
Fast Break Pts.......25-13
Biggest Lead.........13--3
Points in the Paint..42-36

................NJN........DAL
p........Lopez=38..Nowitzki=24
rb.Humphries=15 .2 players=10
a.....Williams=12........Kidd=8
s......2 players=2...................................Terry=4
b...Humphries=3................................Haywood=3



....SERIES...(0-1)
02/28 - NJN 93 @ DAL 92


Southwest....W-L...PCT...GB.CONF.DIV HOME ROAD L 10 STREAK
San Antonio.24-10 0.706..0.0 18 -8 8-3 13-1 11 -9 9-1 W 1
Dallas...........21-14 0.600..3.5 15 -9 3-1 13-7..8 -7 7-3 L 2
Houston......21-14 0.600..3.5 13-12 4-4 15-4 6-10 7-3 W 4
Memphis.....19-15 0.559..5.0 12-13 4-4 13-5 6-10 7-3 W 1
New Orleans.8-26 0.235 16.0..3-19 0-7.3-14 5-12 4-6 L 1

[jcisco loboe'77]

Noteables...
...Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd played in his 1,271st career game, moving past John Havlicek into sole possession of 17th place on the NBA's all-time list.
...Kidd ranks first among active players and tied for 16th place all-time with 1,274 games played. The 17-year veteran has started 1,261 of the 1,274 games he has appeared in over the course of his NBA career. He needs only five more games to move past A.C. Green and into 15th place on the NBA’s all-time list.
...Kidd appeared in his 1,286th career game vs. LAC (2/13/12) and is now tied with S. Perkins for 13th place
on the all-time list for games played.


...KIDD PULLING CLOSER TO MJ ON STEALS LIST: At 38 years old, Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd is still averaging 2.3 steals per game this season. He recorded a season-high six steals in his return to the starting lineup against Sacramento (1/14/12) after missing four games with a sore lower back (1/7/12-1/13/12).
...Kidd, who has been named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team four times (1999, 2001, 2002, 2006) and NBA All-Defensive Second Team five times (2000, 2003,2004, 2005, 2007), recorded two steals at the L.A. Lakers on 1/16/12, giving him 2,500 for his career. He needs just 15 more thefts to pass Michael Jordan (2,514)
for second place on the NBA’s all-time steals list. John Stockton is the NBA’s all-time steals leader with 3,265 career thefts.


...Jason Terry recorded two steals to go along with his 10 points at Minnesota (1/1). With his second theft, he moved past Rolando Blackman (668) and into sixth place on the Mavericks’ all-time steals list. Brad Davis ranks fifth ahead of Terry on the Mavericks’ all-time steals list with 712 thefts.
...Terry (15,956 points) passed "Pistol" Pete Maravich (15,948) for 93rd place on the NBA's all-time scoring list
...Terry took over sixth place on the NBA career list for 3-pointers made. He has 1,720, which is 40 shy of Peja Stojakovic at No. 5.
...A trey by Jason Terry with 2:26 left in the third was the 1,720th 3-pointer of his career, moving him past Dale Ellis for sixth place on the NBA's all-time list.




...Shawn Marion is the only Maverick to start all 29 games this season.



...Brendan Haywood had three blocks at Minnesota on 1/1/12,giving him 1,000 for his career. Haywood has had six seasons with 100-plus swats, including four straight from 2002-06.
...Haywood recorded his 500th career start vs.IND (2/3/12).



...Vince Carter ranks 8th in the NBA in 3FG%(.458).



...Dirk Nowitzki's 10-foot fadeaway at 7:40 of the second quarter was the 8,000th field goal of his career. He is the fourth active player and 31st in NBA history to reach that milestone and he currently ranks fourth
among active players in field goals made (behind Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan).
...Nowitzki became the first player in Mavericks history and 98th in NBA history to appear in 1,000 regular-season games.
...Nowitzki, whose first season in Dallas was in 1998-99, is the third-longest tenured player with his original team (L.A.L.’s Kobe Bryant 1996-97; San Antonio’s Tim Duncan 1997-98).
...He passed Brad Davis (883) for the most games played in franchise history at Phoenix on 1/28/10.
...Dirk Nowitzki, currently has 984 career rejections and needs 16 to reach the milestone himself. Nowitzki is the only player in NBA history to record at least 100 blocks and 150 3-pointers in a single season (2000-01). He ranks second on Dallas’ all-time blocks list behind Shawn Bradley (1,250).
...Dirk needs 2 blocks to become the 3rd player in NBA history with 1,000+ blocks and 1,000+ 3-pointers (C. Robinson, R. Wallace).
... Nowitzki has scored 25 or more points 437 times in his career
...DIRK REACHES 23K, CLOSING IN ON 20TH ALL-TIME: Dirk Nowitzki scored his 23,000th career point against Milwaukee on 1/13/12 with his first free throw at the 7:17 mark of the second quarter. He became the 23rd player in NBA history (third active player) to achieve the milestone.. Nowitzki passed Hal Greer (21,586), Larry Bird (21,791), Gary Payton (21,813) and Clyde Drexler (22,195) on the all-time scoring list in 2010-11. He ranks third among active players in career scoring, trailing only Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett. Only three other players born outside of the United States have more career points than the 7-footer from Germany: Hakeem Olajuwon (26,946, born in Nigeria),Dominique Wilkins (26,668, born in France) and Patrick Ewing (24,815, born in Jamaica). Nowitzki reached the 20,000-point mark during the 2009-10 season, becoming the first European-born player to achieve the milestone.


NBA’S ALL-TIME SCORING LIST
RANK PLAYER CAREER PTS
20 Robert Parish 23,334
21 Adrian Dantley 23,177
22 Dirk Nowitzki 23,154
23 Elgin Baylor 23,149
24 Ray Allen 22,467
25 Clyde Drexler 22,195.

Nowitzki (23,154) passed Elgin Baylor (23,149) to move into 22nd place in NBA history in career points. Adrian Dantley (23,177) is 21st.



Of the active players in the NBA who have tallied the most double-doubles in their careers, the
Mavericks have three players that rank in the top 10.
...Jason Kidd’s 485 career double-doubles rank third among active players,
...Shawn Marion’s 392 rank sixth and
...Dirk Nowitzki’s 359 rank eighth. Kidd ranks first among active players and third all-time (behind Oscar Robertson, 181, and Magic Johnson, 138) with 107 career triple-doubles.

NOTABLES: Dallas has held 13 of 14 opponents to fewer than 100 points.

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.nba.com/games/20120229/DALMEM/gameinfo.html?ls=gt2hp0021100518

Mavericks-Grizzlies Preview.
By MATT BEARDMORE.

"The Dallas Mavericks couldn't get their offense in gear as they stumbled in their first game following the All-Star break.

Heading to Memphis might not be the best place for the defending NBA champs to try to fix that.

Dallas continues a busy stretch of its schedule Wednesday night when the surging Grizzlies open the second half eyeing a season-high fifth straight home win.

Winners of seven of nine heading into the break, the Mavericks (21-14) lost 93-92 at home to New Jersey on Tuesday to finish its three-game stretch in Dallas with one win.

The Mavs shot 36.0 percent from the field, missing 14 consecutive field goals at one point.

"It was brutal, like the whole game. We were off. We couldn't make a shot," Dirk Nowitzki said after scoring 24 points on 7-of-19 shooting. "It was ugly, ball-handling and shooting. Everything was sloppy. It was a tough night. It wasn't the way we wanted to start this off, with a loss a home."

Dallas, which plays eight games in the next 11 days, begins a stretch of six of eight away from home. It will be the first of two trips to Memphis in 2011-12.

The Mavs' last game at FedExForum, an 89-70 loss Jan. 15, 2011, was one they'd probably like to forget. With Nowitzki back following a nine-game absence with a sprained right knee, Dallas shot a season-low 32.4 percent in its lowest scoring game of the season.

Nowitzki was ejected in that contest for arguing a foul call, and the Grizzlies capitalized on his third-period departure with their best defensive effort of 2010-11.

Memphis (19-15) has held its opponents to 91.8 points per game while winning 13 of 18 at home this season. The Grizzlies, a season-high four games over .500, will try to defend FedExForum again and win for the eighth time in 10 games overall.

That's a major accomplishment considering All-Star forward Zach Randolph has missed the last 30 games with a torn MCL.

Memphis has won 18 of those contests following last Wednesday's 89-76 victory over Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia.

"I think a lot of us don't understand how well we've done for ourselves without having Zach there," point guard Mike Conley said. "He's a big part of our team going forward and last season in the playoffs. With his absence, still being in the hunt and in the playoffs like we are is amazing."

What's even better news for Conley, Rudy Gay, All-Star center Marc Gasol and the rest of the Grizzlies is that Randolph participated in the non-contact portion of Monday's practice and could return soon.

The Mavericks are likely glad they won't be facing Randolph, who averaged 24.3 points and 12.7 rebounds in three games against them in 2010-11.

In the teams' last matchup, Randolph hit a jumper with 0.3 seconds left to give the Grizzlies a 104-103 victory in Dallas on March 6.

Memphis went 3-1 against the Mavericks in 2010-11, posting its first season series win over Dallas. The Mavericks have won 54 of 67 against the Grizzlies, including the playoffs.

If Memphis can extend its home winning streak to five - the team last accomplished that during a 6-0 run from March 14-April 2 - it will match a franchise record with a third consecutive victory over Dallas."



...Series...(0-0)
02/29 - DAL @ MEM
04/04 - MEM @ DAL
04/07 - DAL @ MEM



Wednesday, February 29........Opponent.......Time.........Local TV.................Radio.
...(21-14) Mavericks-vs-Grizzlies (19-15)....7:00pm CT....FSSW...KESN-FM (103.3), KFLC-AM (1270 in Spanish).
FedExForum, Memphis,TN.


Southwest....W-L...PCT...GB.CONF.DIV HOME ROAD L 10 STREAK
Dallas..........21-14 0.600..3.5 15 - 9 3-1 13-7...8 -7 7-3 L 2
Memphis....19-15 0.559..5.0 12-13 4-4 13-5..6-10 7-3 W 1

[jcisco loboe'77]

December Opponent Results
Sun 18 vs Oklahoma City Preseason L 92-106
Tue 20 @ Oklahoma City Preseason L 83-87

2011-12 Dallas Mavericks 21-14
Sun 25 vs Miami L 94-105
Mon 26 vs Denver L 93-115
Thu 29 @ Oklahoma City L 102-104
Fri 30 vs Toronto W 99-86

January Opponent Results
Sun 01 @ Minnesota L 82-99
Mon 02 vs Oklahoma City W 100-87
Wed 04 vs Phoenix W 98-89
Thu 05 @ San Antonio L 71-93
Sat 07 vs New Orleans W 96-81
Tue 10 @ Detroit W 100-86
Wed 11 @ Boston Celtics W 90-85
Fri 13 vs Milwaukee W 102-76
Sat 14 vs Sacramento W 99-60
Mon 16 vs LAL L 70-73
Wed 18 vs LAC L 89-91
Thur 19 vs Utah W 94-91
Sat 21 @ NO W 83-81
Mon 23 vs PHO W 93-87
Wed 25 vs MIN L 90-105
Fri 27 vs Utah W 115-101
Sun 29 vs San Antonio W 101-100
Mon 30 @ Phoenix W 122-99

February Opponent Results
Wed 01 vs Oklahoma City L 86-95
Fri 03 vs IND L 87-98
Sat 04 vs CLE L 88-91.
Wed 08 vs Denver W 105-95.
Fri 10 @ Minnesota W 104-97
Sat 11 vs Portland W 97-94
Mon 13 vs LAC W 96-92
Wed 15 vs Denver W 102-84
Fri 17 @ Philadelphia W 82-75
Sun 19 @ New York L 97-104
Mon 20 Boston W 89-73
Wed 22 LAL L 91-96.
Tue 28 vs New Jersey L 92-93



2011-2012 Division Regular Season Standings
Western Conference
Northwest---------W-L PCT GB CONF DIV HOME ROAD L 10 STREAK
Oklahoma City-1 27 7 0.794 0.0 21-6 5-1 15-1 12-6 8-2 W 5
Portland---------8 18 16 0.529 9.0 13-12 3-2 13-5 5-11 4-6 W 1
Denver-------------18 17 0.514 9.5 9-17 2-4 9-8 9-9 3-7 L 2
Minnesota---------18 17 0.514 9.5 13-8 1-3 10-10 8-7 5-5 W 2
Utah-----------------15 18 0.455 11.5 10-15 3-4 12-6 3-12 2-8 L 4


Pacific----------W-L PCT GB CONF DIV HOME ROAD L 10 STREAK
L.A.C--------3 20 12 0.625 0.0 11-10 2-2 12-5 8-7 5-5 L 1
L.A.L--------6 20 14 0.588 1.0 14-7 4-3 14-2 6-12 6-4 L 1
Golden State--13 18 0.419 6.5 8-12 4-4 9-9 4-9 5-5 L 1
Phoenix--------14 20 0.412 7.0 7-14 3-4 7-9 7-11 4-6 L 1
Sacramento---12 22 0.353 9.0 8-13 2-2 8-5 4-17 3-7 W 2


Southwest------W-L PCT GB CONF DIV HOME ROAD L 10 STREAK
San Antonio-2 24 10 0.706 0.0 18- 8 8-3 13-1 11-9 9-1 W 1
Dallas---------4 21 14 0.600 3.5 15- 9 3-1 13-7..8- 7 7-3 L 2
Houston-----5 21 14 0.600 3.5 13-12 4-4 15-4 6-10 7-3 W 4
Memphis----7 19 15 0.559 5.0 12-13 4-4 13-5 6-10 7-3 W 1
New Orleans---8 26 0.235 16.0 3-19 0-7 3-14 5-12 4-6 L 1

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/7631769/dallas-mavericks-dirk-nowitzki-leaves-tight-back-memphis-grizzlies

Dirk Nowitzki expects to play Friday.
•Comments By Jeff Caplan
ESPNDallas.com
Dirk Hurt In Mavs' Loss.
Dirk Nowitzki exits early with lower back tightness and the Mavericks fall to the Grizzlies 96-85.

MEMPHIS--"Lower back tightness forced Dallas Mavericks leading scorer Dirk Nowitzki out of Wednesday's game at Memphis, but the 7-foot forward said he plans to play Friday at New Orleans.
Nowitzki, who left the 95-86 loss to the Grizzlies 51 seconds into the second quarter, said he hurt his back after taking a jump shot during pregame warmups. He tried to play, but was clearly hobbled. He left with one point and four rebounds in less than 10 minutes of action.

After retreating to the locker room to stretch and apply a heating pad in an attempt to loosen his back, Nowitzki said he finally decided to shut it down.

"I took a jump shot in warmups with 20 [minutes] on the clock and just the back locked up a little bit, went stiff," Nowitzki said. "I came back, tried to loosen it up, tried to play in the game, but it wasn't really loose enough to really do something.

"If I'm out there 50 percent, I'm not really helping much anyway, so [I] decided to take the night off, hopefully get some good treatment [Thursday] and have a big game on Friday. We definitely need to stop the bleeding. ... Hopefully, I'll be 100 percent."

The Mavs, already shorthanded with point guard Delonte West sidelined with a fractured finger and Lamar Odom away from the team for personal reasons, are two games into a stretch of nine games in 12 days.

They've lost three in a row and four of five. Dallas will have the Thursday off in New Orleans following the back-to-back before another back-to-back, starting with the Hornets on Friday and then the Utah Jazz at home on Saturday.

"Twenty-four hours, 48, basically until the next game is a long time for a body and I'll be able to get some treatment and recover, but I'm fully planning on it," Nowitzki said of playing Friday.

Nowitzki, being guarded by 7-foot-1 Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, started the second quarter but slowly walked off the floor less than a minute later and headed straight to the locker room with head athletic trainer Casey Smith.

Nowitzki, who does not have a history of back injuries, missed four games in January to strengthen his right knee. Since his return, the reigning NBA Finals MVP raised his scoring more than three points to 19.7 a game.

The Mavs are unsure of Odom's status for Friday, making Nowitzki's return all the more critical to turn their losing skid around.

"Hopefully it's minor," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "Indications are that it's not serious, but we've got to see where we are [Thursday] and then Friday."

Jeff Caplan covers the Mavericks for ESPNDallas.com.



http://espn.go.com/v...clip?id=7628135
The BS Report: Dirk Nowitzki.
The BS Report with Bill Simmons.




http://www.mavsmoney... ... ed-to-stop
Dallas Mavericks @ Memphis Grizzlies Post Game 36 Quotes "Need to stop the bleeding"
by DOH.

"What the Dallas Mavericks and the Memphis Grizzlies said after Game Thirtysix of the Perfect Season.



Quotes
Mavericks
Coach Rick Carlisle


(On the Mavs) "I thought we had some good stretches. Our second quarter was great. The start of the third was OK. Then, in the third, we had some opportunities to score, but couldn't cash in. Then they made a run."

(On Nowitzki) "He had a back issue. He felt something in warm-ups and tried to play. He clearly wasn't moving the way he needed to be moving, so we pulled the plug. So he'll get treatment and we'll see where we are Friday."

(On his back) "Hopefully it's minor. Indications are that it's not serious, but we've got to see where we are Thursday and then Friday."

(On Beaubois) "I loved his aggression — driving the ball, making plays. He got other guys involved, he scored and he caused problems. Second half, he did some good things, but he got a little tired in the second half. This is two games in a row after a 10-day layoff with a family situation and that’s tough. But he gave us what he could give us and I thought he got better tonight."

(On Coach Hollins) "Lionel is a terrific coach. They've gone through some tough times where they lost Rudy Gay for a long period of time, and they got to the playoffs last year, and went to the second round."

(On missing Players) "This is one of the realities of this league. You go with the guys you got.''

(On 7 in 9) "It was a tough night and we’ve got to regroup and get ready for Friday."

Dirk Nowitzki
(On tweaking his back) "I took a jump shot in warmups with 20 minutes on the clock and just the back locked up a little bit, went stiff. I came back, tried to loosen it up, tried to play in the game, but it wasn't really loose enough to really do something.

(On another Injury) "It obviously sucks right now. We’re already down without L.O. and without D-West, we’re on a tough stretch and we need every win, but you don’t want to make things worse, If I'm out there 50 percent, I'm not really helping much anyway, so I decided to take the night off, hopefully get some good treatment Thursday and have a big game on Friday. We definitely need to stop the bleeding. Hopefully, I'll be 100 percent."

(On rest) "Twenty-four hours, 48, basically until the next game is a long time for a body and I'll be able to get some treatment and recover, but I'm fully planning on it [playing]."

Jason Kidd
(On the Losingstreak) "We’ve got to keep playing. We’ve got enough veteran guys in here that know how to win."

Jason Terry
(On his Shot MiA) "Right now, it is just not going down and I got to find it. That's my job. I worked too hard for it not to go down.''

(On Injuries and missing Players) "We can't worry about that. Whoever's here, you got to go out and get the job done. Hopefully, I can pick up the slack.''

(On no Dirk = no Offense) "Even with him not on the floor, it's our same problems that we've been having. We've got to stick with what works, and we didn't do that. When we were having success there were certain situations that we were doing offensively that got us buckets, and then we went stagnant. We weren't doing what got us there, so regardless of who's on the floor if we're having success with something we have to stick with it."

Rodrigue Beaubois
(On struggling in the 2nd half) "I just kept pushing myself. But then in the second half, I was out of gas. I have to fight through it and get back in shape. But tonight, for sure, I felt it."

Brendan Haywood
(On the Game) "It was very tough playing without Dirk, just because of the kind of situation. It was tough for us to overcome. Basically all those things mounted up against us tonight.''

(On the Mavs) "We got to be more consistent. We had some lulls. We got to make sure the ball moves and we can't turn it over. The third quarter definitely put them in a great position to win the game. They had a good run. In the second half of the third quarter, we were really on a tough drought where we couldn't really get good shots or just get a good offensive feel."

Memphis Grizzlies
Coach Lionel Hollins
(On the game) "They were attacking us, and we were playing too conservative on defense in terms of trying to take them off the three point line instead of taking away the paint first. In the second half I thought we did a much better job. We gave up 17 points in the second half in the paint. Usually we’re somewhere in the 35-40 range for the whole game. They had 35 at halftime. We corrected that a little bit and did a much better job in their pick- and- rolls. They tried to go small. We were able to switch a lot of things that took them out of rhythm, and our offense versus their zone was outstanding. Our ball movement and our aggressiveness of attacking the zone was one of the keys to winning the game because it made them have to play man-to-man, which is what they didn’t want to do against us because of the size they were playing with. Once Dirk (Nowitzki) went out and (Brendan) Haywood got into a little bit of foul trouble, they weren’t able to really match up with us but our execution against the zone was superb."

(On the players) "Quincy Pondexter played extremely well. He was a little bit bigger than O.J. Mayo and when they had Rodrigue Beaubois and Jason Terry, I wanted to get a bigger guy on Vince Carter and let Tony Allen guard Terry and we slowed him down after that match up in the fourth quarter. Rather, it was key for us ballooning the lead up."

(On Dirk Nowitzki leaving the game) "We didn’t have to worry about that. I thought overall we played extremely well. We shot the ball decent. They were shooting 54 percent in the first half and they wound up at 44 so they had to be somewhere in the 30’s through the second half. That was also key thing we did in the second half was predicated to our defense. Then when they went back to zone, we attacked and attacked and we wound up getting a very sweet win. It’s nice to have taken care of business."

Tony Allen
(On the 2nd Quarter) "It was slippage. Coach Lionel Hollins came to the sideline, threw that clipboard down, and I think guys looked at that as a time to respond."

(On the game) "We were getting after it in practice the past few days and the guys came in ready to work. Today was a reflection of that. The guys took care of themselves over the weekend. They came home from the weekend and were ready to work and brought it here tonight on our home court."

(On Defense) "When you've got five guys under 40 out there focused on the defensive end, great things happen. We got deflections, steals, we kind of won the 50-50 balls."

Mike Conley
(On the game) "Our tempo was better in the second half, defensively. We did a great job running them up the three-point line. We played our style defensively and did a good job in our transition. When we play in a comfortable zone like that we are hard to beat. It was a great win, it says a lot about our discipline. Throughout the last five days, we have had a lot of time to think and rest and the guys came back from the All-Star Weekend with the right focus and mindset to be ready to play tonight and to beat a ...... team like Dallas. Marc Gasol played well tonight. We tried to play through our big guys. Marc can find guys and be aggressive when the time is needed."

(On the weekend) "It’s a very winnable game, we understand that it’s going to be tough especially being on the road in Toronto. We have to come with the right mind set being focused from the start with high energy."

(On the season) "This season is so condensed that every game means as much as the last. Believe it or not, but the Toronto game is bigger than the Dallas win. Each game gets bigger and bigger, so we have to take it one game at a time."



| Catcap Lose Dirk, Lose Game.
So the big news it that Dirk left in the 2nd quarter with back tightness. That's something new, but it sounds like it's just old man disease striking and the Mavericks being precautionary. If not, feel free to volunteer your back for transplantation.

Of course, the Mavericks lost, too. Pretty sure once it was clear Dirk wasn't returning that the Mavericks weren't going to win. The offense has been pretty horrible in February, and so there was very little hope once he went out.


2MG's Difference
When Nowitzki is out, Jason Kidd (eight points, 3-8 FG, three assists) is essentially useless. Nowitzki covers for so many of Kidd’s offensive limitations with the attention he draws, and without that defensive tilt, Kidd has so little room to engineer the offense. He’s still a valuable player in the Mavs’ read offense, but at this age he’s become far too flawed to operate efficiently without the fringe benefits of sharing the court with a superstar.

Hoopdata Boxscore
Rodrigue Beaubois was 5-7 at the Rim. So was Rudy Gay. No, i'm not sayin'...


Stats
FT-Brendan bricked one of one (100%) from the line. So far he is sporting a brickrate of 55%. Celebration for our third best Center, Beaches! [nsfw]

On the other Hand, Dirk missed half his 2 FTAs before calling it a night..


Rest
Outrebounded? Clearly, 34-42 Sans Dirk, you'll have a hard time overcoming this gap
35 FG, 16 Assists, 8 Steals, 5 Blocks, 18 Turnovers for the Mavs. Weak...."



http://espn.go.com/b... ... 93-mavs-92
Dallas Mavericks Report
Rapid Reaction: Nets 93, Mavericks 92
Comments By Tim MacMahon.

"How it happened: The Dallas Mavericks couldn’t finish the job in crunch time to steal a win that they didn’t deserve.

Dallas struggled for most of the night to get a stop against one of the NBA’s worst offensive teams. The Mavs couldn’t buy a bucket for most of the fourth quarter, misfiring on their first 13 shots of the final frame.

That’s a pretty good recipe for the defending NBA champions losing to a lottery team.

The Mavs made it interesting in the final five minutes, going on a 13-2 run to take the lead on a Jason Kidd 3-pointer with 48 seconds remaining. But the Nets regained the lead the next possession on a pair of free throws by big man Brook Lopez and held on for the win.

Kidd missed the Mavs’ final two shots, including a contested 3-pointer at the buzzer that didn’t even draw iron.

All-Star point guard Deron Williams registered 12 points and 12 assists, but he missed his last 10 shots and was hardly the Mavs’ biggest problem. Lopez lit the Mavs up for 38 points on 17-of-28 shooting.

What it means: Barring injury, this was the worst possible way the Mavs could begin a grueling seven-city, nine-game, 12-night stretch. They not only lost to the lottery-bound Nets, but it was a showcase performance for Lopez. That might increase the odds of the Nets pulling off a blockbuster deal to land Dwight Howard before the trade deadline, spoiling the Mavs’ summer plans to try to land Howard and/or Williams in free agency.

Bold Play of the Game: Gerald Green, the former slam dunk champion who had a few cups of coffee with the Mavs, showed off his best attribute in his return to the NBA on a 10-day contract. Green got up so high on a transition lob from Sundiata Gaines in the third quarter that he almost hit his head on the rim as he slammed the ball with two hands.

Stat of the night: The Mavericks had not lost at home to the Nets since March 2, 2000."

[jcisco loboe'77]

Wednesday, February 29, 2012
7:00 PM CT -FedExForum, Memphis,TN

FINAL
DAL--17-32-18-18=85
MEM-25-22-27-22=96


Dallas Mavericks (21-15) field goals......rebounds
...........pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba=pts
S. Marion F 32:07 3-11 0-1 1-1 -11 2 6 8 2 2 1 4 0 0 7
D. Nowitzki F 09:39 0-1 0-0 1-2 +1 1 3 4 1 0 0 2 0 1 1
B. Haywood C 26:05 5-8 0-0 0-1 -8 1 3 4 1 3 1 0 1 2 10
V. Carter G-F 30:21 4-9 0-1 1-1 +4 1 2 3 1 1 0 3 1 0 9
J. Kidd G 26:33 3-8 2-6 0-0 -1 0 0 0 3 0 1 1 0 1 8
J. Terry 32:38 7-15 2-8 2-3 -11 0 4 4 5 1 1 1 1 0 18
Y. Jianlian 11:40 3-6 0-2 0-0 -16 0 2 2 0 2 1 2 0 0 6
R. Beaubois 37:48 7-16 0-4 2-2 -3 1 1 2 3 3 1 4 0 0 16
B. Wright 21:05 2-3 0-0 4-4 -3 2 5 7 0 1 2 1 2 0 8
B. Cardinal 11:02 1-2 0-1 0-0 -5 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 2
D. Jones 01:02 0-0 0-0 0-0 -2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
I. Mahinmi..DNP - Coach's Decision
L. Odom....NWT - Personal reasons
Total.........240 35-79 4-23 11-14 8 26 34 16 16 8 18 5 5=85
....................44.3% 17.4% 78.6% team rebs: 3 total to: 18



Memphis Grizzlies (20-15) field goals....rebounds
pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba=pts
R. Gay F 39:06 8-19 0-4 2-2 +14 1 6 7 1 0 3 3 1 0 18
M. Speights F-C 18:49 1-5 0-0 0-0 -8 2 4 6 0 2 0 4 0 1 2
M. Gasol C 40:47 8-14 0-0 6-6 +20 2 9 11 5 4 0 3 4 0 22
T. Allen G 28:11 3-7 0-0 0-0 +12 1 1 2 1 2 1 0 0 1 6
M. Conley G 38:01 7-12 1-2 5-7 +14 0 3 3 10 3 4 2 0 0 20
O.J. Mayo 28:12 3-10 1-5 0-0 -1 0 2 2 2 2 2 1 0 1 7
D. Cunningham 20:27 5-6 0-0 0-0 -1 0 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 10
Q. Pondexter 20:59 3-5 0-1 2-2 +10 3 5 8 1 2 1 1 0 1 8
J. Selby 05:03 1-2 0-0 1-2 -5 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 3
J. Pargo 00:25 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
H. Haddadi..DNP - Coach's Decision
S. Young.....DNP - Coach's Decision
Total.........240 39-80 2-12 16-19 9 33 42 22 16 12 15 5 5=96
....................48.8% 16.7% 84.2% team rebs: 12 total to: 17


inactive
Mavericks: West, Williams
Grizzlies: Arthur, Randolph

technical fouls
Mavericks: --
Grizzlies: --

scoring
Lead Changes: 8
Times Tied: 7

arena stats
Arena: FedExForum, Memphis,TN
Officials: #27 Dick Bavetta, #12 Violet Palmer, #33 Zach Zarba
Attendance: 17023
Duration: 2:15





{C}http://www.nba.com/g... ... GIboxscore{C}
Notebook: Grizzlies 96, Mavericks 85
By L. Jason Smith, for NBA.com.

THE FACTS: Center Marc Gasol had 22 points and 11 rebounds and point guard Mike Conley had 20 points, 10 assists and four steals to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 96-85 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday at FedExForum. It was Grizzlies' eighth win in their last 10 games and pushed them to a season-high five games over .500 at 20-15. Reserve guard Jason Terry's 18 points led Dallas (21-15), which lost star forward Dirk Nowitzki for the game in the second quarter to back tightness. Nowitzki, whose Mavericks dropped their their straight game, finished with one point in 9 1/2 minutes.


QUOTABLE: "I just like the carryover from practice. I mean, we were getting after it in practice (Tuesday) and the day before that. Guys came in (after the All-Star break) ready to work. Great focus from start to finish, except for that second quarter (when Dallas outscored the Grizzlies 32-22)."
-- Guard Tony Allen on the Grizzlies picking up where they left off before the break. Memphis held Dallas to 18 or fewer points in each of the other three quarters.


THE STAT: Though Nowitzki clearly wasn't himself before leaving the game in the second quarter, Dallas' starters combined for just 35 points on 15-of-37 shooting. Gasol, Conley and Gay (18 points, seven rebounds) combined for 60 themselves on 23-of-45 shooting.


TURNING POINT: After a hot-shooting second quarter put Dallas ahead 49-47 at the break, the Mavericks took their biggest lead of the game (55-49) on center Brendan Haywood's 11-footer a little more than three minutes into the third quarter. But Memphis took over from there, outscoring Dallas 18-2 over the next five minutes. The Mavericks went eight consecutive possessions without scoring. Conley and reserve Quincy Pondexter (10 points) combined to score 12 points during the run.


QUOTABLE II: "He had a back issue. He felt something in warm-ups and tried to play. He clearly wasn't moving the way he needed to be moving, so we pulled the plug. So he'll get treatment and we'll see where we are Friday."
-- Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle on Nowitzki's status.


HOT: Gasol kept up his All-Star-level play, going 8-of-14 from the floor and adding five assists and four blocks to go with his 22 points and 11 rebounds. Gasol is averaging career highs this season in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and minutes.


NOT: After shooting 54.1 percent (20-of-37) over the game's first two quarters, Dallas shot just 35.7 percent (15-of-42) in the second half. Mavericks forward Shawn Marion and guard Jason Kidd combined to go 6-of-19 from the floor.


NOTABLE: Memphis has won three straight over Dallas and seven of its last 11 against its Southwest Division foe. Before that, the Grizzlies had been 7-46 all-time against the Mavericks. ... Besides not having Nowitzki for most of the game's final three quarters, Dallas was also without forward Lamar Odom, who sat out his third straight game for personal reasons. "You go with the guys you got," said Carlisle, whose Mavericks continue a tough stretch of nine games in 12 days Friday at New Orleans.


UP NEXT: For the Grizzlies, Friday at Toronto, Saturday vs. Detroit. For the Mavericks, Friday at New Orleans, Saturday vs. Utah."




..Mavericks...Grizzlies
FG%==44.3%..48.8%
3FG%=17.4%..16.7%
FT%==78.6%..84.2%



............................DAL-MEM
Total Rebounds...34-42
Offensive Rebounds.8--9
Turnovers...........18-15
Fast Break Pts.....8-22
Biggest Lead.......6-15
Points in the Paint.52-62



...........DAL........MEM
p...Terry=18..Gasol=22
rb.Marion=8..Gasol=11
a....Terry=5.Conley=10
s..Wright=2...Conley=4
b..Wright=2....Gasol=4


...SERIES...(0-1)
02/29 - DAL 85 @ MEM 96
04/04 - MEM @ DAL
04/07 - DAL @ MEM

[jcisco loboe'77]

December Opponent Results
Sun 18 vs Oklahoma City Preseason L 92-106
Tue 20 @ Oklahoma City Preseason L 83-87

2011-12 Dallas Mavericks (21-15)
Sun 25 vs Miami L 94-105
Mon 26 vs Denver L 93-115
Thu 29 @ Oklahoma City L 102-104
Fri 30 vs Toronto W 99-86

January Opponent Results
Sun 01 @ Minnesota L 82-99
Mon 02 vs Oklahoma City W 100-87
Wed 04 vs Phoenix W 98-89
Thu 05 @ San Antonio L 71-93
Sat 07 vs New Orleans W 96-81
Tue 10 @ Detroit W 100-86
Wed 11 @ Boston Celtics W 90-85
Fri 13 vs Milwaukee W 102-76
Sat 14 vs Sacramento W 99-60
Mon 16 vs LAL L 70-73
Wed 18 vs LAC L 89-91
Thur 19 vs Utah W 94-91
Sat 21 @ NO W 83-81
Mon 23 vs PHO W 93-87
Wed 25 vs MIN L 90-105
Fri 27 vs Utah W 115-101
Sun 29 vs San Antonio W 101-100
Mon 30 @ Phoenix W 122-99

February Opponent Results
Wed 01 vs Oklahoma City L 86-95
Fri 03 vs IND L 87-98
Sat 04 vs CLE L 88-91.
Wed 08 vs Denver W 105-95.
Fri 10 @ Minnesota W 104-97
Sat 11 vs Portland W 97-94
Mon 13 vs LAC W 96-92
Wed 15 vs Denver W 102-84
Fri 17 @ Philadelphia W 82-75
Sun 19 @ New York L 97-104
Mon 20 vs Boston W 89-73
Wed 22 vs LA Lakers L 91-96
Tue 28 vs New Jersey L 92-93
Wed 29 @ Memphis L 85-96



Southwest....W-L...PCT...GB.CONF.DIV.HOME.ROAD.L 10.STREAK
San Antonio.24-11 0.686..0.0 18 -8 8-3 13-2...11-9...8-2..L 1
Dallas...........21-15 0.583..3.5 15-10 3-2 13-7....8-8...6-4..L 3
Houston......21-15 0.583..3.5 13-13 4-4 15-4....6-11..6-4..L 1
Memphis.....20-15 0.571..4.0 13-13 5-4 14-5....6-10..8-2.W 2
New Orleans.8-27 0.229 16.0..3-19 0-7..3-15...5-12..4-6..L 2

[jcisco loboe'77]

March 2,Friday..............Opponent........Time...........Local TV.................Radio.
(21-15) Mavericks-vs-Hornets (8-27)....7:00pm CT....FSSW...KESN-FM (103.3), KFLC-AM (1270 in Spanish)
American Airlines Center, Dallas,TX.


Western Conference
Southwest...W-L...PCT CONF DIV HOME ROAD L 10 STREAK
Dallas...........21-15 0.583..3.5 15-10 3-2 13-7....8-8...6-4..L 3
New Orleans.8-27 0.229 16.0..3-19 0-7..3-15...5-12..4-6..L 2



http://www.nba.com/g...H/gameinfo.html

Mavericks-Hornets Preview.
By JEFF BARTL.

"A hobbled Dirk Nowitzki isn't ideal for the slumping Dallas Mavericks, who have few off days for him to recover during a busy stretch.

They haven't needed much - or any - production from Nowitzki when facing the New Orleans Hornets this season, though.

The defending NBA champions are in a slump and unsure of the status of their superstar for Friday night's matchup at New Orleans.

Dallas' stretch of nine games in 12 days has gotten off to a rough start, beginning with a 93-92 home loss to New Jersey on Tuesday. It got worse in Wednesday's 96-85 defeat at Memphis when Nowitzki left early in the second quarter with lower back tightness that originated in pregame warmups.

Coach Rick Carlisle said Nowitzki's status for Friday is questionable.

"He felt something in warmups and tried to play," Carlisle said. "He clearly wasn't moving the way he needed to be moving, so we pulled the plug. He'll get treatment and we'll see where we're at Friday."

The loss was the third straight overall for the Mavericks (21-15), matching a season high. While Jason Terry and Rodrigue Beaubois combined for 34 points off the bench, Brendan Haywood was the only starter in double figures with 10.

The Mavericks average 94.0 points but were held to their lowest total in five games with Nowitzki missing most of the contest. Fellow starting forward Shawn Marion has struggled during the three-game skid, shooting 28.9 percent while averaging 8.7 points.

They should have a good chance to end their rough stretch against the Western Conference-worst Hornets - with or without Nowitzki.

Dallas beat New Orleans 96-81 on Jan. 7 despite 10 points and 2-for-11 shooting from Nowitzki, then escaped with an 83-81 win over the Hornets on Jan. 21 as Nowitzki sat out with a sore right knee.

The Mavericks, though, had Lamar Odom for both of those games, but his leave of absence for personal reasons has decreased the team's depth.

New Orleans (8-27) also is short-handed, missing Eric Gordon and Emeka Okafor due to injuries, and has dropped four of five. Wednesday's 95-84 loss to Toronto dropped the Hornets to 3-15 at home.

Jarrett Jack came off the bench for the sixth consecutive game due to sore knees which caused him to miss six of the previous seven. He scored 10 points but shot 3 for 12, then took blame for the defeat.

"I'm going to put this one on my shoulders squarely," Jack said. "This team looks to me for a lot, and I have to be the captain. I want to be that guy. I want the ball."

Marco Belinelli scored 20 points and Chris Kaman added 17 with 10 rebounds for his third straight double-double for the Hornets, who average a conference-low 88.2 points. They were outscored 33-15 in the fourth quarter Wednesday.

New Orleans' offensive woes may not bode well against a Dallas team holding opponents to a West-low 91.0 points per game.

Dallas has won three straight meetings, which is the longest winning streak for either team in the series since the Mavericks won 21 straight from 2000-07."


...SERIES...(2-0)
01/07 - NOH 81 @ DAL 96
01/21 - DAL 83 @ NOH 81
03/02 - DAL @ NOH




..Teams overview..
standings
w-l..l10..h.a
DAL
2nd Southwest
21-15..6-4..13-7..8-8


NOH
5th Southwest
8-27..4-6..3-15..5-12

ppg
rpg
apg
bpg
spg
DAL
Nowitzki 19.1
Haywood 6.9
Kidd 5.5
Wright 1.2
Kidd 1.7

NOH
Gordon 21.0
Okafor 7.9
Jack 6.3
Gordon 1.5
Gordon 2.0



http://www.nba.com/m.../news/notes.pdf
SERIES NOTES: The Mavericks have won three straight and six of the last nine meetings with the Hornets…
.They will look to sweep the season series with the Hornets with a win in New Orleans on 3/2/12.
…Dallas recorded a two-point (83-81) win in the most recent matchup in New Orleans on 1/21/12…
...It marked the fourth time in the last six meetings between the two teams that a game was decided by three points or less…
...Dallas defeated New Orleans by an average margin of 23.5 points in the two games prior to the meeting on 1/21/12 (defeated New Orleans 96-81 on 1/7/12 and 121-89 on 4/13/11)...
…The Mavericks recorded their sixth straight win over the Hornets at home with a 96-81 victory in Dallas on 1/7/12…
...Dallas has now won 19 of the last 20 matchups with the Hornets at home (including 16-of-17 since the franchise moved to New Orleans in 2003)…The Mavericks are 16-15 all-time against the Hornets on the road…
...The Mavericks snapped an eight-game road losing streak against the Hornets with the 83-81 win in New Orleans on 1/21/12…
...Shawn Marion became the fifth player in NBA history to record at least 1,500 steals and 1,000 blocks with his first steal of the game against New Orleans on 4/13/11 (joining Hakeem Olajuwon, Karl Malone, Julius Erving and Kevin Garnett)…
With a win on 12/1/07, New Orleans broke Dallas’ 21-game winning streak, which, at the time, was the longest winning streak for one team over another in the four major sports…
...The Hornets have gone 9-9 in the last 18 meetings with the Mavericks (since ending the 21-game losing streak that lasted from 2/3/00-3/27/07)…
...Vince Carter (13), Ian Mahinmi (13), Delonte West (12), Jason Terry (12), Rodrigue Beaubois (11) and Dirk Nowitzki (10) all scored in double figures for the Mavericks in the victory over the Hornets on 1/7/12…
...It was the first time this season that Dallas had at least six players in double figures…Delonte West has averaged a team high 14.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.5 spg and 28.0 mpg in two games against New Orleans this season…
...Vince Carter recorded 13 points in 26 minutes vs. New Orleans on 1/7/12, but did not play (sprained left foot) in the meeting with the Hornets on 1/21/12…
...Lamar Odom has averaged 12.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 23.0 mpg in two games against New Orleans this year…
...Jason Terry has averaged 12.0 ppg, 3.0 apg, 1.5 spg and 29.0 mpg…
...Shawn Marion has averaged 10.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 33.5 mpg against the Hornets in 2011-12…Dirk Nowitzki managed 10 points, two rebounds, four assists and two steals in 30 minutes in the matchup with New Orleans on 1/7/12, but did not play (sore right knee) against the Hornets on 1/21/12…
...Ian Mahinmi has averaged 9.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 21.0 mpg against New Orleans this season…Rodrigue Beaubois has averaged 9.0 ppg, 2.5 spg and 16.5 mpg in two matchups with the Hornets this year.

CONNECTIONS:
Mavericks forward Lamar Odom and Hornets forward Trevor Ariza were both members of the Lakers’ 2009 NBA Championship Team…
Odom and Hornets guard Eric Gordon were teammates on the 2010 USA Men’s Basketball World Championship Team…
Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki and Hornets center Chris Kaman were teammates on the German National Team and represented the nation at the 2008 Summer Olympics."

[jcisco loboe'77]

March 3 Saturday.........Opponent.....Time...........Local TV.................Radio.
(21-15) Mavericks-vs-Jazz (16-18)....7:30pm CT....FSSW...KESN-FM (103.3), KFLC-AM (1270 in Spanish)
American Airlines Center, Dallas,TX.


Western Conference
Southwest..W-L.PCT CONF DIV HOME ROAD L 10 STREAK
Dallas..21-15 0.583..15-10 3-2 13-7..8-8.6-4..L 3
Utah...16-18 0.471...11-15 3-4 13-6 3-12 3-7.W 1
Northwest




standings
w-l..l10..h..a
UTA
5th Northwest
16-18..3-7..13-6..3-12


DAL
2nd Southwest
21-15..6-4..13-7..8-8..


...Game Stats...
ppg
rpg
apg
bpg
spg
UTA
Jefferson 18.7
Jefferson 9.4
2 players 4.6
Jefferson 1.6
Millsap 1.4



ppg
rpg
apg
bpg
spg
DAL
Nowitzki 19.1
Haywood 6.9
Kidd 5.5
Wright 1.2
Kidd 1.7



http://www.nba.com/mavericks/news/notes.pdf

SERIES NOTES:
The Mavericks have won six straight against the Jazz and lead the 2011-12 season series, 2-0…The Mavericks have won 17 of the last 20 matchups in Dallas, including the most recent three…
...The Mavericks won all four meetings with the Jazz in 2010-11, and swept a four-game season series with Utah
for the first time in franchise history…
...It also marked the Mavericks’ first season sweep of Utah since 2004-05, when they went 3-0 against the Jazz in the regular season…
...Utah’s last win over the Mavericks came in Salt Lake City on 2/1/10…
...Rodrigue Beaubois has averaged a team-high 19.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.5 apg, 3.0 bpg
and 27.0 mpg in two games against Utah this season…
...Shawn Marion has averaged 19.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.5 apg and 33.0 mpg…
...Lamar Odom has averaged 15.0 ppg,3.0 rpg and 26.0 mpg…
...Jason Terry has averaged 14.0 ppg, 2.0 apg and 30.0 mpg…
...Brendan Haywood has averaged 9.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.0 bpg and 27.5 mpg in two games against the Jazz this year…
...Dirk Nowitzki recorded 12 points and five rebounds in the win over Utah on 1/19/12, but missed the game on
1/27/12 due to a sore right knee…
...Vince Carter did not play in the game against the Jazz on 1/19/12 due to a sprained left foot, but had 12 points, four rebounds and three assists in the win over the Jazz on 1/27/12…
...Seven players scored in double figures for Dallas in the win over Utah on 2/23/11…
...The Mavericks are just 18-55 all-time on the road against the Jazz, but Dallas has taken the last three meetings in Salt Lake City (after losing the previous five)…
...Shawn Marion became the 118th player in NBA history to reach the 15,000 points plateau at Utah (3/26/11).


CONNECTIONS:
Jazz guard C.J. Miles is from Dallas and attended Skyline High School..
...Jazz forward Josh Howard was drafted by the Mavericks (29th overall selection) in 2003 and spent six full seasons with Dallas before being traded to Washington midway through the 2009-10 season…...Howard was a Western Conference All-Star in 2007…
...Jazz guard Devin Harris played in Dallas from 2004-08…He was part of the trade that brought Jason Kidd back to Dallas (from New Jersey) in 2008…
...Harris and Howard were both members of the Mavericks’ 2006 Western Conference Championship Team…
...Mavericks forward Brandan Wright played with Harris and Jazz forward Derrick Favors in New Jersey for part of the 2010-11 season…
..Jazz guard Raja Bell played for the Mavericks during the 2002-03 season.
…Bell was a teammate of Mavericks forward Shawn Marion in Phoenix from 2005-08…Jazz point guard Jamaal Tinsley played for Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle in Indiana from 2003-07."

[jcisco loboe'77]

<div class="content"><strong>Friday, March 2,2012 7:00 PM CT - New Orleans Arena,New Orleans,LA<br />
<span style="color: #ff0000">FINAL</span><br />
<span style="color: #004000">DAL</span>--19-<span style="color: #ff0000">27-23-23</span>=92<br />
NOH-<span style="color: #ff0000">25-27</span>-22-<span style="color: #ff0000">23=97</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #004000">Dallas Mavericks</span> (<span style="color: #ff0000">22-16</span>) field goals.......rebounds<br />
pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba=pts<br />
S. Marion F 30:22 5-11 1-2 0-0 -2 1 3 4 2 2 1 0 0 1 11<br />
D. Nowitzki F 35:29 7-19 <span style="color: #ff0000">5-8</span> 0-0 -5 <span style="color: #ff0000">3 6 9</span> 2 2 1 <span style="text-decoration: underline">6</span> 0 0 19<br />
B. Haywood C 27:28 2-6 0-0 0-0 +9 4 3 7 1 3 0 0 <span style="color: #ff0000">2</span> 0 4<br />
R. Beaubois G 31:00 <span style="color: #ff0000">11-17 2-4</span> 1-1 -1 0 2 2 3 3 <span style="color: #ff0000">4</span> 1 0 0 <span style="color: #ff0000">25</span><br />
J. Kidd G 28:18 1-3 1-3 0-0 +14 0 1 1 <span style="color: #ff0000">6</span> 2 1 2 0 0 3<br />
J. Terry 23:21 1-9 0-5 0-0 -19 0 1 1 4 2 0 1 0 0 2<br />
I. Mahinmi 05:54 0-0 0-0 0-2 -6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0<br />
V. Carter 26:50 4-10 2-7 <span style="color: #ff0000">4-4</span> 0 0 4 4 4 2 1 1 1 0 14<br />
B. Wright 14:20 4-4 0-0 1-1 -7 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 9<br />
D. Jones 16:47 2-4 0-0 1-2 -8 1 4 5 3 0 1 1 1 1 5<br />
B. Cardinal 00:11 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0<br />
Y. Jianlian..DNP - Coach&#39;s Decision<br />
D. West....NWT - Finger Fracture<br />
Total........240 37-83 <span style="color: #ff0000">11-29</span> 7-10 9 <span style="color: #ff0000">25 34 25 16 9 </span>12 <span style="color: #ff0000">5 </span>2=92<br />
...................44.6% <span style="color: #ff0000">37.9%</span> 70.0% <span style="color: #ff0000">team rebs: 7 total to: 12</span><br />
<br />
<br />
New Orleans Hornets (9-28)<br />
field goalsrebounds<br />
pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba pts<br />
A. Aminu F 24:58 3-12 0-1 0-0 -1 6 2 8 3 3 1 0 0 0 6<br />
G. Ayon F-C 25:08 5-7 0-0 0-0 -7 1 0 1 0 2 2 2 0 0 10<br />
C. Kaman F-C 38:38 9-18 0-0 2-3 -2 3 10 13 3 3 0 1 0 2 20<br />
M. Belinelli G 37:06 4-11 1-3 5-6 0 0 4 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 14<br />
J. Jack G 39:39 5-12 1-5 4-4 0 0 5 5 6 0 0 5 0 0 15<br />
S. Jones 23:49 5-9 0-0 1-2 +6 3 2 5 0 4 1 1 1 1 11<br />
G. Vasquez 19:15 1-6 0-2 0-0 +10 0 6 6 7 2 1 1 1 0 2<br />
X. Henry 24:22 8-12 1-1 2-2 +6 3 1 4 2 0 2 1 0 1 19<br />
L. Thomas 07:05 0-1 0-1 0-0 +13 0 4 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0<br />
T. Ariza...NWT - Illness<br />
C. Landry.DND - 2nd Degree MCL Sprain<br />
E. Okafor.DND - Sore Left Knee<br />
J. Smith..DND - Concussion<br />
Total......240 <span style="color: #ff0000">40-88</span> 3-13 <span style="color: #ff0000">14-17</span> <span style="color: #ff0000">16 34 50</span> 22 16 7 <span style="color: #ff0000">11</span> 2 <span style="color: #ff0000">5=97</span><br />
.................<span style="color: #ff0000">45.5% </span>23.1% <span style="color: #ff0000">82.4%</span> team rebs: 9 total to: 13<br />
<br />
inactive<br />
Mavericks: Odom, Williams<br />
Hornets: Gordon<br />
<br />
technical fouls<br />
Mavericks: --<br />
Hornets: --<br />
<br />
scoring<br />
Lead Changes: 5<br />
Times Tied: 2<br />
<br />
<br />
arena stats<br />
Arena: New Orleans Arena,New Orleans,LA<br />
Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #77 Karl Lane, #59 Gary Zielinski, #43 Dan Crawford<br />
Attendance: 15568<br />
Duration: 2:09<br />
<br />
<br />
Hornets surprise <span style="color: #004000">Mavericks </span><span style="color: #ff0000">97-92</span><br />
NEW ORLEANS (AP)&quot;Jarrett Jack blamed himself for the New Orleans Hornets&#39; loss to Toronto on Wednesday, saying he failed to take over down the stretch.<br />
He did not have to wait long to make a correction.<br />
Jack scored six straight points in the final 1:09 and hit an 11-foot shot in traffic with 17.9 seconds left to secure the Hornets&#39; 97-92 win against the slumping Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.<br />
&quot;We were up two and Coach (Monty Williams) called a timeout,&quot; he said. &quot;I went up to him and told him I am ready and just give it to me. I don&#39;t know if he heard it, but I had the confidence in myself to knock down the shot.&quot;<br />
Chris Kaman had 20 points and 13 rebounds for his fourth consecutive double-double for the Hornets, who dressed nine players.<br />
Xavier Henry added a season-high 19 points off the bench, and Jack, who started for the first time in seven games, finished with 15 points and six assists.<br />
Dirk Nowitzki added 19 points, but was only 7 of 19 from the floor and did not shoot a free throw as Dallas lost a season-high fourth in a row.<br />
Rodrigue Beaubois had a season-high 25 points for Dallas, making 11 of 17 shots after starting for the first time in 13 games.<br />
Jason Terry was one of nine from the field, and Jason Kidd had only one field goal.<br />
&quot;We have to fight our way out of this,&quot; Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. &quot;They played a great game. All 48 minutes, they just played harder than us.&quot;<br />
The Hornets led for the entire second half, but needed Jack&#39;s plays at the end to hold on for the win.<br />
His fadeaway jumper with 1:07 left gave them a 91-84 lead.<br />
After Nowitzki hit a 3-pointer and threw a long pass to Beaubois for a layup, cutting the deficit to 91-89, Jack responded with his big shot. He then made two free throws to make the score 95-89 after Vince Carter missed a step-back 3-pointer.<br />
&quot;I did not do a good job of taking care of the ball, but I had the ball in my hands,&quot; said Jack, who finished with five turnovers. &quot;My teammates had confidence to put the ball in my hands.&quot;<br />
Trailing 82-70 with 8:30 left, Dallas made it close with a 10-0 run. Carter&#39;s 3-pointer stated it.<br />
After both teams endured nearly a three-minute drought, Kaman was called for goaltending on a Shawn Marion floater, Nowitzki hit a fallback jumper and Beaubois converted a 3-point play when he threw the ball high off the backboard and was fouled on a driving layup.<br />
The Hornets responded with a 9-4 run. Solomon Jones hit a mid-range shot from the baseline. Henry stole a Nowitzki pass and cruised in for a dunk.<br />
New Orleans outrebounded Dallas 50-34, getting 17 second-chance points to the Mavericks&#39; seven.<br />
&quot;The game was won on the boards,&quot; said Dallas center Brendan Haywood, who had four points and seven rebounds. &quot;If we do a better job there, we win this game.&quot;<br />
Dallas cut into a six-point halftime deficit in the third quarter but never went ahead.<br />
With the Mavs trailing 68-67, Nowitzki had a shot go in and out. Terry missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the score at 72.<br />
The Hornets then went on a 10-1 run.<br />
&quot;Guys were real in tune with what we were doing scheme-wise,&quot; Jack said. &quot;We just didn&#39;t have many breakdowns tonight. That allowed us a chance to win.&quot;<br />
Kaman and Henry took turns scoring in the first half as New Orleans led 52-46 at the break.<br />
Kaman hit six shots in a row to start the game, scoring 13 of the Hornets&#39; first 19 points. Then Henry got hot, connecting on six of seven. His 13 points in the second quarter surpassed his season high of 12 for a game.<br />
Dallas trailed 41-30 before Kidd sparked a 12-0 spurt with a 3-pointer. Carter followed with a driving dunk, and Marion dunked off an inbounds pass to give the Mavericks a brief 44-43 lead.<br />
Nowitzki, who was questionable with a back injury that forced him out of the Mavs&#39; game with Memphis in the second quarter on Wednesday night, made a 3-pointer on his first attempt, banked in a 3 a little later and hit two more 3s the final 61 seconds of the game.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ff0000">Notes</span>: The Hornets played without starting forward Trevor Ariza, who was ill.<br />
... Dallas played the third game of a stretch when it has nine games in 12 days.<br />
... The Hornets&#39; 97 points were 16 more than they had in the teams&#39; first two meetings, which the Mavs won 96-81 and 83-81.&quot;<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
{C}<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.nba.com/g.../20120302/DALNO ... GIboxscore</a>{C}<!-- m --><br />
Notebook: Hornets 97, <span style="color: #004000">Mavericks</span> <span style="color: #ff0000">92</span><br />
By Larry Holder, for NBA.com.<br />
<br />
&quot;<span style="color: #ff0000">THE FACTS</span>: Center Chris Kaman continued to show solid play, which may get him traded eventually, as he scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the New Orleans Hornets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 97-92 on Friday night in the New Orleans Arena. The Mavs have lost four consecutive games.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ff0000">QUOTABLE</span>: &quot;Like I told our guys this morning, we are a work team. We had a practice this morning, which takes me back to my days with Pat Riley. We&#39;d practice an hour, an hour and a half before the game. I saw tons of carryover from that practice.&quot;<br />
-- Hornets head coach Monty Williams.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ff0000">THE STAT</span>: Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki typically lives on the free-throw line. That wasn&#39;t the case at all against the Hornets as Nowitzki didn&#39;t shoot a single free throw. He ended the game going 7 of 19 from the floor for 19 points.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ff0000">TURNING POINT</span>: Dallas went on a 14-2 run late in the second quarter to turn an 11-point deficit into a one-point lead. New Orleans never relented, though, as it took the lead the lead shortly thereafter and never trailed again despite a dicey fourth quarter.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ff0000">HOT</span>: Hornets reserve guard Xavier Henry had the best game of his short time in New Orleans. He scored a career-high 19 points off the bench on 8 of 12 shooting. Henry has been quite hit or miss throughout his time in New Orleans, but he&#39;s shown spurts of solid play recently.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ff0000">NOT</span>: The Mavs were dominated on the boards against a Hornets team with several injured frontcourt players not playing. New Orleans crushed Dallas in rebounds as it outrebounded the Mavs 50-34.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ff0000">QUOTABLE II:</span> &quot;We&#39;ve got to fight our way out (of the slump). It comes down to that. The margins of error are very slim. Again, we had probably four or five turnovers that were uncharacteristic and untimely, careless, that make a big difference in a one-possession game.&quot;<br />
-- Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ff0000">INSIDE THE ARENA</span>: Actors Samuel L. Jackson and Jamie Foxx attended Friday night&#39;s game in the New Orleans Arena.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ff0000">NOTABLE</span>: Carlisle started guard Rodrigue Beaubois instead of Vince Carter. The move paid off despite the loss as Beaubois scored a game-high 25 points.<br />
... Mavs forward Lamar Odom (personal reasons) will return to action Saturday night in the D-League, Carlisle said, as he missed his fourth consecutive game Friday night. &quot;He&#39;s working the next two days and the plan is that he&#39;ll join us and travel Sunday to Oklahoma City (who the Mavs play Monday),&quot; Carlisle said. Odom hasn&#39;t fit in with the Mavs on a consistent basis throughout much of the season. When asked what Odom has to do to become a consistent contributor for the Mavs, Carlisle said, &quot;He&#39;s got to come back and play his **** off. He&#39;s got to play hard. He&#39;s got to be into it. That&#39;s it.&quot;<br />
... Hornets forward Trevor Ariza missed Friday&#39;s game with an illness. Forward Al-Farouq Aminu started in his place. Other Hornets missing the Mavs game because of injuries were center Emeka Okafor (knee), forward Jason Smith (concussion), forward Carl Landry (knee) and guard Eric Gordon (knee).<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ff0000">UP NEXT</span>: For the Mavs, Saturday vs. Utah. For the Hornets, Saturday vs. Indiana.&quot;<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #004000">Mavericks</span>-Hornets<br />
FG%==44.6%-<span style="color: #ff0000">45.5</span>%<br />
3FG%=<span style="color: #ff0000">37.9</span>%-23.1%<br />
FT%==70.0%-<span style="color: #ff0000">82.4</span>%<br />
<br />
<br />
.....................<span style="color: #004000">DAL</span>-NOH<br />
Total Rebounds.....34-<span style="color: #ff0000">50</span><br />
Offensive Rebounds.9-<span style="color: #ff0000">16 </span><br />
Turnovers...........12-<span style="color: #ff0000">11 </span><br />
Fast Break Pts......<span style="color: #ff0000">12</span>--5<br />
Biggest Lead.........3-<span style="color: #ff0000">12</span><br />
Points in the Paint.<span style="color: #ff0000">44-44</span><br />
<br />
<br />
............<span style="color: #004000">DAL</span>........NOH<br />
p <span style="color: #004000">Beaubois</span>=<span style="color: #ff0000">25</span>..Kaman=20<br />
rb.Nowitzki=9..Kaman=<span style="color: #ff0000">13</span><br />
a.......Kidd=6..Vasquez=<span style="color: #ff0000">7</span><br />
s..<span style="color: #004000">Beaubois</span>=<span style="color: #ff0000">4</span>.2 players=2<br />
b..<span style="color: #004000">Haywood</span>=<span style="color: #ff0000">2</span>.2 players=1<br />
<br />
<br />
...<span style="color: #ff0000">SERIES</span>...(<span style="color: #ff0000">2-1</span>)<br />
01/07 - NOH 81 @ <span style="color: #004000">DAL</span> <span style="color: #ff0000">96</span><br />
01/21 - <span style="color: #004000">DAL</span> <span style="color: #ff0000">83</span> @ NOH 81<br />
03/02 - <span style="color: #004000">DAL</span> <span style="color: #ff0000">92</span> @ NOH 97</strong></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

[jcisco loboe'77]

Preview|Jazz-Mavericks Preview.
By MATT BEARDMORE.

"Even with Dirk Nowitzki back in the lineup, the Dallas Mavericks' losing streak continues.
The Mavericks didn't need the NBA finals MVP earlier this season to continue their winning streak against the Utah Jazz.
Nowitzki and the Mavericks will try to end their season-high four-game skid Saturday night in Dallas, where the Jazz look to end a six-game skid in this series.
After leaving in the second quarter of Wednesday's 96-85 loss at Memphis with lower back tightness, Nowitzki returned Friday at New Orleans. It didn't matter, as Nowitzki scored 19 points - nearly 10 below his average - and did not shoot a free throw for just the second time this season in a 97-92 defeat to the worst club in the Western Conference.
Dallas (21-16) had won seven of nine heading into the All-Star break, but is suddenly now trying to avoid its first five-game skid since it dropped six in a row Jan. 6-17, 2011. The Mavericks are averaging 90.0 points on 41.1 percent shooting during their current slide.
"We have to fight our way out of this," coach Rick Carlisle said.
Nowitzki scored just 12 points in a 94-91 victory in Salt Lake City on Jan. 19, and missed a 116-101 home win over Utah on Jan. 27 - the final contest of a planned four-game hiatus to rehab a sore right knee and improve his fitness.
Having won both those contests, Dallas remains undefeated in this series since a 104-92 road loss Feb. 1, 2010.
Nowitzki and the Mavericks are also trying to prevent their first three-game home losing streak since dropping their first four at home in 2008-09.
The Jazz (17-18) make their final visit to Dallas this season on the heels of Friday's thrilling 99-98 home victory over Southeast Division-leading Miami. Point guard Devin Harris converted a 3-point play with 4.5 seconds left to turn a two-point deficit into a one-point win.
"This is a great, great win for the Jazz," said coach Tyrone Corbin, whose team had snapped a season-high four-game skid two nights earlier with a 104-83 victory over Houston. "We did a great job just hanging in there."
Now, Utah opens a season-high five-game road trip seeking better results away from home. The Jazz have dropped nine of their last 10 outside Salt Lake City, and their three road wins are the fewest in the West.
Harris' improved play gives the team some added confidence - he's averaging 15.0 points and 5.4 assists in his last five games - but the former Maverick has just 11 total points and six assists in the two games against Dallas this season.
He'll likely be matched up with Jason Kidd, who was part of the eight-player deal that sent Harris to New Jersey four years ago.
Rodrigue Beaubois will have Utah's full attention after he started in place of Vince Carter on Friday and scored a season-best 25 points with four steals.
The third-year guard Beaubois scored 17 points off the bench on Jan. 19 and made his first start of the season against the Jazz on Jan. 27, finishing with 22 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four blocked shots.
Veteran forward Lamar Odom had his best game of the season for Dallas that night, scoring 19 points in place of Nowitzki, and he'll surprisingly be in uniform for this contest. After Dallas initially assigned the struggling forward to the Texas Legends of the D-League for a one-game stint, it recalled him Saturday morning, looking for any sort of boost to end this four-game skid.
The Mavs have won 17 of their last 20 home meetings with Utah."



Saturday, March 3, 2012
7:30 PM CT-American Airlines Center,
Dallas,TX.

FINAL
UTH-20-16-19-41==96
DAL-24-19-31-28=102


Utah Jazz (17-19) field goals.....rebounds
pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba=pts
J. Howard F 26:28 5-9 0-2 0-0 -3 1 5 6 1 2 0 2 0 0 10
P. Millsap F 30:01 11-17 1-4 1-1 +4 3 3 6 2 5 4 0 0 0 24
A. Jefferson C 33:57 4-12 0-0 3-3 -3 0 10 10 1 1 1 2 0 1 11
G. Hayward F 15:36 1-3 1-2 0-0 -8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
D. Harris G 27:09 3-9 0-2 1-1 -14 0 0 0 5 2 0 2 0 0 7
C. Miles 25:20 4-12 2-5 3-3 -3 0 2 2 2 1 2 2 0 0 13
D. Favors 17:59 5-11 0-0 4-7 -10 4 1 5 0 2 3 0 0 2 14
E. Watson 20:51 2-4 0-1 1-2 +8 1 3 4 1 1 0 2 1 0 5
E. Kanter 14:03 0-1 0-0 1-2 -3 1 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
A. Burks 28:36 3-7 0-0 2-2 +2 2 0 2 1 4 0 4 0 2 8
D. Carroll...DNP - Coach's Decision
J. Evans....DNP - Coach's Decision
J. Tinsley...DNP - Coach's Decision
Total.....240 38-85 4-16 16-21 12 27 39 13 18 10 14 1 5=96
.................44.7% 25.0% 76.2% team rebs: 11 total to: 15



Dallas Mavericks (22-16) field goals.....rebounds
pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba=pts
S. Marion F 32:46 3-9 0-0 1-2 +6 3 3 6 4 2 2 1 1 0 7
D. Nowitzki F 28:50 14-21 3-8 9-10 +8 1 5 6 0 2 1 4 0 0 40
B. Haywood C 30:33 2-4 0-0 2-2 -7 3 4 7 0 3 1 2 1 0 6
V. Carter G-F 28:14 3-8 1-3 2-2 -1 0 3 3 4 3 3 2 0 0 9
J. Kidd G 27:50 1-5 1-2 1-2 -2 0 4 4 8 1 2 2 0 0 4
L. Odom 18:02 3-5 1-2 2-2 +6 0 5 5 3 1 0 0 3 0 9
J. Terry 33:49 8-15 3-6 3-4 +5 0 0 0 2 0 2 2 0 0 22
R. Beaubois 20:10 1-4 1-2 0-0 +8 0 1 1 2 3 0 1 0 0 3
I. Mahinmi 17:27 1-4 0-0 0-0 +13 3 5 8 1 5 0 1 0 1 2
Y. Jianlian 02:19 0-0 0-0 0-0 -6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B. Cardinal..DNP - Coach's Decision
D. Jones.....DNP - Coach's Decision
B. Wright....DND - Concussion
Total.......240 36-75 10-23 20-24 10 30 40 24 20 11 15 5 1=102
..................48.0% 43.5% 83.3% team rebs: 5 total to: 16

inactive
Jazz: Bell
Mavericks: West, Williams

technical fouls
Jazz: --
Mavericks: --

scoring
Lead Changes: 4
Times Tied: 3

arena stats
Arena: American Airlines Center, Dallas,TX
Officials: #36 David Jones, #20 Leroy Richardson, #9 Derrick Stafford
Attendance: 20560
Duration: 2:12


Nowitzki scores 40 as Mavs beat Jazz 102-96.
DALLAS (AP) "Dirk Nowitzki made his first shot Saturday night, then scored again. When he connected again on his third attempt, the Dallas Mavericks knew exactly what to do.
Nowitzki scored a season-high 40 points and the Mavericks snapped a four-game losing streak with a 102-96 victory against the Utah Jazz.
"His shot making was there from the very beginning and the guys knew that," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "They kept getting him the ball and he delivered all night long."
Nowitzki had 30 points when he went to the bench midway through the third quarter. It looked as if Nowitzki was going to relax the rest of the game as Dallas built a 23-point cushion in the fourth quarter.
The Jazz went on a big run to get within five points late. Nowitzki responded with a couple of big plays to help the Mavericks turn away the late rally.
"I had a good rhythm tonight," said Nowitzki, who scored 20 points in each half. "I had not been really been shooting the ball well, especially from 15 to 16 feet. I just wanted to be aggressive and my teammates kept feeding me."
Dallas forward Lamar Odom played for the first time after missing four games because of a family matter and personal reasons.
Odom was supposed to play Saturday night in the NBA Development League. Instead, he was recalled to play against the Jazz and scored nine points in 18 minutes. He also had five rebounds and blocked a season-high three shots.
"It was really personal, something I had to tend to," Odom said. "Mark Cuban is a great owner for understanding and knowing that sometimes we have to fix what's going on off the court in order for us to fix what's on the court."
Paul Millsap scored 24 points and Derrick Favors added 14 for Utah, which beat the Miami Heat 99-98 on Friday night.
In the opener of a five-game road trip, the Jazz fell to 3-13 away from home.
"We felt like we tried our best to contain them as much as possible," Millsap said. "But they hit some tough shots that took us out of the game."
Jason Terry scored 22 points as the Mavericks won the first time since Feb. 20.
Nowitzki, who scored 13 in a row for his team at one point, finished 14 for 21 from the floor and 9 for 10 from the line. His previous season high was 34 points against the New York Knicks on Feb. 19.
"It was tough losing a couple of games in a row," Nowitzki said. "We have to establish ourselves again."
The Jazz outscored the Mavericks 41-28 in the fourth quarter and went on a 24-8 run to cut Dallas' lead to 93-88 with 1:41 left.
Terry answered with a layup and Nowitzki hit four free throws to help Dallas push ahead 99-90 with 19.4 seconds left.
CJ Miles scored 13 points and Al Jefferson had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz, who have lost seven in a row to the Mavericks.
Utah was down 53-47 in the third quarter when Dallas broke the game open.
Nowitzki sparked a 21-8 run by banking in an off-balance, one-legged 3-pointer. The 2011 NBA finals MVP then hit another from long distance to stretch the lead to 12.
Odom drove for a layup and made a 3-pointer from the corner to put Dallas on top 69-55, and Terry scored the final five points of the third quarter.
Carlisle said before the game that Odom joined the team sooner than expected because the team needed another healthy player during a rugged stretch where it plays nine games in 12 days.
Odom had been set to play for the Texas Legends on Saturday night. He entered with 7:36 left in the first quarter to an ovation from the home fans.
Carlisle was happy with what he saw Saturday from Odom, who came into the game averaging 7.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
"It's by far the most energy he's played with the entire year," Carlisle said.

NOTES: Utah G Raja Bell (strained left adductor) missed his sixth straight game.
..Dallas C Brandan Wright (concussion) did not play. Carlisle said Wright is day to day and there is no timetable for his return."


{C}http://www.nba.com/games/20120303/UTADA ... GIboxscore{C}
Notebook: Mavericks 102, Jazz 96.
By Dave Ivey
, for NBA.com.
"THE FACTS: Dirk Nowitzki returned to All-Star form and Lamar Odom returned to the team, leading the Mavericks to a 102-96 victory Saturday against the Jazz in Dallas. The defending champs snapped a season-high four-game losing streak and beat Utah for the seventh straight time.
Nowitzki, who averaged 17.3 points and shot just 38 percent (23-for-61) during the Mavericks' skid, scored a season-high 40 points on 14-for-21 shooting. It was his 17th career 40-point game and first since scoring 42 vs. Detroit on Nov. 23, 2010. Jason Terry added 22 points off the bench and Odom, who had not played with Dallas since Feb. 20 for personal reasons, had a nice all-around game with nine points, five rebounds, three assists and a season-high three blocks.
Paul Millsap scored 24 points and Al Jefferson posted a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for Utah, which hasn't defeated Dallas since Feb. 1, 2010 in Salt Lake City. The Jazz owned the inside, outscoring the Mavericks 52-24 in the paint. Dallas dominated the perimeter game, however, going 10-for-23 from 3-point range (7-for-10 in the second half).

QUOTABLE:
"I had a good rhythm tonight. I had not been really shooting the ball well, especially around 15 to 16 feet, which is usually my comfort zone. I just wanted to be aggressive and my teammates kept feeding me and that was great."
-- Nowitzki, who was 3-for-8 from behind the arc and 9-for-10 at the line.

THE STAT:
The Jazz scored more points (41) in the fourth quarter than they did in the first half (36). Nowitzki outscored the other four Dallas starters 40-26.

TURNING POINT:
Utah trailed by 23 early in the fourth quarter, but took advantage of some sloppy play by the Mavs (nine fourth-quarter turnovers) and made things interesting with a 19-4 run. The Jazz reduced the deficit to 93-88 with 1:41 left on Millsap's three-point play. After the teams traded turnovers, Terry received a nice lead pass from Jason Kidd and converted a critical layup with 54 seconds left. Nowitzki, Terry and Kidd then combined to go 7-for-8 at the line to clinch it.

QUOTABLE II:
"They do a great job of getting him the ball. They run him in a lot of pick and rolls. They slip him out sometimes. They do a good job, especially with Terry on the ball, of stretching you out because he's capable of making shots, so you want to make sure you stop him. Then Dirk's spaced out and he's got his feet set looking at the basket. He's difficult."
-- Utah coach Tyrone Corbin on Nowitzki

QUOTABLE III:
"It's by far the most energy he's played with the entire year, and I don't think it's close. I would defy anybody to go against that statement. It's just clear we need this from him every night. If he can bring that kind of energy and engagement, it's going to lift our team to a different level. [If he can't], we won't be as good. He's capable, and I believe he can do it."
-- Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle on Odom, who was originally scheduled to play for the D-League's Texas Legends on Saturday.

HOT:
Nowitzki scored 14 in the second quarter, including 13 consecutive Dallas points. The only other Maverick to score in the period was Terry with five points.

NOT:
One night after starting and pacing the Mavericks with 25 points in Friday's loss at New Orleans, Rodrigue Beaubois was back on the bench to begin this game. He scored just three points on 1-for-4 shooting with two assists in 20 minutes.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT:
Kidd dished a game-high eight assists. Vince Carter, back in the starting five after coming off the bench Friday against the Hornets, contributed nine points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals. Derrick Favors (14), C.J. Miles (13) and ex-Maverick Josh Howard (10) scored in double figures for Utah.

ROOKIE WATCH:
Jazz guard Alec Burks finished with eight points and four turnovers in nearly 29 minutes off the bench. He had an interesting confrontation with 7-footer Brendan Haywood during the fourth quarter, taking exception to a hard shove by the Mavericks center. Teammates pulled Burks away and he seemed to calm down, making both of his free throws.

NOTABLE:
Mavericks forward/center Brandan Wright suffered a concussion Friday at New Orleans and was inactive Saturday. There is no timetable for his return.
... Utah is 1-9 when trailing at halftime on the road.
... Dallas shot 48 percent from the field and improved to 11-1 when shooting 45 percent or better.
... The Jazz (3-13) have the fewest road wins in the Western Conference.
... The Mavs have held 16 of their last 17 opponents under 100 points.

UP NEXT:
For the Mavericks, Monday @ Oklahoma City, For the Jazz, Monday @ Cleveland."


..........Jazz-Mavericks
FG%==44.7%-48.0%
3FG%=25.0%..43.5%
FT%==76.2%..83.3%

..................................UTA-DAL
Total Rebounds..........39-40
Offensive Rebounds.12-10
Turnovers..................14-15
Fast Break Pts...........17-15
Biggest Lead...............2-23
Points in the Paint....52-24



....................UTA-------------DAL
p.......Millsap=24..Nowitzki=40
rb.Jefferson=10...Mahinmi=8
a..........Harris=5...........Kidd=8
s.......Millsap=4.........Carter=3
b.....Watson=1...........Odom=3


...SERIES...(3-0)
01/19 - DAL 94 @ UTA 91
01/27 - UTA 101 @ DAL 116
03/03 - UTA 96 @ DAL 102
04/16 - DAL @ UTA

[jcisco loboe'77]

<div class="content"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #0000bf">December </span>Opponent Results<br />
Sun 18 vs Oklahoma City Preseason L 92-106<br />
Tue 20 @ Oklahoma City Preseason L 83-87<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ff0000">2011-12</span> <span style="color: #004000">Dallas Mavericks</span> (<span style="color: #ff0000">22-16)</span><br />
Sun 25 vs Miami L 94-105<br />
Mon 26 vs Denver L 93-115<br />
Thu 29 @ Oklahoma City L 102-104<br />
Fri 30 vs Toronto <span style="color: #ff0000">W 99</span>-86<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0000bf">January </span>Opponent Results<br />
Sun 01 @ Minnesota L 82-99<br />
Mon 02 vs Oklahoma City <span style="color: #ff0000">W 100-</span>87<br />
Wed 04 vs Phoenix <span style="color: #ff0000">W 98</span>-89<br />
Thu 05 @ San Antonio L 71-93<br />
Sat 07 vs New Orleans <span style="color: #ff0000">W 96</span>-81<br />
Tue 10 @ Detroit <span style="color: #ff0000">W 100</span>-86<br />
Wed 11 @ Boston Celtics <span style="color: #ff0000">W 90</span>-85<br />
Fri 13 vs Milwaukee <span style="color: #ff0000">W 102</span>-76<br />
Sat 14 vs Sacramento <span style="color: #ff0000">W 99</span>-60<br />
Mon 16 vs LAL L 70-73<br />
Wed 18 vs LAC L 89-91<br />
Thur 19 vs Utah <span style="color: #ff0000">W 94</span>-91<br />
Sat 21 @ NO <span style="color: #ff0000">W 83</span>-81<br />
Mon 23 vs PHO <span style="color: #ff0000">W 93</span>-87<br />
Wed 25 vs MIN L 90-105<br />
Fri 27 vs Utah <span style="color: #ff0000">W 115</span>-101<br />
Sun 29 vs San Antonio <span style="color: #ff0000">W 101</span>-100<br />
Mon 30 @ Phoenix <span style="color: #ff0000">W 122</span>-99<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0000bf">February </span>Opponent Results<br />
Wed 01 vs Oklahoma City L 86-95<br />
Fri 03 vs IND L 87-98<br />
Sat 04 vs CLE L 88-91.<br />
Wed 08 vs Denver <span style="color: #ff0000">W 105</span>-95.<br />
Fri 10 @ Minnesota <span style="color: #ff0000">W 104</span>-97<br />
Sat 11 vs Portland <span style="color: #ff0000">W 97</span>-94<br />
Mon 13 vs LAC <span style="color: #ff0000">W 96</span>-92<br />
Wed 15 vs Denver <span style="color: #ff0000">W 102</span>-84<br />
Fri 17 @ Philadelphia <span style="color: #ff0000">W 82</span>-75<br />
Sun 19 @ New York L 97-104<br />
Mon 20 vs Boston <span style="color: #ff0000">W 89</span>-73<br />
Wed 22 vs LAL L 91-96<br />
Tue 28 vs New Jersey L 92-93<br />
Wed 29 @ Memphis L 85-96<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0000bf">March</span> Opponent Result<br />
Fri 02 @ New Orleans L 92-97<br />
Sat 03 vs Utah <span style="color: #ff0000">W 102</span>-96 </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold">Southwest....W-L....PCT..GB.CONF.DIV.HOME.ROAD.L 10.STREAK<br />
San Antonio.25-12 0.676..0.0 18-9...8-3.14 -3..11-9..7-3....L 1<br />
Memphis......22-15 0.595..3.0 13-13..5-4.15 -5...7-10..8-2..W 4<br />
<span style="color: #004000">Dallas...........22-16 0.579..3.5 16-11..3-3.14 -7...8-9...5-5 ..W 1 </span><br />
Houston.......21-17 0.553..4.5 13-15..4-4.15 -6...6-11..5-5...L 3<br />
New Orleans.9-28 0.243 16.0...4-19..1-7..4-16...5-12..5-5...L 1 </span></div>

[jcisco loboe'77]

<div class="content"><span style="font-weight: bold">March 05,Wednesday......Opponent.......Time........Local TV......Radio.<br />
(<span style="color: #ff0000">22-16</span>) <span style="color: #004000">Mavericks</span> at Thunder (29-8)....7:00pm CT....FSSW...KESN-FM (103.3), KFLC-AM (1270 in Spanish).<br />
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City,OK.<br />
<br />
<br />
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.nba.com/g.../20120305/DALOK ... 0021100559</a><!-- m --><br />
<span style="color: #004000">Mavericks</span>-Thunder Preview.<br />
By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN.<br />
<br />
&quot;Dirk Nowitzki seems to have found his shooting stroke in time for another scoring duel with Kevin Durant.<br />
<br />
These All-Stars will be the focal point Monday night when Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder look to stretch their home win streak to 13 games as they face Nowitzki&#39;s Dallas Mavericks.<br />
<br />
Nowitzki scored a season-high 40 points as Dallas (22-16) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 102-96 home victory over Utah on Saturday. He had 20 in each half, and 13 in a row for his team at one point.<br />
<br />
&quot;I had a good rhythm tonight,&quot; said Nowitzki, who shot 39.3 percent during the Mavericks&#39; losing streak. &quot;I had not been really been shooting the ball well, especially from 15 to 16 feet. I just wanted to be aggressive and my teammates kept feeding me.&quot;<br />
<br />
Durant, meanwhile, is averaging 28.2 points for the season as he continues to battle the Lakers&#39; Kobe Bryant and Miami&#39;s LeBron James for the scoring title. He is averaging 28.7 while helping Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City (29-8) take two of three from Dallas this season after the Mavs won last year&#39;s West finals in five games.<br />
<br />
Nowitzki is averaging 21.0 points in the season series after being held to eight points on 2-of-15 shooting in the last meeting, a 95-86 home loss Feb. 1.<br />
<br />
The German 7-footer averaged 32.2 points with two 40-point efforts in last year&#39;s conference finals while Durant averaged 28.0.<br />
<br />
Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook has averaged 22.0 points in the first three meetings with Dallas, but is among the league&#39;s worst with 4.1 turnovers per game. The Thunder average a league-worst 16.5 turnovers, and had 21 that led to 22 points for Atlanta in Saturday&#39;s 97-90 road loss.<br />
<br />
&quot;We&#39;ve got to fix it,&quot; coach Scott Brooks said. &quot;We keep talking about it. We&#39;re working on it. But we&#39;ve got to figure out that because it&#39;s going to be hard to win night in, night out the way we turn it over.&quot;<br />
<br />
The Thunder had their seven-game win streak snapped. Durant scored 35, but made 3 of 10 shots from the field in a fourth quarter in which Oklahoma City connected on 5 of 21.<br />
<br />
&quot;We&#39;ve won so many games down the stretch, and to lose this one, it&#39;s tough, but it&#39;s the luck of the draw, man,&quot; Durant said. &quot;We&#39;ve got to move on.&quot;<br />
<br />
Oklahoma City will be confident about returning home, where they are 15-1 and will try to record the franchise&#39;s first 13-game win streak since a 17-game run in Seattle from Nov. 11, 1994-Jan. 24, 1995. The Thunder are 6-1 after their first seven defeats.<br />
<br />
Dallas comes to town after Lamar Odom returned Saturday with nine points, five rebounds and three blocks after he missed four games because of a family matter and personal reasons.<br />
<br />
&quot;It was really personal, something I had to tend to,&quot; Odom said. &quot;Mark Cuban is a great owner for understanding and knowing that sometimes we have to fix what&#39;s going on off the court in order for us to fix what&#39;s on the court.&quot;<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
...<span style="color: #ff0000">SERIES</span>...(<span style="color: #ff0000">1-2</span>)<br />
12/29 - <span style="color: #004000">DAL</span> <span style="color: #ff0000">102</span> @ OKC 104<br />
01/02 - OKC 87 @ <span style="color: #004000">DAL</span> <span style="color: #ff0000">100</span><br />
02/01 - OKC 95 @ <span style="color: #004000">DAL</span> <span style="color: #ff0000">86</span><br />
03/05 - DAL @ OKC<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #004000">DALLAS</span><br />
Record: 22-16<br />
Division: 3rd, Southwest<br />
Division Record: 3-3<br />
Conference: 6th, West<br />
Conference Record: 16-11<br />
<br />
OKC<br />
Record: 29-8<br />
Division: 1st, Northwest<br />
Division Record: 5-1<br />
Conference: 1st, West<br />
Conference Record: 21-6<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.nba.com/m...a></span></div>
<div class="content">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="content"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #004000">PROBABLE STARTERS</span> 2011-12 SEASON AVERAGES NOTES<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #006400">#0 SHAWN MARION<br />
F &bull; 6-7 &bull; 228 &bull; UNLV<br />
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG<br />
11.6 6.4 2.1 1.0 0.5 30.5<br />
Last Game: 7 points (3-9 FGs, 1-2 FTs), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2<br />
steals, 1 block, 33 minutes vs. UTA (3/3/12). Notes: Only Maverick to<br />
start all 38 games this season … DAL is 13-2 when he scores 13+<br />
points … 5 double-doubles … 3 games with 20+ points.<br />
<br />
#41 DIRK NOWITZKI<br />
F &bull; 7-0 &bull; 245 &bull; Germany<br />
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG<br />
19.7 6.9 2.1 0.9 0.5 32.1<br />
Last Game: Season-high 40 points (14-21 FGs, 3-8 3FGs, 9-10<br />
FTs), 6 rebounds, 29 minutes vs. UTA (3/3/12). Notes: Recorded his<br />
17th career 40-point game and his first since 11/23/10 (42 vs. DET)<br />
with 40 points vs. UTA (3/3/12) … team-high 6 double-doubles.<br />
<br />
#33 BRENDAN HAYWOOD<br />
C &bull; 7-0 &bull; 263 &bull; North Carolina<br />
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG<br />
5.8 6.9 0.4 0.5 1.1 22.9<br />
Last Game: 6 points (2-4 FGs, 2-2 FTs), 7 rebounds, 1 block, 31<br />
minutes vs. UTA (3/3/12). Notes: Season-high 18 points vs. NJ<br />
(2/28/12), his highest scoring game as a Maverick … 2 doubledoubles<br />
… 6 games with 10+ points … 8 games with 10+ rebounds.<br />
<br />
#25 VINCE CARTER<br />
G &bull; 6-6 &bull; 220 &bull; North Carolina<br />
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG<br />
10.6 3.1 2.5 1.1 0.4 24.8<br />
Last Game: 9 points (3-8 FGs, 1-3 3FGs, 2-2 FTs), 3 rebounds, 4<br />
assists, 3 steals, 28 minutes vs. UTA (3/3/12). Notes: 3 games with<br />
20+ points … has 20,871 career points and needs 10 points to pass<br />
Bob Pettit (20,880) for 32nd place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.<br />
<br />
#2 JASON KIDD<br />
G &bull; 6-4 &bull; 210 &bull; California<br />
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG<br />
5.0 4.3 5.6 1.7 0.1 28.3<br />
Last Game: 4 points (1-5 FGs, 1-2 3FGs, 1-2 FTs), 4 rebounds, 8<br />
assists, 2 steals, 28 minutes vs. UTA (3/3/12). Notes: Is appearing in<br />
his 1,296th career game at OKC (3/5/12), which will tie Mark Jackson<br />
for 12th place on the NBA’s all-time list for games played.</span></span></div>
<div class="content"><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #004000">DALLAS</span> <span style="color: #ff0000">INJURY/PLAYER STATUS</span>:<br />
<span style="color: #006400">Delonte West (right ring finger fracture/dislocation) is out;<br />
Sean Williams – Assigned to Texas Legends (D-League);<br />
Brandan Wright (concussion) is NWT.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ff0000">OKC INJURY REPORT</span>:<br />
Eric Maynor is OUT (torn right ACL)<br />
Thabo Sefolosha is OUT (right foot soreness)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nba.com/t...otes.pdf</a><br />
&quot;…2011-12 SCHEDULE/RESULTS .. … OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER<br />
No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate Prior to NBA/Home Country Yrs. Pro<br />
35 Kevin Durant F 6-9 235 09/29/88 Texas/USA 4<br />
9 Serge Ibaka F 6-10 235 09/18/89 Ricoh Manresa/Republic of Congo 2<br />
5 Kendrick Perkins C 6-10 270 11/10/84 Clifton J. Ozen HS (TX)/USA 8<br />
14 Daequan Cook G 6-5 210 04/28/87 Ohio State/USA 4<br />
0 Russell Westbrook G 6-3 187 11/12/88 UCLA/USA 3<br />
<br />
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER RESERVES …<br />
45 Cole Aldrich C 6-11 240 10/31/88 Kansas/USA 1<br />
4 Nick Collison F 6-10 255 10/26/80 Kansas/USA 7<br />
13 James Harden G 6-5 220 08/26/89 ASU/USA 2<br />
11 Lazar Hayward F 6-6 225 11/26/86 Marquette/USA 1<br />
7 Royal Ivey G 6-4 215 12/20/81 Texas/USA 7<br />
15 Reggie Jackson G 6-3 208 04/16/90 Boston College/USA R<br />
8 Nazr Mohammed C 6-10 250 09/05/77 Kentucky/USA 13<br />
6 Eric Maynor G 6-3 170 06/11/87 Virginia Commonwealth/USA 2<br />
33 Ryan Reid F 6-8 235 10/30/86 Florida State/USA R<br />
2 Thabo Sefolosha G 6-7 215 05/02/84 Angelico Biella/Switzerland 5.&quot;</span></div>

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/7650284/dallas-mavericks-find-finishing-touch-oklahoma-city-thunder
Poor execution down the stretch has become a disturbing trend for defending champs.
•Comments By Jeff Caplan....ESPNDallas.com.
Thunder Pick Up 30th Win....Thunder come back to top Mavs.

OKLAHOMA CITY--"Lamar Odom came out playing like his pants were on fire. The Dallas Mavericks ended Monday's game like the ball was on fire.

The first development was a good thing; the second, not so much, eliciting all manner of exasperation from the Mavericks after the 95-91 defeat in a high-intensity matchup that sure would be fun viewing in a couple of months.

"When you put yourself in a situation like this to win the game, you're supposed to win this [expletive]," Shawn Marion said. "That's all I really got to say."







{C}http://espn.go.com/n... ... -officials{C}
Jason Kidd: Mavs not viewed as champs.
•Comments By Jeff Caplan...ESPNDallas.com.

OKLAHOMA CITY--"Following Monday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd said the defending champions haven't received the benefit of the doubt from the officiating all season because they are not looked upon as champions.


Case in point: Mavs coach Rick Carlisle couldn't believe the foul called on center Ian Mahinmi as he attempted to block Thunder forward Serge Ibaka's shot with 46.2 seconds to go, providing the winning free throws in the high-intensity matchup.

Also, Dallas led 91-87 with 2:24 left, but lost 95-91 while shooting 23 fewer free throws than the Thunder. Five of Oklahoma City's final eight points came at the free-throw line and it outscored Dallas 14-2 from the line in the fourth quarter.

"We don't get the benefit of the whistle," Kidd said. "I don't think we're looked upon as champions, but that's a whole other story. Dirk (Nowitzki) should live at the line if they would call it the way it's supposed to be. But, he doesn't."

Nowitzki got to the free throw line just three times. He made them all as part of his game-high 27 points.

Carlisle believed Nowitzki -- who described the Mahinmi foul call as "brutal" -- got hacked without a call being made after the critical foul called on Mahinmi.

"I'm in disbelief that there was a foul call on Mahinmi," Carlisle said. "I just watched the play five times; I mean it's a block. It's an enormous play. And then Nowitzki gets hit on the arm at the other end and there's no call. So, I'm at a loss. I apologize for that."

The Thunder's 6-foot-10 Ibaka went up for a short hook in the lane and was challenged by the 6-foot-11 Mahinmi and his outstretched right arm.

Mahinmi said he thought he got all ball, a play that could have given Dallas possession while maintaining its 91-90 lead. But the whistle blew and Ibaka made both free throws for a 92-91 Thunder lead.


Mahinmi, who had 13 points and five rebounds coming in relief of injured starting center Brendan Haywood, said he was in disbelief at the call, but did not argue it.

"It was heat of the moment, they called a foul," Mahinmi said. "I didn't want to go up to the referee and him thinking I'm trying to use bad words and stuff, so it's unfortunate for us."

Oklahoma City held a 15-2 edge in free throw attempts in the decisive fourth quarter, and held a 33-10 edge in attempts overall for a 19-point advantage.

"Thirty-three to 10? Thirty-three free throws to 10, can I explain that?" Carlisle said. "They get to the free throw line a lot, but I don't want to be accusatory to the officials. But, I thought our guys were aggressive enough to deserve a few more chances."

After Mahinmi was whistled for the call, Kidd pled Mahinmi's case to referee Pat Fraher, to no avail.

"He didn't foul him. It was a bad call. Clean block," Kidd said. "I just said (to Fraher) it wasn't a foul. He blocked the ball and after the play he said he bumped him with his body. I don't think so. It was a bad night for the officials. It happens."

Jeff Caplan covers the Dallas Mavericks for ESPNDallas.com.






{C}http://espn.go.com/d... ... ains-ankle{C}
Brendan Haywood sprains ankle.
Comments By Jeff Caplan.
ESPNDallas.com.

OKLAHOMA CITY--"Dallas Mavericks center Brendan Haywood sprained his left ankle 31 seconds into Monday's 95-91 loss at Oklahoma City and did not return.

It's uncertain how severe the sprain is or how much time Haywood could miss.

After the game, Haywood said he suffered a "simple sprain" to his left ankle. He said there is a little swelling and that he'll wait to see how it responds Tuesday morning before determining if he can play against Tyson Chandler and the New York Knicks back in Dallas on Tuesday.


The 7-footer drove by Thunder center Kendrick Perkins and got a shot off at the rim, but Haywood missed it and came down in pain. He had to hobble all the way down the floor and intentionally foul Thunder forward Kevin Durant just to get the game stopped.

"He rode me the whole way to the basket," Haywood said of Perkins. Haywood then hopped back down the floor and headed to the locker room with head athletic trainer Casey Smith.

Ian Mahinmi stepped up big in relief, scoring 13 points -- all in the first half -- and added five rebounds, two assists and two steals."

Jeff Caplan covers the Dallas Mavericks for ESPNDallas.com.