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[jcisco loboe'77]

<div class="content">December........................Opponent..................Time.......................Radio.<br />
Thu 29..(0-2)Dallas @ (2-0)Oklahoma City ... 7:00pm........ESPN Radio 103.3 FM.<span style="display: none"> </span></div>

[jcisco loboe'77]

<div class="content"><a class="postlink" href="http://www.star-tele....com/2011/12/28 ... ricks.html</a><!-- m --><br />
<br />
Defense becomes Dallas Mavericks' top priority.<br />
Dwain Price.<br />
<br />
DALLAS --&quot;After getting severely torched on defense by Miami and Denver in the first two games of the season, the Dallas Mavericks paid a lot of attention to defense during Wednesday's practice.The Heat scored 97 points after three quarters Sunday before settling for a 105-94 victory. The next day, the Nuggets collected 97 points after three quarters in thumping the Mavs 115-93.In the first 13 games last season, the Mavs allowed 97 points only three times the entire game .Thus, Wednesday's film session and practice emphasized defense. It's what the Mavs (0-2) sorely need if they want to crack the win column.&quot;It'll be the major theme every day going forward,&quot; coach Rick Carlisle said. &quot;When you defend well, your offense is always going to be better, and when you run offense well, your defense will be better.&quot;Carlisle told his players they must go all-out on defense and spill their guts. Not necessarily the way center Sean Williams did when he vomited on the sidelines late in Monday's game, but they got the picture.&quot;Right now we've got to start the game with five guys in a stance and get after it defensively,&quot; Carlisle said. &quot;And look, what I told the guys is, 'Hey, you've got to play to exhaustion and then we'll get somebody else in there.' We've got to establish a tone defensively. Any other stuff about rotation and who's playing is insignificant to the major theme, which is hard play and tough defense.&quot;The Mavs will have to be at their defensive best tonight when they play at Oklahoma City on TNT.Road warriors?Last season the Mavericks tied Miami for the NBA's best road record at 28-13. The Mavs had a certain swagger when they went on the road, and they're hoping to have it back tonight against the Thunder.&quot;This team is a team that has prided itself on going into other teams' building and making a statement,&quot; Jason Terry said. &quot;So [tonight] what a great way to do it and get our first win in Oklahoma.&quot;Williams' respectIn 11 mind-boggling minutes Tuesday against Denver, Sean Williams gained a whole lot of respect from coaches and teammates.The Mansfield product scored 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting, and had a steal, three rebounds and a blocked shot. That earned him a spot on tonight's 13-man active roster.&quot;We needed somebody that's active in the middle that's going to impact the ballgame,&quot; Jason Terry said. &quot;We need a lot of energy out there on the floor, and he provides that instantly.&quot;<span style="display: none"> </span></div>

[jcisco loboe'77]

<p> </p>
<div class="content"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://espn.go.com/b...dallas/maverick ... id=4682654</a><!-- m --><br />
<br />
<br />
Tracy McGrady has Mavs' future mapped.<br />
By Jeff Caplan.<br />
<br />
&quot;Apparently Tracy McGrady is preparing for a career as a general manager, or maybe as a player-agent. He seems to know what's best for Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard and the Dallas Mavericks.<br />
<br />
Now with the Atlanta Hawks and playing at the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday night, McGrady provided advice to Howard, telling him to stay away from Jersey, even though the game's most dominant inside force has the Nets on his short list of preferred destinations, which also includes the Mavs and Los Angeles Lakers.<br />
<br />
According to a Yahoo! Sports report, McGrady envisions Nets point guard Deron Williams, who can become a free agent this summer along with Howard, joining up with Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs. Once that happens, then McGrady says, the Mavs should go get Howard.<br />
<br />
&quot;I can't see him coming here,&quot; McGrady said of Howard in Jersey. &quot;If it's just Dwight and D-Will, he's better off just staying in Orlando. You want to go to a team that's championship caliber, and just him and D-Will won't get it done. There's got to be other pieces around to make it look sweet.&quot;<br />
<br />
And that leads McGrady, who has never played for New Jersey or Dallas, but did spend a few seasons in Orlando, to bring up the perfect Mavs' scenario.<br />
<br />
&quot;D-Will is from Dallas,&quot; McGrady said. &quot;You've got Dirk Nowitzki there. They're going to have [cap space] there. That looks sweet. Dirk. D-Will. And then you get Dwight Howard. That's it, right there.&quot;<br />
<br />
Just in case Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson haven't pieced that together, they can reach T-Mac through the Hawks' media relations department.&quot;</div>
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[jcisco loboe'77]

<div class="content"><a class="postlink" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ycn-10766277">http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ycn-10766277</a><!-- m --><br />
<br />
Oklahoma City Thunder Vs. Dallas Mavericks Preview – a Fan’s Take.<br />
By Shawn S. Lealos, Yahoo! Contributor.<br />
<br />
&quot;In 2010-11, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks met in the Western Conference Finals, the winner getting a chance to play in the NBA Finals. The Mavericks won the series and went on to win the NBA Championship. It was the second year that the Thunder made it to the postseason and they did better each year.<br />
<br />
Now in 2010-11, the Thunder are ready to make that next step towards their destiny. They have started the new season with a 3-0 record, looking like the long NBA lockout didn't affect them one bit. However, the Mavericks are headed in the other direction, sitting at 0-2, they have not won a game since they won the championship last season.<br />
<br />
<br />
Kevin Durant leads the Thunder once again. In three games, Durant has surpassed 30 points each time, the first player in franchise history, Seattle and Oklahoma City combined, to open a season with three straight 30 point games. If Durant hits 30 points again against Dallas, he will be the first NBA player since Kobe Bryant (2005-06) to open a season with four consecutive 30-point games.<br />
<br />
<br />
James Harden is the second leading scorer, the most valuable sixth man in the NBA. Harden heads in averaging 18.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists a game. Despite not starting, Harden still averages over 30 minutes a game. Russell Westbrook fell hard in Week 3, going 0-of-13 from the field, but still averages 15.3 points, 6.0 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals a game.<br />
<br />
<br />
Dirk Nowitzki leads the Mavericks once again this season, the defending 2010-11 MVP. He only averages 20.5 points in the first two games this season with only 4.5 rebounds. Outside of Nowitzki, Jason Terry (14.5), Sean Williams (12.0) and Jason Kidd (10.5) are the only double digit scorers.<br />
<br />
<br />
Newcomers Vince Carter (8.0 points) and Lamar Odom (5.0 points, 5.5 rebounds) have not found their comfort level yet in Dallas.<br />
<br />
<br />
From the look, the Thunder have outperformed the Mavericks in every area of play this season. In the preseason, Oklahoma City swept Dallas in both their meetings. If they beat the Mavericks now, the Thunder will be 4-0 for the first time since 2003-04 when they played in Seattle. The game against Dallas tips off at 7:00 p.m. CT on December 29 in Oklahoma City.<br />
<br />
<br />
Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and is an avid sports fan that has lived in Oklahoma for over 40 years. He used to religiously follow the Dallas Mavericks until Oklahoma City found a team to call their own.&quot;<br />
<br />
<br />
Source: NBA.COM.<br />
Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor.<span style="display: none"> </span></div>

[jcisco loboe'77]

<div class="content"><a class="postlink" href="http://www.sacbee.co...11/12/29/415094 ... ahoma.html</a><!-- m --><br />
<br />
Dallas Mavericks (0-2) at Oklahoma City Thunder (3-0), 8 p.m. (ET).<br />
The Sports Network.<br />
<br />
&quot;The defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks are still searching for the first win of the season and will have their hands full tonight against the undefeated Oklahoma City Thunder.Dallas was trounced by Miami on Christmas in a rematch of last season's NBA Finals and suffered a 115-93 setback on Monday versus Denver in the finale of a season-opening two-game homestand. Dirk Nowitzki scored 20 points, Jason Kidd and Sean Williams both had 12 and Vince Carter netted 11 points for the Mavericks, who committed 20 turnovers and have lost two straight to start a season since the 2006-07 campaign.&quot;We kind of have a new team out there and we're trying to get acclimated,&quot; said Mavericks forward Shawn Marion, who played with a finger injury and scored two points. &quot;You can tell it's not flowing the way it should be and there's going to be some bumps.&quot; In 2006-07, the Mavericks opened the season with four straight losses before going on to win a franchise-best 67 games. Dallas will play its first road game of the season and went 28-13 away from American Airlines Center in 2010-11, which was tied with Miami for the best road record in the NBA.The last champion to lose three games to start a season was when Boston began the 1969-70 campaign with an 0-4 record. Nowitzki has played in 995 regular- season games (970 starts) over the course of his 13-plus years in the league.The Thunder are sizzling so far and have won their first three games of the season. They will be looking for a measure of revenge against the Mavericks, who eliminated them in five games in the Western Conference Finals a year ago.OKC has beaten Orlando, Minnesota and Memphis so far this season and will play two straight and four of their next five games at home. In Wednesday's 98-95 victory over the Grizzlies, Kevin Durant scored 32 points and James Harden tallied 20 points off the bench for the Thunder, who held on for the win despite getting just four points on free throws from Russell Westbrook.&quot;We just played good team defense,&quot; said Thunder center Kendrick Perkins, who posted 10 points. &quot;We stuck together and were communicating.&quot;Durant has reached the 30-point mark in each game this season and is averaging 31.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 55.9 percent. Oklahoma City shot just 37.7 percent from the field, but improved to 3-0 on the season for the first time since 2003-04, when the team was located in Seattle. The last time the franchise won its first four games was back in 2002-03.Dallas took two of three meetings with OKC in the regular season a year ago and has won 19 of the past 24 matchups in this series. The Mavs are 10-3 in their previous 13 games at the Thunder.&quot;<span style="display: none"> </span></div>

[jcisco loboe'77]

<div class="content"><a class="postlink" href="http://www.nba.com/games/20111229/DALOKC/gameinfo.html">http://www.nba.com/games/20111229/DALOKC/gameinfo.html</a><!-- m --><br />
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Mavericks-Thunder Preview.<br />
DAN PIERINGER.<br />
<br />
<br />
&quot;It has been more than 40 years since a defending NBA champion lost its first three games. Heading into Oklahoma City, the Dallas Mavericks are in danger of doing just that.<br />
<br />
Four days after raising their championship banner, the Mavericks look to avoid their third straight loss Thursday night when they visit the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are aiming for their first 4-0 start since 2002, when they were the Seattle SuperSonics.<br />
<br />
Dallas won its first title last season, winning at least 50 games for the 11th straight year and eliminating Portland, the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, the Thunder and heavily-favored Miami in the playoffs.<br />
<br />
The team chemistry that helped the Mavericks through their playoff run has been noticeably absent early this season, with Dallas losing its first two games by an average of 16.5 points. The Mavericks trailed by as many as 35 in their season opener against the Heat and by 33 during a 115-93 loss to Denver on Monday. They've allowed 110.0 points per game after holding teams to an average of 96.0 last season.<br />
<br />
&quot;We look old and slow and out of shape, a bad combination,&quot; said NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki, who has sat out the entire fourth quarter of both games because they have been so lopsided. &quot;I still think this team has a lot of potential. But we have to turn the corner.&quot;<br />
<br />
The last NBA champions to lose their first two games the following season were the Los Angeles Lakers at the start of 2002-03. No reigning champion has started 0-3 since the Boston Celtics lost four straight in 1969-70, immediately following the retirement of Bill Russell.<br />
<br />
Dallas lost its first four games in 2006-07 but recovered to post 67 wins. This season could be different, however, because of the lockout, the abbreviated training camp and preseason schedule, and significant roster turnover. The Mavericks are trying to incorporate new additions Lamar Odom, Vince Carter and Delonte West while making up for the departures of Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea.<br />
<br />
&quot;I've got a lot of work to do,&quot; coach Rick Carlisle said.<br />
<br />
Carlisle's club didn't have much trouble with the Thunder last season, winning six of eight meetings including four of five in the Western Conference finals. The Mavs were 4-0 in Oklahoma City, where they averaged 104.8 points.<br />
<br />
Oklahoma City (3-0) has looked strong early this season. Kevin Durant had 32 points and eight rebounds and James Harden added 20 points off the bench in a 98-95 win over Memphis on Wednesday night.<br />
<br />
Durant missed six of his first seven shots but finished 10 of 17 from the field.<br />
<br />
&quot;You know, I think I'm maturing as a player,&quot; he said. &quot;Last year, if I got off to a slow start, I would have let it affect me. But I try to keep my composure and believe in myself.&quot;<br />
<br />
Durant helped make up for a terrible performance by Russell Westbrook, who missed all 13 of his field-goal attempts. The All-Star point guard is shooting 31.4 percent (16 for 51) and averaging 6.0 turnovers during Oklahoma City's undefeated start.<br />
<br />
Durant is averaging 31.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 55.9 percent.<br />
<br />
Nowitzki missed Dallas' loss to Oklahoma City last regular season with a knee injury. Two of his three highest-scoring performances of 2010-11 came in the playoff series against the Thunder, scoring a season-high 48 in Game 1 and 40 in Game 4.&quot;<span style="display: none"> </span></div>

[jcisco loboe'77]

<div class="content">Teams Overview.<br />
standings<br />
w-l..l10....h....a<br />
DAL..4th Southwest<br />
0-2..0-2..0-2..0-0<br />
<br />
OKC..1st Northwest<br />
w-l..l10...h.....a<br />
3-0..3-0..1-0..2-0<br />
<br />
<br />
Leaders<br />
ppg..rpg..apg..bpg..spg<br />
DAL<br />
Nowitzki 20.5<br />
Marion 6.0<br />
3 players 3.5<br />
Williams 1.0<br />
West 3.0<br />
<br />
<br />
ppg..rpg..apg..bpg..spg<br />
OKC<br />
Durant 31.7<br />
2 players 6.3<br />
Westbrook 6.0<br />
Ibaka 2.0<br />
Westbrook 2.0</div>
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[jcisco loboe'77]

..December..............................Opponent..........Time.....Nat TV...........Radio.
Thu 29..(0-2)Dallas @ (2-0)Oklahoma City ... 7:00pm....TNT...ESPN Radio 103.3 FM.

[jcisco loboe'77]

<div class="content">Western Conference<br />
Western<br />
W-L..PCT..GB..CONF..DIV..HOME..ROAD..L 10..STREAK<br />
San Antonio-1<br />
2-0..1.000..0.5..2-0..1-0..2-0..0-0..2-0..W 2<br />
Oklahoma City-2<br />
3-0..1.000..0.0..2-0..1-0..1-0..2-0..3-0..W 3<br />
Portland-3<br />
2-0..1.000..0.5..1-0..0-0..2-0..0-0..2-0..W 2<br />
Golden State-4<br />
2-1..0.667..1.0..0-1..0-1..2-1..1-0..2-1..W 2<br />
Denver-5<br />
2-0..1.000..0.5..2-0..1-0..1-0..1-0..2-0..W 2<br />
New Orleans-6<br />
2-0..1.000..0.5..1-0..0-0..1-0..1-0..2-0..W 2<br />
L.A. Clippers-7<br />
1-1..0.500..1.5..1-1..1-0..0-0..1-1..1-1..L 1<br />
Sacramento-8<br />
1-1..0.500..5..1-1..1-0..1-0..0-1..1-1..L 1<br />
L.A. Lakers<br />
1-2..0.333..2.0..1-1..0-1..1-1..0-1..1-2..W 1<br />
Minnesota<br />
0-2..0.000..2.5..0-1..0-1..0-1..0-1..0-2..L 2<br />
Memphis<br />
0-2..0.000..2.5..0-2..0-1..0-1..0-1..0-2..L 2<br />
Phoenix<br />
0-2..0.000..2.5..0-1..0-0..0-2..0-0..0-2..L 2<br />
Dallas<br />
0-2..0.000..2.5..0-1..0-0..0-2..0-0..0-2..L 2<br />
Utah<br />
0-2..0.000..2.5..0-2..0-1..0-0..0-2..0-2..L 2<br />
Houston<br />
0-1..0.000..2.0..0-0..0-0..0-0..0-1..0-1..L 1<span style="display: none"> </span></div>

[jcisco loboe'77]

<div class="content">Upcoming game...<br />
Toronto-vs-Dallas.<br />
<br />
<br />
friday, december 30, 2011<br />
standings<br />
w-l..l10..h..a..7:30 pm ct.<br />
<br />
Toronto<br />
2nd Atlantic<br />
1-1<br />
1-1<br />
0-1<br />
1-0<br />
<br />
Dallas<br />
4th Southwest<br />
0-2<br />
0-2<br />
0-2<br />
0-0<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Season Series: tied 0-0<br />
12/30 - TOR @ DAL<span style="display: none"> </span></div>

[jcisco loboe'77]

<div class="content">Upcoming game..<br />
Dallas-vs-Minnesota...6:00 pm ct<br />
<br />
standings<br />
w-l..l10..h..a<br />
<br />
<br />
DAL<br />
4th Southwest<br />
0-2<br />
0-2<br />
0-2<br />
0-0<br />
<br />
min<br />
4th Northwest<br />
0-2<br />
0-2<br />
0-1<br />
0-1</div>
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[jcisco loboe'77]

<div class="content"><a class="postlink" href="http://espn.go.com/b...dallas/maverick ... tarted-0-3</a><!-- m --><br />
<br />
<br />
3-pointer: One other champ started 0-3.<br />
Comments By Jeff Caplan.<br />
<br />
OKLAHOMA CITY--&quot;The Dallas Mavericks were 1.4 seconds away from a happy flight home and seeking a first winning streak of the season tonight against the Toronto Raptors.<br />
<br />
Instead, they’ll look to avoid an 0-4 start.<br />
<br />
The Mavs lost 104-102 on Thursday night to Kevin Durant, who had his fourth consecutive 30-point game to start the season and was called the best player in the game right now by Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, and the Oklahoma City Thunder.<br />
<br />
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it put Dallas in some rare company as only the second defending NBA champion to lose their first three games of the season. The other team was the 1969-70 Boston Celtics.<br />
<br />
While the Mavs lost a pretty good center in Tyson Chandler, the Celtics lost a Hall of Famer by the name of Bill Russell.<br />
<br />
On to our 3-pointer from Thursday’s tough loss while looking ahead to tonight’s game:<br />
<br />
1. Are the basketball gods really not on the Mavs’ side?: That’s how Rick Carlisle explained events such as Durant’s 27-footer going down at the buzzer. To be fair, Carlisle said it’s up to the team to sort of convince the basketball gods to come to your side. How do you do that?<br />
<br />
“Right now the basketball gods aren’t on our side,&quot; Carlisle said. &quot;We’ve got to get them on our side, and you don’t do that unless you do things right all the time. We’re making strides, but we’re not there yet.&quot;<br />
<br />
2. Lamar Odom’s struggles continue: The former Los Angeles Laker is 4-of-27 from the floor in the first three games. He took 11 shots in just 17 minutes Thursday and didn’t step foot on the floor in the fourth quarter. At the morning shootaround, Odom dismissed any notions that he is not interested in playing in Dallas, saying he owed it to Mark Cuban, Donnie Nelson, Carlisle and his teammates to produce. After totaling four points and two rebounds Thursday, Odom reiterated that things will get better, that basketball, in essence, is a simple game and that he is a basketball player.<br />
<br />
3. Jason Terry the point guard: With Delonte West starting at shooting guard, Terry is going to find time at point guard, and he might just like it. Terry had nine assists in Thursday’s game to go along with 16 points. He has 13 assists in the last two games with West in the starting lineup.&quot;<span style="display: none"> </span></div>

[jcisco loboe'77]

Lost..Dec 29, 2011

dal 102-104 okl

29-23-24-26=102
28-28-22-26=104

[jcisco loboe'77]

Dallas Mavericks (0-3).....field goals.................rebounds
..............pos..min..fgm-a..3pm-a..tm-a..+/-..off.def.tot..ast..pf..st..to..bs..ba=pts
S. Marion.....F..31:28..4-11..0-2....0-0...-1..4..2..6..1..2..2..1..0..2=8
D. Nowitzki..F..38:48..9-17..1-4..10-10..+19..2..8..10..4..5..0..4..0..0=29
B. Haywood..C..22:33..4-7...0-0..0-1..+16..2..3..5..0..3..1..1..1..0=8
D. West......G..22:55..5-10..1-2..4-4..+18..1..3..4..6..2..2..1..0.=15
J. Kidd.......G..34:37...1-3...1-3..0-0...-2..0..4..4..3..1..5..3..0..0=3
J. Terry.........31:33..6-17..4-8..0-0..-21..0..0..0..9..1..1..0..0..1=16
L. Odom........17:01..2-11..0-4..0-0..-18..0..2..2..2..2..1..0..0..3=4
S. Williams.....04:12...1-2..0-0..0-0..-10..2..0..2..0..2..0..0..0..0=2
V. Carter.......16:11...3-8..2-3..0-2...+3..1..2..3..0..2..1..1..0..1=8
I. Mahini........20:41...3-4..0-0..3-4..-14..2..0..2..0..4..1..1..0..0=9
R. Beaubois..DNP - Coach's Decision
B. Cardinal..DNP - Coach's Decision
D. Jones.....DNP - Coach's Decision
Total....240.....38-90..9-26..17-21..14..24..38..5..24..14..12..1..8=102
....................42.2%..34.6%..81.0%..........team rebs: 7..total to: 12

[jcisco loboe'77]

<p>Oklahoma City Thunder (4-0)....field goals..........rebounds<br />
...............pos..min..fgm-a..3pm-a..ftm-a..+/-..off.def.tot..ast..pf..st..to..bs..ba=pts<br />
K. Durant......F..41:10..10-16..3-5..7-9..+7..0..11..11..6..1..1..6..2..0=30<br />
S. Ibaka......F-C..36:47...6-9..0-0..4-8..-7..3..5..8..0..4..1..1..3..0=16<br />
K. Perkins......C..27:22...2-2.0-0..3-3..-16..1..3..4..0..3..1..6..1..0=7<br />
T. Sefolosha...G..13:20...0-0..0-0..0-0..-19..0..0..0..2..2..1..1..1..0=0<br />
R. Westbrook..G..31:08...6-15..0-1..4-6..-5..2..2..4..4..2..2..7..0..1=16<br />
J. Harden..........34:51...4-8..1-4..6-6..+22..0..4..4..4..2..0..0..1..0=15<br />
N. Collison.........22:08...4-4..0-0..0-0..+16.0..3..3..0..2..0..1..0..0=0<br />
E. Maynor..........16:52...2-4..1-1..0-0..+7..0..2..2..3..1..2..2..0..0=5<br />
D. Cook.............10:51...2-4.1-3..0-0..+5..0..1..1..0..0..0..1..0..0=5<br />
N. Mohammed.....05:31...1-1..0-0..0-0..0..0..1..1..0..2..0..1..0..0=2<br />
C. Aldrich..DNP - Coach's Decision<br />
L. Hayward.DNP - Coach's Decision<br />
R. Jackson..DNP - Coach's Decision<br />
Total.........240..37-63..6-14..24-32..6..32..38..19..19..8..26..8..1=104<br />
.............58.7%..42.9%..75.0%........team rebs: 7.....total to: 26<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
inactive<br />
Mavericks: Wright<br />
Thunder: Ivey, Reid<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
technical fouls<br />
Mavericks: Carter, Nowitzki, West, Williams<br />
Thunder: Harden, Ibaka<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
scoring<br />
Lead Changes: 15<br />
Times Tied: 10<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
arena stats<br />
Arena: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK<br />
Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #31 Scott Wall, #33 Zach Zarba<br />
Attendance: 18203<br />
Duration: 2:34</p>
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[jcisco loboe'77]

<div class="content"><a class="postlink" href="http://www.nba.com/games/20111229/DALOKC/gameinfo.html">http://www.nba.com/games/20111229/DALOKC/gameinfo.html</a><!-- m --><br />
<br />
Notebook: Thunder 104, <span style="color: #ff0000">Mavericks 102</span><br />
By Randy Renner, for NBA.com.<br />
<br />
&quot;THE FACTS: The Oklahoma City Thunder overcame 26 turnovers and star forward Kevin Durant overcame a defensive mistake when he nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give his team a thrilling 104-102 win over the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night.<br />
<br />
Moments before Durant nailed the game winner he left the Mavs Vince Carter alone at the top of the arc. Carter took a pass from Dirk Nowitzki and drained a 3-pointer to give Dallas a 102-101 lead with just :01.4 showing on the clock.<br />
<br />
Durant's teammates told him to forget about the error because they would come back and win. The two-time All-Star played off two screens set by teammates and took the inbounds pass from Thabo Sefolosha and launched a 27-footer that hit nothing but net and set off a frenzy inside sold-out Chesapeake Energy Arena. Durant led all scorers with 30 points. He added 11 rebounds, six assists and two blocked shots. Durant has scored at least 30 points in all four games this season.<br />
<br />
Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Jason Terry had 16 including four 3-pointers. Oklahoma City's Serge Ibaka added 16 and point guard Russell Westbrook, after having gone just 3-for-24 in his previous seven quarters was 3-for-4 in the last 12 minutes of the game and also finished with 16.<br />
<br />
Oklahoma City is now 4-0 with the four wins coming in five nights. Dallas falls to 0-3.<br />
<br />
QUOTABLE: &quot;Kevin left Vince Carter so it was sort of redemption for him. That was a big play. Kevin is a play maker and a shot maker. He's mentally as tough as they come.&quot;<br />
-- Thunder coach Scott Brooks<br />
<br />
QUOTABLE II: &quot;We're making some strides, we forced a lot of turnovers (26) but making progress and being the team you need to be are two different things.&quot;<br />
-- Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle<br />
<br />
THE STAT: The Thunder shot 58.7 percent but gave up 33 points on 26 turnovers.<br />
<br />
QUOTABLE III: &quot;We just turned the ball over too many times, you usually don't win a game when you turn it over 26 times. But our guys played as hard as we can play. Our tank is empty.&quot;<br />
-- Scott Brooks<br />
<br />
TURNING POINT: The game twisted and turned several times in the final moments. The Thunder led by five with :46.0 left after Westbrook hit a 17-footer. Then Terry nailed a 3-pointer to cut the margin to two. Ibake missed two free throws to leave the door open for the Mavs with 09.7 on the clock. Nowitzki then made his pass to a wide open Carter for what appeared to be the winner until Durant dropped his bomb on the Mavs as time ran out.<br />
<br />
HOT: During the second four minute stretch of the first quarter the Thunder hit five out of six shots...In the first half Oklahoma City shot 60.6 percent ... Durant was 6-for-8 in the first half. He finished 10-for-16 (62.5 percent)... Ibaka was 4-for-6 at halftime and finished 6-for-9 ... Nowitzki was 4-for-6 in the first 24 minutes and finished 9-for-17.<br />
<br />
NOT: Oklahoma City started the game by missing three of its first four shots and turning the ball over six times in the first four minutes...Westbrook was 2-for-7 in the first half, in his last three halves Westbrook is 2-for-20. He finished 6-for-15 but 3-for-4 in the fourth quarter...Dallas forward Shawn Marion was 1-for-6 in the first half, and 4-for-11 overall...Lamar Odom was 2-for-8 at halftime and 0-for-3 in the second half...Jason Terry was 2-for-7 in the first half and 4-for-10 in the second.<br />
<br />
INSIDE THE ARENA: Emmy and Tony Award winning actress Kristin Chenoweth, an Oklahoma native, sang the National Anthem. She has starred in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown and Wicked on Broadway and also appeared in numerous TV series and movies.<br />
<br />
GOOD MOVE: Midway through the first quarter, Ibaka stepped in front of Nowitzki to intercept a pass from point guard Jason Kidd. Ibaka then raced down the court for a slam.<br />
<br />
GOOD MOVE, TOO: Toward the end of the first quarter Thunder guard James Harden waited for forward Nick Collison to screen out Marion then Harden drove around and past forward Sean Williams for a layup.<br />
<br />
GOOD MOVE III: Late in the second quarter, Terry drove toward the lane then fired a bullet pass to Ian Mahinmi who was all alone for a slam.<br />
<br />
NOTABLE: The Thunder franchise is 4-0 for the first time since the 2002-03 season when the team was still in Seattle...The Mavericks are 0-3 for the first time since 2006-07 when they began the season 0-4 but then went on to win a franchise best 67 games.<br />
<br />
UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Friday vs Raptors, Sunday @ Minnesota.&quot;<span style="display: none"> </span></div>

[jcisco loboe'77]

<div class="content">.....Thunder--Mavs<br />
FG%..42.2%--58.7%<br />
3FG%.34.6%--42.9%<br />
FT%...81.0%--75.0%<br />
<br />
<br />
.....................DAL--OKC<br />
Total Rebounds:::::38-38<br />
Offensive Rebounds:14-6<br />
Turnovers:::::::::::12-26<br />
Fast Break Pts::::::10-17<br />
Biggest Lead::::::::12-8<br />
Points in the Paint:36-36<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
............DAL--OKC<br />
p--Nowitzki 29..Durant 30<br />
rb--Nowitzki 10..Durant 11<br />
a--Terry-----9..Durant 6<br />
s--Kidd.......5.-2 players 2<br />
b--Haywood 1..Ibaka 3<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
....SERIES....<br />
12/29 - DAL 102 @ OKC 104<br />
01/02 - OKC @ DAL<br />
02/01 - OKC @ DAL<br />
03/05 - DAL @ OKC<span style="display: none"> </span></div>

[jcisco loboe'77]

<div class="content">Upcoming game...<br />
Toronto-vs-Dallas.<br />
<br />
<br />
friday, december 30, 2011<br />
standings<br />
w-l..l10..h..a..7:30 pm ct.<br />
<br />
Toronto<br />
1st Atlantic<br />
0-1<br />
0-1<br />
1-1<br />
1-1<br />
<br />
Dallas<br />
5th Southwest<br />
0-3<br />
0-3<br />
0-2<br />
0-1<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Season Series: tied 0-0<br />
12/30 - TOR @ DAL<span style="display: none"> </span></div>

[jcisco loboe'77]

<div class="content"><a class="postlink" href="http://www.modbee.co...11/12/30/200568 ... allas.html</a><!-- m --><br />
<br />
Toronto Raptors (1-1) at Dallas Mavericks (0-3), 8:30 p.m. (ET) By Sports Network The Sports Network.<br />
<br />
&quot;Legendary football coach Bill Parcells once said &quot;you are what your record says you are.&quot;The Dallas Mavericks are hoping that's not true and to be fair the sample size is far too small to declare this Mavs team a failure but here's what we do know -- Dallas is off to the worst start by a defending NBA champion in 40 years as it returns to North Texas searching for the club's first win of the truncated 2011-12 campaign against the Toronto Raptors.The Mavericks, of course, secured the franchise's first title back on June 12 with a 105-95 triumph over Miami in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, a win that could end up being the team's last in the calendar year unless they can get it done tonight.<br />
<br />
The Mavs are coming off a heartbreaker on Thursday night in Oklahoma City when Kevin Durant made up for a defensive mishap by burying a long three-pointer at the buzzer, lifting the Thunder to a thrilling 104-102 victory over Dallas to keep the champs winless.Durant's game-winner came after he left Vince Carter open for a three-pointer that gave the Mavs a 102-101 lead with 1.4 seconds left. But an Oklahoma City timeout was as long as Dirk Nowitzki and Dallas had to think about getting its first win of the season. Instead, the team became the first NBA champs to start 0-3 since the 1969-70 Boston Celtics.Nowitzki led the Mavs with 29 points and 10 rebounds, Jason Terry had 16 points off the bench and Delonte West scored 15 in the loss for Dallas, which was playing its first road game of the season after consecutive home losses to Miami and Denver by a combined 33 points.The Mavs are 0-3 for the first time since 2006-07, when they opened the season with four straight losses before going on to win a franchise-best 67 games.For now it's probably best to call these Mavericks the reigning NBA champions and not the defending champs. Sure Dirk and Jet are still around but the championship team's defensive heart, Tyson Chandler, is now in New York. Meanwhile, the hard-nosed DeShawn Stevenson calls North Jersey home, J.J. Barea is in the Twin Cities and Peja Stojakovic has called it a career.The Raptors, who are opening up a three-game road trip tonight, are coming off a 90-85 loss to Indiana in their home opener on Wednesday. DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 22 points -- all in the second half -- and Andrea Bargnani finished with 21 points.Jerryd Bayless contributed 13 points off the bench and Amir Johnson pulled down 10 rebounds for Toronto, which failed to carry momentum over after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers, 104-96, in Dwane Casey's debut as the team's head coach on Monday.&quot;I thought we played hard,&quot; DeRozan said. &quot;We got a few calls that didn't go our way in the first half, but we fought hard to get back in the game like we had to.&quot;Casey was an assistant coach under Rick Carlisle in Dallas for three seasons before getting the Toronto job.These two teams have split home-and-home series for the past two seasons but Dallas has won 12 of 15 overall vs. the Dinos.&quot;<span style="display: none"> </span></div>

[jcisco loboe'77]

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

Raptors-Mavericks Preview.
By MATT BECKER.

"The Dallas Mavericks aren't the NBA's only winless team, but they are the only franchise without a victory and a 2011 championship banner hanging above their home court.

Off to the worst start by a defending champion in 40 years, the Mavericks again try to pick up their first win and bounce back from a heartbreaking defeat Friday night against the Toronto Raptors.

Dallas (0-3) won the franchise's first title with 105-95 win over Miami on June 12, and that could end up being the Mavericks' last win of the 2011 calendar year if they don't defeat the Raptors (1-1).

While Dallas looked sluggish in its first two games, trailing by as many as 35 points against the Heat and by as much as 33 against Denver, a win was well within reach Thursday against Oklahoma City.

The Mavericks led by 12 early and a 3-pointer by Vince Carter with 1.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter put Dallas up by one. The Thunder responded with a deep 3-pointer by Kevin Durant at the buzzer, sending the Mavericks to a 104-102 loss.

With the defeat, Dallas became the first defending champion to start 0-3 since the Boston Celtics lost four straight in 1969-70. While their disappointing start is making headlines, the Mavericks are trying not to pay attention.

"I think the more we go out and just play the game itself more, good things happen on the court," Shawn Marion said.

"We've got to just go out there and stop worrying about other things and just go out there and just play the game and just play hard."

The Mavericks are off to their worst start since opening 0-4 in 2006-07. They went on to win an NBA-best and franchise-record 67 games that season, but rebounding from a slow start could be more difficult this year because of the lockout and significant roster turnover. Dallas is replacing two key contributors from last season's team in Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea.

The Mavericks' offense obviously still revolves around Dirk Nowitzki, and he is coming off his best performance of the season, finishing with 29 points and 10 rebounds.

Nowitzki had 31 points and 13 rebounds in a 114-96 victory in Toronto on Feb. 27, but a sprained right knee kept him out of the first meeting, an 84-76 loss, snapping the Mavericks' 10-game home winning streak in the series.

The Raptors arrive in Dallas to open a three-game trip after losing to Indiana 90-85 on Wednesday.

DeMar DeRozan scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter to help Toronto trim a 14-point, fourth-period deficit to two, but it wasn't enough. DeRozan also played well down the stretch in Monday's 104-96 win over Cleveland, scoring nine of his 15 points in the final period.

Toronto coach Dwane Casey, an assistant with the Mavericks the last three seasons, is thrilled with DeRozan's late-game exploits, but would also like to see him be more assertive early.

"Start off aggressive, that's one thing I need to do," DeRozan said. "Just got to get off to a better start, but I love the fourth quarter. It's fun to me."

Toronto has been strong defensively in its first two games, although it hasn't faced the stiffest competition. It held the Pacers to 39.5 percent shooting after limiting the Cavaliers to 41.2 percent.

"We got the concept of the defense and we know what we got to do and when we have to do it," Andrea Bargnani said. "The effort is there."

Dallas' defense has been a big reason for its early struggles. It is allowing an average of 108.0 points on 51.8 percent shooting."