757 replies to this topic

[jcisco loboe'77]

Southwest..Rank.W-L....PCT....GB..CONF....DIV..HOME..ROAD..L 10..STREAK
Memphis.......5 29-22...0.569..7.5..18-19....5-5..17 -7..12-15...5-5...W 2
Dallas...........6 30-24..0.556..8.0...20-18...6-4..19 -9...11-15...6-4...L 1



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



http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/mavericks.pdf
"DALLAS' PROBABLE STARTERS
2011-12 SEASON AVERAGES NOTES

#0 SHAWN MARION
F • 6-7 • 228 • UNLV
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
10.9 7.0 2.1 1.0 0.6 30.6
Last Game: 4 points (2-9 FGs), 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 25 minutes vs. LAC (4/2/12).
Notes: 9+ rebounds in 4 of his last 5 games (avg. 9.6 rpg in span) … 10 games with 15+ points (9-1 record) … 8 double-doubles on the season (400 career).

#41 DIRK NOWITZKI
F • 7-0 • 245 • Germany
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
21.2 6.5 2.2 0.8 0.5 32.8
Last Game: 19 points (7-14 FGs, 1-2 3FGs, 4-4 FTs), 4 rebounds, 36 minutes vs. LAC (4/2/12).
Notes: 20+ points in 10 of his last 12 games (avg. 25.2 ppg) … hit game-winning shot at ORL (3/30/12) … 8 double-doubles … 6 games with 30+ points.

#33 BRENDAN HAYWOOD
C • 7-0 • 263 • North Carolina
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
5.6 6.6 0.4 0.5 1.1 22.2
Last Game: 5 points (2-6 FGs, 1-2 FTs), 4 rebounds, 16 minutes vs. LAC (4/2/12).
Notes: Returned to the starting lineup at ORL (3/30/12) after missing the previous 7 games due to a sprained right knee … 8 games with 10+ rebounds … 4 games with 3+ blocks.

#25 VINCE CARTER
G • 6-6 • 220 • North Carolina
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
9.7 3.1 2.2 0.9 0.4 24.7
Last Game: 3 points (1-6 FGs, 1-3 FTs), season-high-tying 7 rebounds, 29 minutes vs. LAC (4/2/12).
Notes: 25 games with 10+ points (19-6 record) … passed Walt Bellamy (20,941) for 31st place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list at DEN (3/19/12).

#13 DELONTE WEST
G • 6-3 • 180 • St. Joseph’s
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
8.4 2.4 3.4 1.5 0.3 22.7
Last Game: 6 points (3-9 FGs), 4 assists, 1 block, season-high 36 minutes vs. LAC (4/2/12).
Notes: Made his 21st start of the season vs. LAC (4/2/12) and his first since 2/8/12 at DEN … returned at MIA
(3/29/12) after missing 21 games with a fractured right ring finger.


MAVERICK'S INJURY/PLAYER STATUS:
Kelenna Azubuike – Assigned to Texas Legends (D-League);
Jason Kidd (strained right groin) is out;
Lamar Odom (illness) is day-to-day.


SERIES NOTES:
The Mavericks hold an all-time record of 50-14 against the Grizzlies in the regular season but Memphis has won three straight and seven of the last 11 meetings between the two clubs…
Memphis recorded a 96-85 win in the first matchup at home this season on 2/29/12…
Jason Terry came off the bench to lead Dallas with 18 points and five assists…
Rodrigue Beaubois (16) and Brendan Haywood (10) were the only other Mavericks in double figures…
Dirk Nowitzki left the game with lower back tightness at the 11:09 mark of the second quarter and did not return…The Grizzlies have now won five of the last seven matchups in Memphis…
The Grizzlies snapped a nine-game losing streak in Dallas with a one-point (91-90) win at American Airlines Center on 10/29/10…
The Grizzlies had lost 18-of-19 in Dallas prior to the win…
In the most recent showdown at American Airlines Center on 3/6/11, Memphis also defeated Dallas as a result of a last-second shot by Zach Randolph…
After Dirk Nowitzki hit a 15-foot jumper to give the Mavericks a 103-102 lead with 3.1 seconds to go in the game, Randolph nailed a 17-footer from the corner with 0.3 seconds remaining that proved to be the game-winner…
Dirk Nowitzki’s streak of 82 consecutive free throws made came to an end vs. Memphis on 10/29/10…
He made 82 straight over the course of 11 regular-season games (3/29-10/29/10)…
Jason Terry averaged 18.0 ppg, 3.0 apg, 1.8 spg and 32.0 mpg in four games against the Grizzlies last season…Dirk Nowitzki averaged 17.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 29.0 mpg…
Shawn Marion averaged 13.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 30.3 mpg…
Jason Kidd averaged 5.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 8.0 apg, 1.0 spg and 31.0 mpg in four games against the Grizzlies in 2010-11.

CONNECTIONS:
Grizzlies forward Darell Arthur is from Dallas and attended South Oak Cliff High School…
Mavericks guard Dominique Jones was originally drafted by Memphis with the 25th overall pick
in the 2010 Draft and then traded to Dallas…
Mavericks forward Brian Cardinal played for the Grizzlies from 2004-07…
Mavericks guard Delonte West and Grizzlies guard Tony Allen were teammates in Boston from 2004-07…
Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay played on the 2010 USA Basketball Men’s World Championship Team with Mavericks forward Lamar Odom…
Mavericks forward Brandan Wright grew up in Nashville, Tenn….
Grizzlies guard Gilbert Arenas and Mavericks center Brendan Haywood were teammates in Washington for six-and-a-half seasons from 2003-04 to 2009-10.

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/grizzlies.pdf
Grizzlies’ PROBABLE STARTERS
"SF RUDY GAY
#22
6-8
230
6TH SEASON
• Averaging a team-high 18.7 points, a career-high 6.6 rebounds and 1.48 steals after returning from last
season’s season-ending shoulder injury.
• Has scored 20-or-more points in 24 of the last 41 games played… Memphis is 17-8 when he scores 20.
• Ranks seventh in the NBA in dunks (90) and is one of two NBA players (LeBron James) this season with at least
80 dunks and 40 three-pointers.
• One of the NBA’s top two-way forwards, averaged 19.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.68 steals and 1.07 blocks in 39.9
minutes in 54 games last season before suffering a season-ending left shoulder subluxation.
• Helped the United States win the gold medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championships.


PF MARREESE SPEIGHTS #5
6-10
255
4TH SEASON
• Memphis is 26-14 with Speights in the starting lineup.
• Scored a season-high 25 points and handed out a career-best five assists on March 13 vs. LA Lakers.
• Recording career highs this season in points per game, rebounds per game and free throw percentage.
• Posted 20 points and career-high 18 rebounds (a Grizzlies season high) on Feb. 15 at New Jersey.
• Acquired by Memphis from the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 4 in a three-way trade also involving the New Orleans
Hornets… The Grizzlies sent Xavier Henry to New Orleans and a 2012 second round pick to Philadelphia in the
deal.


C MARC GASOL #33
7-1
265
4TH SEASON
• A first-time All-Star selection this season, averaging career highs in points (15.5), rebounds (9.7, 14th in the
NBA), assists (3.0) and blocks (1.82, 8th) on .485 shooting in a team-high 38.1 minutes (6th) this season after resigning
with Memphis to a multi-year contract on Dec. 14, 2011.
• The third All-Star selection in franchise history, joining Zach Randolph (2010) and Pau Gasol (2006).
• Won his first career Player of the Week Award for the week of Jan. 16, averaging 19.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.5
assists and 2.50 blocks on .673 shooting while leading Memphis to a perfect 4-0 record.
• The Grizzlies’ all-time leader in field goal percentage.


SG TONY ALLEN #9
6-4
213
8TH SEASON
• 2010-11 NBA All-Defense Second Team selection averaging 1.73 steals (9th in the NBA) and ranks fifth the NBA
in steals per 48 minutes (3.11) in his second season in Memphis.
• Finished fourth in the 2010-11 NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett
and Tyson Chandler
• Ranked fifth in the NBA in steals per game last season (career-high and team-high 1.79)
• Adds championship experience to the Grizzlies, winning the 2008 NBA Championship with Boston


PG JEREMY PARGO #1
6-2
219
ROOKIE
• Undrafted in 2009, is averaging 7.4 points and 2.4 assists in 22.2 minutes with a 4-1 record in five starts in his
rookie season.
• Recorded season highs in points (15) and assists (7) on Dec. 28 vs. Oklahoma City.
• Starred for Hapoel Gilboa Galil Elyon, averaging 14.1 points and 4.5 assists in guiding his team past Euroleague
power Maccabi Tel-Aviv in the 2010 Israeli Basketball Super League Championship.
• Signed the following season with Maccabi, where he won another Israeli Premier League Championship and was
named to the 2011 All-Euroleague Second Team after averaging 13.0 points and 4.3 assists.

Grizzlies’ INJURIES/ROSTER NOTES
Darrell Arthur (torn right Achilles) is out for the season.
Mike Conley (sore right ankle) is day-to-day.
Dante Cunningham (left ankle sprain) is day-to-day."


Connections:
Grizzlies forward Darrell Arthur is a Dallas native and guided South Oak Cliff High School to back-to-back Texas 4A state titles in 2005 and 2006… Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, along with the Spanish Men’s National Basketball Team, defeated Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki and Germany in pool play of the 2008 Beijing Olympics on Aug. 14, 2008…
The Grizzlies selected Mavericks guard Dominique Jones with the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft before trading his rights to Dallas…
Mavericks forward Brian Cardinal spent four years with the Grizzlies (2004-08), averaging 5.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 159 games (18 starts)…
Cardinal also appeared in seven playoff games with Memphis in 2005 and 2006, averaging 4.1 points and 2.3 rebounds… The Grizzlies traded Cardinal to Minnesota on June 26, 2008 in a deal for guard O.J. Mayo…
Grizzlies Head Coach Lionel Hollins and Mavericks Head Athletic Trainer Casey Smith both attended Arizona State University and both spent time with the Phoenix Suns…
Hollins was assistant coach for seven years (1988-95) with the Suns and Smith was assistant athletic trainer for 3 years (2000-03) before becoming head strength and conditioning coach for the 2003-04 season...
Mavericks strength and conditioning coach Robert Hackett spent seven seasons with the Grizzlies before joining the Mavericks six years ago in the same role."

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/04/04/3861791/recap-dallas-vs-memphis.html?storylink=digger-topic
Recap: Dallas vs. Memphis.
By The Sports Network.

"Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, leading to Dallas Mavericks to a 95-85 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in a battle of playoff contenders.
Shawn Marion scored 12 of his 16 points in a fourth quarter that saw the Mavs outscore the Grizzlies by a 29-17 margin.
Dallas rebounded from a 19-point loss to the Clippers on Monday and pulled into a virtual tie with Memphis for the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference playoff race.
"It was a good bounce back for us," Mavs guard Jason Terry said. "Obviously we're fighting with all of these teams for playoff positioning and this was a crucial game for us as are all of them."
The Grizzlies, who had a three-game winning streak snapped, were led by O.J. Mayo's 17 points. Marc Gasol recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, but shot just 3-for-13 from the field.
Dallas trailed by five early in the fourth, but scored 10 straight points - six from Marion - to go in front 78-73 near the midway point.
The Grizzlies, playing their third game in as many days, appeared to slow down in crunch time, as a 9-0 run by the Mavs a little later turned a close game into a double-digit deficit.
Terry began the stretch with a three-pointer, and Marion ended it with a dunk for an 89-77 cushion with three minutes remaining.
The closest the visitors got from there was eight.
"I think we ran out of gas. I think we gave our best effort, for the most part," Grizzlies guard Mike Conley said. "In the fourth quarter, we couldn't score, shots weren't falling for us, and they got too many easy looks in transition. They got out and got some turnovers, and they were able to capitalize off of those for some easy buckets."
Memphis held a 23-20 lead after the opening quarter and led by as many as 10 in the second. Dallas, though, chipped away at the deficit and pulled within 51-47 at the break.
A back-and-forth third quarter ended with the Grizzlies holding a 68-66 edge."

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/04/04 ... icks.html3

Backs to the wall,Dallas Mavericks catapult past Grizzlies.
Posted By Dwain Price.

DALLAS—"With the games running out fast, the Dallas Mavericks had to make a move in the right direction to improve their playoff chances.
That move came Wednesday when the Mavs wore down the tired-legged Memphis Grizzlies, 95-85, at American Airlines Center.
“Yeah, it was a good bounce back for us,” said Jason Terry, who poured in 15 points. “Obviously we’re fighting with all these teams for playoff positioning and this was a crucial game for us, as are all of them.
“It was a good win tonight, but our focus now shifts to Portland.”
The victory put the Mavs (31-24) in a virtual tie with the Grizzlies (30-23) for fifth place in the Western Conference standings with 11 games remaining. Memphis has a winning percentage of .566, while Dallas is at .564.
The game turned early in the fourth quarter when the Mavs used a 21-4 run to turn a 73-68 deficit into an 89-77 lead with 3:01 left. Shawn Marion was the sparkplug during that decisive run as he tallied 10 of his 16 points.
The effort helped the Mavs put Monday’s ugly 94-75 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in their rearview mirror.
“We didn’t play a good game on Monday, but today was a new day,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We needed to come out stronger, come out and play better.
“I thought our discipline and patience was good.”
It had to be. Especially after the Grizzlies built a 46-36 lead late in the second quarter.
“You get down 10 early and the way it went Monday, it would have been easy to just let it go off a cliff, but we didn’t do that,” Carlisle said. “We just stayed in there.
“The run at the end of the half was important. Then the first possession of the second half, the ball touched five different guys. We hit a three and that was big for us and gave us momentum in the second half.”
Dirk Nowitzki had five points and Delonte West added four in an 11-3 run the Mavs pieced together just before halftime. Then, when the Grizzlies tried to shake loose of the Mavs in the fourth quarter after building a five-point cushion, Marion kept hustling and kept the Mavs in the game.
“Our motto is don’t even worry about it,” Terry said. “So if something goes wrong out there on the floor, or somebody is out of the lineup, we just tell ourselves or tell our teammates don’t even worry about it and just keep playing.
“And I think that’s what has been keeping us in these games and keeping us positive. Monday night was a bad performance, but we just put it away and did not even worry about it.”
In addition to bagging the victory over a Grizzlies team that was playing its seventh game in nine days, and its third in three days, the Mavs finally were able to beat someone on the boards. After getting hammered on the boards for the past two weeks, the Mavs won the rebounding battle, 45-40, with five players coming up with at least five rebounds.
“The attention to detail was much better on the boards,” Carlisle said. “It was a collective effort. Everyone chipped in.
“That’s the kind of team we are. We don’t have one guy that’s going to go and get 15 rebounds a night. It’s just not how we’re set up.”
Nowitzki led the Mavs with a game-high 23 points and 10 boards, West scored 14, and Ian Mahinmi came off the bench to collect 10 rebounds as the Mavs stopped a three-game losing streak to the Grizzlies.
For the second straight game, the Mavs played without 39-year old Jason Kidd, who is out with a strained right groin. But West filled in admirably as he had only one turnover in 26 minutes.
Lamar Odom also returned after missing Monday’s game with a stomach illness. Odom contributed five points and five rebounds in 19 minutes, but drew jeers when he missed the entire rim during one free throw attempt in the third quarter.
“We’re still trying to get guys comfortable in their roles,” said Terry, who had five points and three assists in the fourth period. “Obviously, Delonte West has missed a lot of time. We’re trying to implement him back into the system and get him in sync and get everyone on the same page.
That’s one reason why we’re having so many inconsistencies.”
The win over the Grizzlies was critical if the Mavs have any hopes of catching the Clippers (32-22) for fourth place and the all-important homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
“You can win two or lose two either way and that can make a big difference where you’re going to be in the playoffs, or not in the playoffs at all,” Terry said. “Knowing that and knowing we’re a championship caliber team, we just have to continue to grind it out and don’t even worry about it.”
The Grizzlies got 17 points from O.J. Mayo, 11 from Mike Conley Jr. and 10 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals from Marc Gasol.
But they had nothing left in the tank when they needed to play a play in the critical stages of the fourth quarter.
“I think we ran out of gas,” Conley said. “I think we gave our best effort, for the most part.
“In the fourth quarter we couldn’t score, shots weren’t falling, and they got too many easy looks in transition. They got out and got some turnovers and they were able to capitalize off of those for some easy buckets.”
The Mavs shot 50 percent from the field and outscored Memphis in the paint, 44-36. Now, the Mavs will end this three-game homestand Friday against Portland before hitting the road to play at Memphis on Saturday.
“Throughout this rigorous schedule our guys are going to be in and out of the lineup,” Terry said. “But once we get a consistent set rotation I think we’re going to be OK.
“I think once we get to the playoffs everyone should be healthy by then, and go forward and make another championship run.”

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/04/04 ... gger-topic
Nowitzki 23 for Dallas in 95-85 win over Grizzlies.
By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer.

DALLAS—"Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and the Dallas Mavericks used a big fourth-quarter run to get a 95-85 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
Shawn Marion scored 10 of his 16 points when the Mavericks went ahead with a 21-4 run over a 7-minute span in the fourth quarter to take control.
It was the first of two games in four days between the teams that are in a virtual tie for fifth place in the Western Conference standings. They play again Saturday in Memphis, a night after both play different teams.
Dallas (31-24) had dropped to sixth place behind Memphis after a 95-74 loss Monday night at home against the fourth-place Los Angeles Clippers.
The Grizzlies (30-23) had won five of six games, including road games against division leaders Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Before playing again, Memphis is at Miami on Friday, when Dallas hosts Portland.
O.J. Mayo had 17 points to lead Memphis, which had balanced scoring as seven players scored at least eight points.
Memphis had a 73-68 lead after Quincy Pondexter's three-point play with 10 minutes left. He moved between Nowitzki and Lamar Odom to grab an offensive rebound and was fouled making the putback shot. He then added the free throw.
Jason Terry's long jumper started the game-turning run and his inbound pass to Marion for a strong layup got the Mavericks within one point.
After Gilbert Arenas came up short on a shot, he fouled Marion on the other end. Marion hit both free throws for a 74-73 lead with 8 minutes left, butting the Mavericks ahead to stay.
Arenas then had a shot blocked by Terry, and Nowitzki made two free throws before Marion's layup for a 10-0 Dallas spurt.
Mayo, who scored nine of his points in the fourth quarter, ended the Dallas run with a driving layup.
The Grizzlies were within 80-77 after two free throws by Mayo. But Nowitzki responded with a 3-pointer and Terry had a steal that led to a layup by Marion, who ended the 21-4 spurt with a breakaway slam dunk with 3 minutes left.
Terry finished with 15 points while West had 14 on 6-of-7 shooting. Ian Mahinmi had 10 rebounds.
Mike Conley had 11 points for Memphis. Marc Gasol had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Memphis led 46-36 when Conley made a 21-foot jumper with 3:24 left in the first half before Dallas cut its largest deficit with a 9-1 run.
Odom, back after missing Monday night's game with a stomach illness, made a short turnaround hook shot that finally dropped after rattling around the rim.
West then had a pair of long jumpers before blocking a shot. That led to a putback layup by Nowitzki that got Dallas within 47-45 with a minute left.
After Nowitzki pushed through Mayo while Rudy Gay tried to swat the ball away to make a basket, the Mavericks' All-Star head-butted the ball after it went through the hoop and shouted out in frustration.
Gay hit a 19-foot turnaround in the final second for a 51-47 halftime lead.

NOTES: Memphis G Tony Allen left the game with 5:20 left after taking a hard foul from Brendan Haywood. Allen remained in a heap on the floor, dripping blood and leaving with a towel over his mouth. ...
Terry's only 3-pointer was the 1,760th of his career, matching Peja Stojakovic for fifth on the NBA career list. ..
Dallas G Jason Kidd (strained right groin) missed the second game in a row, and is expected to miss at least two more games. ...
The Grizzlies played the fifth of seven games in nine days."

[jcisco loboe'77]

Wednesday, April 4,2012.
7:30 PM CT - American Airlines Center, Dallas,TX.

FINAL
MEM-23-28-17-17=85
DAL--20-27-19-29=95



Memphis Grizzlies (30-23)..field goals..rebounds
..........pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba=pts
R. Gay F 35:47 4-12 0-2 0-0 -13 0 2 2 4 0 1 3 1 2 8
M. Speights F-C 19:01 4-8 0-0 1-2 -15 3 4 7 0 1 0 0 0 2 9
M. Gasol C 36:04 3-13 0-0 4-6 -3 3 7 10 7 4 0 1 4 1 10
T. Allen G 25:55 4-7 0-1 1-1 -6 0 6 6 3 3 2 0 1 0 9
M. Conley G 37:36 5-14 1-3 0-0 -16 1 0 1 5 2 2 0 0 1 11
D. Cunningham 18:10 3-4 0-0 0-0 -11 0 4 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 6
O.J. Mayo 22:34 6-10 4-5 1-2 -3 1 1 2 2 3 1 3 0 1 17
G. Arenas 11:16 3-6 2-4 0-0 +2 0 2 2 0 4 0 0 0 1 8
Z. Randolph 22:45 2-6 0-0 0-2 +9 1 4 5 1 0 0 2 0 0 4
Q. Pondexter 10:52 1-3 0-1 1-1 +6 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
H. Haddadi..00:00 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
J. Pargo.....00:00 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
J. Selby.....00:00 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals....240 35-83 7-16 8-14 10 30 40 22 18 6 10 6 8=85
...................42.2% 43.8% 57.1% team rebs: 8 total to: 11




Dallas Mavericks (31-24)...field goals..rebounds
...............pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba=pts
S. Marion F 28:45 7-11 0-2 2-2 +10 0 7 7 3 0 1 2 3 0 16
D. Nowitzki F 37:55 10-18 0-1 3-5 +20 2 8 10 2 1 1 0 1 2 23
B. Haywood C 22:13 2-4 0-0 1-2 +6 3 2 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 5
V. Carter G-F 23:22 2-9 1-4 0-0 +10 0 1 1 3 1 1 1 0 1 5
D. West G 26:06 6-7 2-2 0-0 +1 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 1 0 14
L. Odom 18:55 2-5 0-1 1-2 -11 0 5 5 0 1 1 0 0 1 5
J. Terry 35:03 6-14 1-4 2-2 +1 0 4 4 3 1 2 6 1 1 15
R. Beaubois 21:54 3-7 0-1 2-3 +9 0 2 2 5 1 1 1 2 1 8
I. Mahinmi 23:45 2-5 0-0 0-0 +2 4 6 10 0 4 0 1 0 0 4
B. Wright...02:02 0-0 0-0 0-0 +2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B. Cardinal.00:00 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Y. Jianlian.00:00 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
D. Jones...00:00 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals.....240 40-80 4-15 11-16 9 36 45 19 11 7 12 8 6=95
......................50.0% 26.7% 68.8% team rebs: 6 total to: 13



inactive
Grizzlies: Arthur
Mavericks: Azubuike, Kidd


technical fouls
Grizzlies: --
Mavericks: --

scoring
Lead Changes: 8
Times Tied: 5


arena stats
Arena: American Airlines Center, Dallas,TX
Officials: #63 Derek Richardson, #10 Ron Garretson, #38 Michael Smith
Attendance: 20233
Duration: 2:12

[jcisco loboe'77]

Nowitzki 23 for Dallas in 95-85 win over Grizzlies.
By STEPHEN HAWKINS.

DALLAS (AP)"Shawn Marion and Jason Terry decided it was time for the Dallas Mavericks to run.
And they went right past the worn-out Memphis Grizzlies in the fourth quarter for a 95-85 victory Wednesday night.
"We concentrated on getting some transition offense. We were able to get out and run," Marion said. "We want to make teams pay for their mistakes."
Marion scored 10 of his 16 points, with Terry setting up some of the baskets and making some of his own, and the Mavericks went ahead to stay with a 21-4 run over a 7-minute span in the fourth quarter. Memphis, playing for the third straight night, made only one of 12 shots in that stretch.
"We ran out of gas," guard Mike Conley said. "In the fourth quarter, we couldn't score, shots weren't falling for us, and they got too many easy looks in transition."
The Grizzlies had a 73-68 lead after Quincy Pondexter's three-point play with 10 minutes left. By time Marion had a breakaway dunk with 3 minutes left, Dallas was in control and avoiding another damaging loss.
It was the first of two games in four days between the teams that are in a virtual tie for fifth place in the Western Conference standings. They play again Saturday in Memphis, a night after both play different teams.
Dallas (31-24) had dropped to sixth place behind Memphis after a 95-74 loss Monday night at home against the fourth-place Los Angeles Clippers. The Mavericks lost two of three in that season series, losing the tiebreaker against the Clippers.
"It was a good bounce-back for us," Terry said. "Obviously we're fighting with all these teams for playoff positioning and this was a crucial game for us, as are all of them."
The Grizzlies (30-23) had won five of six games, including road games against division leaders Oklahoma City and the los angeles lakers.
Before playing again in the rubber game of their three-game series, Memphis is at Miami on Friday, when Dallas hosts Portland.
"It's one thing to just play three games in a row, but we just played five in six (days)," coach Lionel Hollins said. "I thought we played well enough to win the game. We were in the game all the way. We kept staying ahead; staying ahead, and then right at the end we kind of just let go of the rope a little bit. And then they got the lead, and then they sustained their run."
Dirk Nowitzki had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks. Terry finished with 15 points while Delonte West had 14 on 6-of-7 shooting. Ian Mahinmi grabbed 10 rebounds.
O.J. Mayo had 17 points to lead Memphis, which had balanced scoring as seven players scored at least eight points. Mike Conley had 11 points.
Pondexter moved between Nowitzki and Lamar Odom to grab an offensive rebound and was fouled making the putback shot. He then added the free throw, before Terry's long jumper started the game-turning run and his inbound pass to Marion for a strong layup got the Mavericks within a point.
After Gilbert Arenas came up short on a shot, he fouled Marion on the other end. Marion hit both free throws for a 74-73 lead with 8 minutes left and putting the Mavs ahead to stay.
"They got anything they wanted in the fourth quarter," said Marc Gasol, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Memphis.
Arenas had a shot blocked by Terry, and Nowitzki made two free throws before Marion's layup for a 10-0 Dallas spurt.
Mayo, who scored nine of his points in the fourth quarter, ended that portion of the Dallas run with a driving layup.
The Grizzlies were within 80-77 after two free throws by Mayo. But Nowitzki responded with a 3-pointer and Terry had a steal that led to a layup by Marion
Memphis led 46-36 when Conley made a 21-foot jumper with 3:24 left in the first half before Dallas cut its largest deficit with a 9-1 run.
Odom, back after missing Monday night's game with a stomach illness, made a short turnaround hook shot that finally dropped after rattling around the rim.
West had a pair of long jumpers before blocking a shot that led to a putback layup by Nowitzki to get within 47-45 with a minute left.
After Nowitzki pushed through Mayo while Rudy Gay tried to swat the ball away to make a basket, the Mavericks' All-Star head-butted the ball after it went through the hoop and shouted out in frustration.
Gay hit a 19-foot turnaround in the final second for a 51-47 halftime lead.
"We made them earn everything they got," Gasol said. "We've had a tough stretch and it isn't getting any easier."

NOTES:
Memphis G Tony Allen left the game with 5:20 left after taking a hard foul from Brendan Haywood. Allen remained in a heap on the floor, dripping blood and leaving with a towel over his mouth.
... Terry's only 3-pointer was the 1,760th of his career, matching Peja Stojakovic for fifth on the NBA career list.
... Dallas G Jason Kidd (strained right groin) missed the second game in a row, and is expected to miss at least two more games.
... The Grizzlies played the fifth of seven games in nine days."

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.nba.com/games/20120404/MEMDAL/gameinfo.html
Notebook: Mavericks 95, Grizzlies 85.
Posted By Dave Ivey, for NBA.com.

"THE FACTS:
Memphis controlled the game through three quarters, but fatigue caught up to the Grizzlies in the fourth quarter Wednesday and so did the Mavericks. Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas to a 95-85 victory with 23 points and 10 rebounds, snapping a three-game winning streak by a Memphis squad playing the final game of a back-to-back-to-back and its fifth game in six nights.

Shawn Marion added 16 points, Jason Terry tallied 15 and Delonte West had 14 for the Mavs (31-24), who had dropped their last three meetings with the Grizzlies (30-23). The teams clash again Saturday in Memphis to decide the season series. O.J. Mayo paced Memphis with 17 points, courtesy of his 4-for-5 shooting from downtown.

QUOTABLE:
"We kept staying ahead, staying ahead, and then right at the end we kind of let go of the rope a little bit. They got the lead and sustained their run. They got a little more aggressive offensively and kept attacking the basket, and we just didn't have enough to hold the finger in the dike."-- Memphis head coach Lionel Hollins.

THE STAT:
It was a rare rally for Dallas. This is just the third time the Mavericks have won a game this season when trailing after three quarters (3-20). Memphis led 68-66 entering the fourth. The defending champs were 18-22 in that situation last season.

TURNING POINT:
Dallas used a 21-4 run from the 9:39 mark of the fourth quarter through the 3:01 mark to flip a 73-68 deficit into an 89-77 advantage. The Grizzlies' only points in that stretch came on a layup by Mayo and one free throw each from Marc Gasol and Mayo. They were 1-for-12 during the cold snap.

QUOTABLE II:
"I think we ran out of gas."-- Memphis guard Mike Conley.

QUOTABLE III:
"Our motto is 'don't even worry about it,' so if something goes wrong out on the floor or somebody is out of the lineup, we just tell ourselves don't even worry about it, just keep playing. That's what has been keeping us in these games and keeping us positive."-- Terry.

HOT:
Starting for the injured Jason Kidd (right groin strain), West finished 6-for-7 and knocked down both of his 3-point attempts in his highest-scoring game since Jan. 30 at Phoenix (25 points).

NOT:
The Grizzlies scored just 34 points in the second half on 30 percent shooting (12-for-40). After intermission, Rudy Gay was 0-for-5, Gasol was 1-for-6 and Conley was 1-for-6.

GOOD MOVE:
Terry picked of a sloppy pass by Gay and drove to the basket before dishing it behind his back to a trailing Marion for an easy layup and an 85-77 lead.

BAD MOVE:
Shortly after missing a wide-open finger roll, things got even more embarrassing for Mavericks forward Lamar Odom when he touched nothing but air on a free-throw misfire with 56.9 seconds left in the third quarter.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT:
Gasol shot just 3-for-13, but still had a nice night for fantasy owners with 10 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four blocked shots.
... Backup center Ian Mahinmi matched his season high with 10 boards for the Mavericks.

NOTABLE:
Terry's 3-pointer with 4:59 left in the game was the 1,760th of his career, matching Peja Stojakovic for fifth place in NBA history.
... The Mavericks improved to 5-19 when trailing by 10 or more points this year. They were down 46-36 in the second quarter.
... Memphis guard Tony Allen went to the locker room midway through the fourth quarter with an apparent bloody nose.
... Mayo has led the Grizzlies in scoring in four straight games, the longest streak of his career."

[jcisco loboe'77]

UP NEXT:
For the Mavericks, Friday vs. Portland, Saturday @ Memphis.
For the Grizzlies, Friday @ Miami, Saturday vs. Dallas.


.....Grizzlies-Mavericks
FG%==42.2%-50.0%
3FG%=43.8%-26.7%
FT%==57.1%-68.8%



...............................MEM-DAL
Total Rebounds.........40-45
Offensive Rebounds.10--9
Turnovers.................10-12
Fast Break Pts.........17-14
Biggest Lead............10-12
Points in the Paint..36-44


...............MEM................DAL
p......Mayo=17...Nowitzki=23
rb...Gasol=10..2 players=10
a.......Gasol=7...Beaubois=5
s.2 players=2..........Terry=2
b......Gasol=4.......Marion=3


...SERIES...(1-1)
02/29 - DAL 85 @ MEM 96
04/04 - MEM 85 @ DAL 95
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(31-24)
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 lal 91-96
Tue 28 vs New Jersey L 92-93
Wed 29 @ Memphis L 85-96

March Opponent Result
Fri 02 @ New Orleans L 92-97
Sat 03 vs Utah W 102-96
Mon 05 @ Oklahoma City L 91-95
Tue 06 vs New York W 95-85
Thu 08 @ Phoenix L 94-96.
Fri 09 @ Sacramento L 97-110
Sat 10 @ Golden State L 87-111
Tue 13 @ Washington W 107-98
Thu 15 vs Charlotte W 101-96
Sat 17 vs San Antonio W 106-99
Mon 19 @ Denver W 112 -95
Wed 21 vs lal L 93-109.
Fri 23 @ San Antonio L 87-104
Sat 24 @ Houston W 101-99
Tue 27 vs Rockets W 90-81
Thu 29 @ Miami L 85-106.
Fri 30 @ Orlando W 100-98.

April Opponent Result
Mon 02 vs L.A.C. L 75-94.
Wed 04 vs Grizzlies W 95-85



Southwest.....W-L....PCT..GB.CONF...DIV.HOME.ROAD..L 10.STREAK
San Antonio..38-14 0.731..0.0.24-11..10-4.21- 4..17-10..9-1..W 9
Memphis.......30-23 0.566..8.5.19-20....5-6.18- 7..12-16..5-5...L 1
Dallas............31-24 0.564..8.5.21-18...7-4.20- 9...11-15..6-4..W 1
Houston........29-25 0.537.10.0.18-19...5-6.20- 8....9-17..5-5..W 1
New Orleans.14-40 0.259.25.0..8-29....1-8..6-21...8-19..4-6..W 1

[jcisco loboe'77]

UP NEXT:
For the Mavericks, Friday vs. Portland.


Southwest.W-L....PCT..CONF..DIV.HOME.ROAD..L 10.STREAK
Dallas........31-24 0.564..21-18..7-4.20- 9...11-15..6-4..W 1
Portland...26-29 0.473..18-20..4-8.19-10....7-19..5-5..W 1
Northwest




standings
w-l..l10..h..a..

POR
4th Northwest
26-29..5-5..19-10..7-19


DAL
3rd Southwest
31-24..6-4..20-9..11-15


ppg
rpg
apg
bpg
spg
POR
Aldridge 21.6
Aldridge 8.1
Felton 6.4
Batum 1.1
Matthews 1.4


ppg
rpg
apg
bpg
spg
DAL
Nowitzki 21.2
Marion 7.0
Kidd 5.2
Wright 1.3
Kidd 1.7

[jcisco loboe'77]

UP NEXT:
For the Mavericks, Friday vs. Portland.


Southwest..W-L....PCT..CONF..DIV.HOME.ROAD..L 10.STREAK
Dallas........31-24 0.564..21-18..7-4.20- 9...11-15..6-4..W 1
Portland...26-29 0.473..18-20..4-8.19-10....7-19..5-5..W 1
Northwest



April 06,Friday..............Opponent.......Time.......Local TV.................Radio.
(31-24) Mavericks-vs-Portland (26-29)....7:30pm CT....FSSW.......KESN-FM (103.3), KFLC-AM (1270 in Spanish)
American Airlines Center, Dallas,TX.



http://ripcityprojec... ... -mavericks
Game 56 Preview: Portland Trail Blazers at Dallas Mavericks.
by Mike Acker.

"Blazers: 26-29 (4th Northwest Division)

Mavericks: 31-24 (3rd Southwest Division)

Game Details: American Airlines Center Dallas, TX. 5:30 PM. TV: CSN. Radio: 750 AM (KXTG)

Projected Blazers Starting Lineup:
PG Raymond Felton (#5, 6’1”, North Carolina),
SG Wesley Matthews (#2, 6’5”, Marquette),
SF Nicolas Batum (#88, 6’8”, MSB Le Mans, France)
PF LaMarcus Aldridge (#12, 6’11”, Texas),
C Joel Przybilla (#10, 7’1”, Minnesota)

Projected Mavericks Starting Lineup:
PG Delonte West (#13, 6’3”, Saint Joseph’s),
SG Vince Carter (#25, 6’6”, North Carolina),
SF Shawn Marion (#0, 6’7”, UNLV),
PF Dirk Nowitzki (#41, 7′, DJK Wurzburg, Germany)
C Brandon Haywood (#33, 7′, North Carolina)


I’m getting a sinking feeling that we’re reaching the part of this season that is going to make me sad. We’ve got 10 games left, six road and four home, and barring some miracle (or more accurately a succession of back-to-back-to-back miracles) that’s it.

This is the time of year when the games get better. Teams in the hunt for Playoff spots start shorting their rotations and playing every second of every possessions. The intensity level in the stands goes up a notch. The focus heightens. That Playoffs are coming. If you’re a fan of basketball at it’s highest level, like me, then you get excited just knowing that in a couple of weeks you’ll get to see the very very best basketball in the world.

What makes me sad is that the Blazers will not be taking part. Three straight Playoff appearances is a good run. It can even make for a successful era. But Portland is a franchise that once played in 23 consecutive post seasons. That puts this iteration’s Playoff streak two decades shy of tying that its forebear’s. Talk about disappointment.Playing hard and getting positive results is good. But missing the Playoffs is going to be hard to stomach.

One team that isn’t going to miss the Playoffs is Portland’s opponent on Friday: NBA champs of last year, the Dallas Mavericks. Handicapping Dallas is a tough proposition. They’ve played much better basketball than what we’ve seen from them in 2011-12. But it’s as true today as it ever was, when you’ve got Dirk Nowitzki on your roster you can compete with any team in the league.

The Mavs are comfortably stationed in the sixth spot in the Western Conference. Comfortable in the sense that they won’t fall out of the top eight. They are, however, tied with Memphis, two games behind the Clippers for home court in the first round, and a game and a half ahead of Houston for the seven seed.

If the Playoffs began tomorrow, the Mavericks would face the Lakers in the first round. That would be a classic grudge match, but I doubt it’s one the defending champs want any part of. I can imagine Kobe Bryant et al. salivating at the chance to repay Dallas for handing the Lakers their ignominious exit from last year’s Playoffs, and I can just as clearly imagine Dirk an co. believing that getting swept out of the first round will somehow invalidate their title run.

Dallas has two choices: play a little bit better, or play a little bit worse. My guess is they try to play better. That’s no good for Portland. The Blazers have played well in Dallas, but very rarely have they played well enough to win. With the Mavericks intent on improving their Playoff position, there’s a good chance that Portland will have to be at the topper most of their top form to have a chance.

The Mavericks are beatable, though, and luckily for Portland, the best way to beat them is by playing a lot of defense. I say it’s the best thing because since taking control of the team head coach Kaleb Canales has preached defense, preached to the point that he often says little else, even when asked about offense, or lineups, or the Kardashians. The Blazers will have a chance to flex that defensive identity when and if they can stop Dallas from blowing up the scoreboard.

The Mavs begin and end with Dirk Nowitzki, of course, but they still have a ton of weapons. It’s important to note that they still bring Jason Terry off the bench, and that this season he’s been joined by the other Mr. Kardashian, Lamar Odom. Against the Nets on Wednesday, Portland’s bench was pretty ineffective. The combo of Gerald Green and Anthony Morrow hung an even 40 spot of the Blazers’ second string. LO and JET can and will do better. Luke Babbitt, Jonny Flynn, Nolan Smith (maybe), and Jamal Crawford can’t hope to out-score their Dallas counterparts. For Portland’s second unit it is going to be defend or get killed.

Like Boston (in a regular season when Portland plays them twice) the Blazers often get Dallas at least one good game. Usually that game happens at home. Portland went to double OT their only other stop in the Big D this season, and won’t meet the Mavs at the Rose Garden until next week. History tells us, then, that Friday’s game will not be the Blazers’ one shining moment against the Mavericks. History has been wrong before though.

Here’s a couple of things to watch for:

The J.J. Hickson/LaMarcus Aldridge duo: Joel Przybilla will start Friday. He will start the rest of the season. He won’t start next year (at least not for the Blazers). That position will likely go to J.J. Hickson. Friday will most likely be like the last four or five games. Joel starts and plays around 10 minute; J.J. comes off the bench and plays around 27. Dallas used to be a dominant defensive team in the paint because they used to have Tyson Chandler. Brandon Haywood is not Tyson Chandler, and Dirk has never been a defender. With Hickson and Aldridge on the court, Portland might not have a distinct advantage defensively, but they at least are going to be able to get some stuff done on offense. If J.J. and LA can combine for 30 or more points and 20ish rebounds, I do believe Portland has a chance.

Jamal Crawford versus Jason Terry: Jason Terry is the elder statesmen of Seattle basketball; Jamal Crawford is the next in line. Terry and Crawford play arguably the same roles for their teams, and even if their shots don’t look anything alike, they have basically the same style of play. Jamal’s a bit better off the dribble. JET’s a bit more consistent. Whenever Seattle guys get together, they like to go at each other. Jamal would probably like nothing better than to have a good game against his older Emerald City comrade; Terry would probably like nothing better than to keep Jamal from going off by going off himself. Should be fun to watch.
Coach K’s game plan: Portland cannot lose any more games the rest of the season, that we know. We also know that winning right now is basically irrelevant. We also know that the Canales Era has alternated wins and losses since the day it began. Kaleb Canales has a choice: try to break that cycle by playing Friday as if it were a game that mattered, or play Friday like he’s been playing all his games, as if getting guys minutes is equal in importance to the score. The former gives Portland their best shot. The latter is what I expect to see."

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.nba.com/games/20120406/PORDAL/gameinfo.html
Trail Blazers-Mavericks Preview.
By ALAN FERGUSON.

"Even with a new coach, the Portland Trail Blazers are still having trouble gaining momentum in the playoff race. A visit to the Dallas Mavericks might not help.

The Blazers will seek back-to-back wins for the first time in more than two months Friday night in Dallas.

Portland (26-29) is 6-6 since interim coach Kaleb Canales took over for the fired Nate McMillan, and has alternated wins and losses over its last nine games.

"We've got to figure it out," guard Raymond Felton said. " We've got to figure out how to go on a roll for like five games."

The Blazers bounced back from a five-point loss to Utah by pulling away in the fourth quarter Wednesday for a 101-88 victory over visiting New Jersey. After falling behind by three with 6:50 remaining, Portland ended the game on a 19-3 run.

LaMarcus Aldridge topped 20 points for the fourth straight game with a team-best 24, and Nicolas Batum recorded his second straight double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The win left the Blazers 3 1/2 games behind Houston and Denver, who are tied for the final two playoff positions in the Western Conference.

Portland will continue that push during a two-game trip to Dallas (31-24) and Milwaukee. The Blazers, who haven't won consecutive games since Jan. 23-24, are 7-19 on the road and have lost 23 of 27 all-time at the American Airlines Center, including all three games during last year's playoffs.

Portland fell 97-94 in double overtime during the most recent visit Feb. 11 as the Mavericks' Delonte West scored six of his 10 points to open the second extra session.

Dirk Nowitzki had 20 points to lead five players in double figures and Jason Terry finished with 19. Aldridge had 33 points in his hometown.

The Blazers' big man has averaged 32.0 points and 10.7 rebounds during his team's three-game losing streak in Dallas during the regular season.

The Mavericks will try to extend Portland's struggles at the American Airlines Center while ending their own inconsistent stretch. Dallas has alternated losses and victories in its last four contests.

The Mavericks rebounded from a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, the fourth-place team in the West, by topping Memphis 95-85 on Wednesday. The win allowed Dallas to move into a tie with the Grizzlies for fifth in the conference.

Shawn Marion scored 10 of his 16 points during a key 21-4 run in the fourth quarter, while Nowitzki recorded his ninth double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

"It was a good bounce-back (victory) for us," Terry said. "Obviously we're fighting with all these teams for playoff positioning and this was a crucial game for us, as are all of them."

To help themselves in the playoff race, the Mavericks will try to collect two wins over the Blazers over their final 11 games. Dallas visits Portland next Friday as part of a four-game trip.

The Mavericks might have veteran guard Jason Kidd back for that game, but he's expected to miss this one with a strained right groin.

Nowitzki will trying to make up for Kidd's absence by improving on a 26.3-point average over his last 19 games against the Blazers, a stretch in which he's shot 49.1 percent. He averaged 27.3 points while leading Dallas to a six-game victory in last season's playoffs.

With his next 3-pointer, Terry will pass Peja Stojakovic for fifth on the all-time list."




{C}http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/mavericks.pdf{C}
DALLAS' PROBABLE STARTERS 2011-12 SEASON AVERAGES NOTES
#0 SHAWN MARION
F • 6-7 • 228 • UNLV
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
11.0 7.0 2.1 1.0 0.6 30.6
Last Game: 16 points (7-11 FGs, 2-2 FTs), all in 2nd half and 12 in 4th quarter, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 29 minutes vs. MEM (4/4/12). Notes: 15+ points in 2 of his last 3 games (15 at ORL 3/30/12) … 11 games with 15+ points this season (10-1 record).

#41 DIRK NOWITZKI
F • 7-0 • 245 • Germany
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
21.2 6.6 2.2 0.8 0.5 32.9
Last Game: 23 points (10-18 FGs, 3-5 FTs), 10 rebounds, 38 minutes vs. MEM (4/4/12). Notes: 20+ points in 11 of his last 13 games (avg. 25.0 ppg in span) … hit game-winning shot at ORL (3/30/12) … team-high 9 double-doubles … 6 games with 30+ points.

#33 BRENDAN HAYWOOD
C • 7-0 • 263 • North Carolina
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
5.6 6.6 0.4 0.5 1.0 22.2
Last Game: 5 points (2-4 FGs, 1-2 FTs), 5 rebounds, 22 minutes vs. MEM (4/4/12). Notes: Averaging 5.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 21.3 mpg in 3 games since returning to the starting lineup at ORL (3/30/12) … 8 games with 10+ rebounds … 4 games with 3+ blocks.

#25 VINCE CARTER
G • 6-6 • 220 • North Carolina
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
9.6 3.1 2.2 0.9 0.3 24.7
Last Game: 5 points (2-9 FGs, 1-4 3FGs), 3 assists, 1 steal, 23 minutes vs. MEM (4/4/12). Notes: 25 games with 10+ points (19-6 record) … passed Walt Bellamy (20,941) for 31st place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list at DEN (3/19/12).

#13 DELONTE WEST
G • 6-3 • 180 • St. Joseph’s
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
8.5 2.3 3.4 1.4 0.3 22.8
Last Game: 14 points (6-7 FGs, 2-2 3FGs), 2 assists, 1 block, 26 minutes vs. MEM (4/4/12). Notes: Shooting 58.6% (17-29 FGs) from the field in 4 games since returning from injury at MIA (3/29/12) …missed the previous 21 games with a fractured right ring finger.


DALLAS' INJURY/PLAYER STATUS:
Kelenna Azubuike – Assigned to Texas Legends (D-League);
Jason Kidd (strained right groin) is out.

PREVIOUS MEETING:
DALLAS 97, PORTLAND 94 (2OT) – FEBRUARY."


SERIES NOTES:
The Mavericks have won 22 of the last 29 regular-season meetings with the Blazers, but the Blazers have won five of the last nine.
…Dallas recorded a 97-94 win in double overtime in the first matchup between the two teams this year on 2/11/12.
…The Blazers made eight of their final 10 shots in regulation to tie the game at 81 and force overtime.
…Portland took its first lead of the night (83-81) 36 seconds into the start of the first overtime period but eventually fell in double overtime.
…The Mavericks have now won 20 of the last 24 regular-season matchups with the Blazers at home.
…The two teams split the 2010-11 season series (2-2), with the home team winning each time.
…Despite losing both games at Portland in 2010-11, Dallas has still won nine of the last 14 games on the road against the Blazers.
…But the Mavericks have struggled overall in Portland, where they hold an all-time record of just 18-46 in the regular season.
…The Mavericks shot a season-high 59.7 percent (40-of-67) from the field in the 104-101 loss to the Blazers last year on 3/15/11.
…Prior to the game at Portland on 3/15/11, the last time the Mavericks shot that high of a percentage in a losing effort was exactly 20 years ago to the day on 3/15/91 (shot .600 in the 127-117 loss to Atlanta).
…Dirk Nowitzki averaged 21.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.0 spg and 36.0 mpg in three regular-season games against Portland last season…He missed the game vs. Portland on 1/4/11 with a sprained right knee, but Dallas still recorded an 84-81 win.
…Shawn Marion averaged 13.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 29.8 mpg in four games against Portland last year.
…Jason Terry averaged 12.3 ppg, 3.0 apg and 31.3 mpg in four regular-season matchups with the Blazers in 2010-11.
…Dallas defeated Portland in six games in the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs.
…The Mavericks snapped an eight-game road losing streak in the playoffs with the Game 6 win at Portland on 4/28/11.
…Prior to the Game 6 victory, Dallas hadn’t won on the road in the playoffs since 4/28/09 at San Antonio.
…The Mavericks also lost 18 of their previous 20 road playoff games.
...The home team won all nine of the previous meetings between the Blazers and the Mavericks in 2010-11 (including all four regular-season matchups) before the Mavericks took Game 6 at Portland on 4/28/11.
…It was the Mavericks’ first playoff win in Portland since 4/25/03.

CONNECTIONS:
Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle was an assistant coach with the Trail Blazers from 1994-97.
...Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge was born in Dallas and attended Seagoville High School before going on to play his college ball at the University of Texas.
…Blazers forward Nicholas Batum was a teammate of Mavericks center Ian Mahinmi on the French National team that competed in Turkey at the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
…Blazers forward Kurt Thomas attended Hillcrest High School in Dallas and played at TCU.
…He played in five games for the Mavericks in 1997-98.
…Blazers interim head coach Kaleb Canales attended the University of Texas-Arlington and was an assistant coach for the men’s basketball program during the 2003-04 season.
…Blazers forward Shawne Williams played in 15 games for the Mavericks during the 2008-09 season.
…Shawne Williams (Memphis), Blazers guard Elliot Williams (Memphis) and Mavericks forward Brandan Wright (Nashville) all grew up in Tennessee.

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/blazers.pdf
TRAIL BLAZERS' PROBABLE STARTERS
Forward 88 Nicolas Batum 6-8 210
14.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.3 apg

Forward 12 LaMarcus Aldridge 6-11 246
21.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.4 apg

Center 10 Joel Przybilla 7-1 255
1.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.1 apg

Guard 2 Wesley Matthews 6-5 220
13.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.7 apg

Guard 5 Raymond Felton 6-1 205
10.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 6.4 apg



TRAIL BLAZERS' INJURY UPDATE....
Elliot Williams (left shoulder) and Shawne Williams (left foot) will not play.


SERIES NOTES
• The Trail Blazers dropped the first meeting with Dallas this season 97-94, in the only
game this season that’s required multiple overtime periods.
• Portland and Dallas split last year’s regular season series, 2-2, with the home team
winning each game. The Trail Blazers have won five of the last eight regular season
matchups with Dallas. Prior to that, the Mavericks won 18 of 20 games against Portland in a stretch from 2004-2009.
• Dallas topped Portland in the First Round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs, winning the bestof-
seven series, 4-2. Portland set a franchise record for the biggest comeback in a playoff game by erasing an 18-point defi cit entering the fourth quarter to win 84-82, on April 23 at the Rose Garden.
• LaMarcus Aldridge led all players in the series with an average of 27.8 points per game (51.6% FG), adding 9.0 boards in four meetings with Dallas in 2010-11. Wesley Matthews counted 15.3 points on 8-for-14 shooting from downtown in the four contests.
• The Trail Blazers committed 35 turnovers in the season series last year compared to the Mavericks’ 54 averages of 8.8 and 13.5, respectively).
• Portland outscored Dallas in points in the paint in all four matchups last season (190-158 overall).
• Dallas Head Coach Rick Carlisle was an assistant coach of the Trail Blazers for three seasons under P.J. Carlesimo from 1994-97. Carlisle is 11-8 (.579) in his head coaching career against Portland.
• LaMarcus Aldridge was born in Dallas and was named to the 2004 McDonald’s All-American Team while playing for Seagoville High School in Dallas.

[jcisco loboe'77]

UP NEXT:
For the Mavericks, Saturday vs. Memphis.



April 07,Saturday...................Opponent........Time.........Local TV.................Radio.
(31-25) Mavericks-vs-Memphis (31-23)....7:00pm CT....KTXA-21......KESN-FM (103.3), KFLC-AM (1270 in Spanish)
FedExForum, Memphis,TN.


http://www.nba.com/g...M/gameinfo.html
Mavericks-Grizzlies Preview.
By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN

"After convincingly knocking off one NBA finalist from a year ago, the Memphis Grizzlies have quickly set their sights on avenging a loss from earlier this week to the other one.

The Grizzlies are eager to move two games ahead of the visiting Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference standings Saturday night.

Memphis (31-23) never trailed in an impressive 97-82 win over Miami on Friday, snapping the superstar-laden Heat's 17-game home winning streak. The Grizzlies led by double digits throughout the final three quarters.

"The first time I looked up at the scoreboard we were up 15 points," coach Lionel Hollins said. "We were playing well and we had a lot of people do a lot of good things."

His players seem to have quickly turned the page to Dallas (31-25), which won 95-85 at home over Memphis on Wednesday.

"This is a great win, but tomorrow we have a Dallas team that got on us two nights ago," guard Gilbert Arenas said.

The Grizzlies were a fatigued team that game, playing for the third straight night against a Mavericks team that had Tuesday off. Both teams played Friday heading into this rematch, and Dallas could be more tired this time after losing 99-97 in overtime at home to Portland.

Dirk Nowitzki notched his second straight double-double with 23 points and 14 boards, but his turnover with 19 seconds left in OT gave the Trail Blazers possession and set up LaMarcus Aldridge's buzzer-beating 17-foot jumper.

"It was kind of an instinct play," Nowitzki said. "You see a guy open, you want to throw it to him. Sometimes you make decisions in a split second. I made the wrong one."

The Mavericks led by as many as 15 points before scoring 10 in the third quarter - a season low for any period. They dropped one game behind Memphis into sole possession of sixth place in the West.

Reserve center Ian Mahinmi missed Friday night's game to be with his fiancee for the birth of their child. Mahinmi is expected to rejoin the team Saturday after he tied Nowitzki for the team lead with 10 boards Wednesday against the Grizzlies.

The Mavs remain without veteran point guard Jason Kidd, who has missed three straight games with a groin strain.

Memphis could again be without starting guard Tony Allen, who didn't play Friday with Quincy Pondexter in his place. Allen suffered a facial laceration Wednesday on a hard foul from Brendan Haywood with 5:20 left.

Pondexter was one of only two Grizzlies who failed to reach double digits in points Friday among nine who logged at least 12 minutes. Rudy Gay scored a team-high 17 points and Arenas had 12, his most since joining Memphis last month.

"There's nothing to celebrate," center Marc Gasol said. "We just won a game. Tomorrow is a big game for us at home."

The Grizzlies have won nine of their last 11 at home, where they haven't lost in regulation since a 98-88 defeat to Utah on Feb. 12."

ppg
rpg
apg
bpg
spg
DAL
Nowitzki 21.2
Marion 7.0
Kidd 5.2
Wright 1.3
Kidd 1.7



ppg
rpg
apg
bpg
spg
MEM
Gay 18.3
Gasol 9.6
Conley 7.0
Gasol 1.9
Conley 2.4



Southwest...W-L.....PCT...GB...CONF..DIV.HOME.ROAD..L 10..STREAK
Memphis....31-23..0.574..8.5..19-20..5-6..18 -7..13-16..6-4...W 1
Dallas.......31-25..0.554..9.5..21-19..7-4..20-10..11-15..5-5...L 1



...SERIES...(1-1)
02/29 - DAL 85 @ MEM 96
04/04 - MEM 85 @ DAL 95
04/07 - DAL @ MEM

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/mavericks.pdf
DALLAS' PROBABLE STARTERS 2011-12 SEASON AVERAGES NOTES
#0 "SHAWN MARION
F • 6-7 • 228 • UNLV
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
11.0 7.0 2.1 1.0 0.6 30.6
Last Game: 16 points (7-11 FGs, 2-2 FTs), all in 2nd half and 12 in 4th quarter, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 29 minutes vs. MEM (4/4/12). Notes: 15+ points in 2 of his last 3 games (15 at ORL 3/30/12) … 11 games with 15+ points this season (10-1 record).

#41 DIRK NOWITZKI
F • 7-0 • 245 • Germany
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
21.2 6.6 2.2 0.8 0.5 32.9
Last Game: 23 points (10-18 FGs, 3-5 FTs), 10 rebounds, 38 minutes vs. MEM (4/4/12). Notes: 20+ points in 11 of his last 13 games (avg. 25.0 ppg in span) … hit game-winning shot at ORL (3/30/12) … team-high 9 double-doubles … 6 games with 30+ points.

#33 BRENDAN HAYWOOD
C • 7-0 • 263 • North Carolina
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
5.6 6.6 0.4 0.5 1.0 22.2
Last Game: 5 points (2-4 FGs, 1-2 FTs), 5 rebounds, 22 minutes vs. MEM (4/4/12). Notes: Averaging 5.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 21.3 mpg in 3 games since returning to the starting lineup at ORL (3/30/12) … 8 games with 10+ rebounds … 4 games with 3+ blocks.

#25 VINCE CARTER
G • 6-6 • 220 • North Carolina
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
9.6 3.1 2.2 0.9 0.3 24.7
Last Game: 5 points (2-9 FGs, 1-4 3FGs), 3 assists, 1 steal, 23 minutes vs. MEM (4/4/12). Notes: 25 games with 10+ points (19-6 record) … passed Walt Bellamy (20,941) for 31st place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list at DEN (3/19/12).

#13 DELONTE WEST
G • 6-3 • 180 • St. Joseph’s
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG
8.5 2.3 3.4 1.4 0.3 22.8
Last Game: 14 points (6-7 FGs, 2-2 3FGs), 2 assists, 1 block, 26 minutes vs. MEM (4/4/12). Notes: Shooting 58.6% (17-29 FGs) from the field in 4 games since returning from injury at MIA (3/29/12) …missed the previous 21 games with a fractured right ring finger.


DALLAS' INJURY/PLAYER STATUS:
Kelenna Azubuike – Assigned to Texas Legends (D-League);
Jason Kidd (strained right groin) is out.


SERIES NOTES:
The Mavericks and the Grizzlies will meet for the second time in a span of four days when they play at Memphis on 4/7/12 to decide the winner of the 2011-12 season series.
…Both teams have defended homecourt thus far in the first two meetings and have recorded double-digit wins in their own buildings.
…The Grizzlies recorded a 96-85 win in the first matchup at Memphis on 2/29/12, while the Mavericks took the second meeting 95-85 in Dallas on 4/4/12.
…The Mavericks snapped a three-game losing streak against the Grizzlies with the win in Dallas on 4/4/12.
…The Mavericks hold an all-time record of 51-14 against the Grizzlies in the regular season but Memphis has won seven of the last 12 meetings between the two clubs.
…The Grizzlies have won five of the last seven matchups in Memphis.
…The Mavericks have taken 19 of the last 22 in Dallas.
...Jason Terry is averaging a team-high 16.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.5 spg, 1.0 bpg and 34.0 mpg in two games against the Grizzlies this season.
…Rodrigue Beaubois is averaging 12.0 ppg, 4.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.0 bpg and 30.0 mpg in two matchups with Memphis this year.
…Shawn Marion is averaging 11.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.5 bpg and 30.5 mpg in two meetings with Memphis.
…Brendan Haywood is averaging 7.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 24.0 mpg in two games the Grizzlies in 2011-12.
…Dirk Nowitzki recorded his ninth double-double of the season with a game-high 23 points and a game-high-tying 10 rebounds in the second meeting between the two teams in Dallas on 4/4/12. He left the game at Memphis (2/29/12) in the second quarter with lower back tightness and did not return.
…Delonte West went 6-of-7 from the field en route to 14 points vs. Memphis on 4/4/12…He did not play in the first meeting on 2/29/12 due to injury (fractured right ring finger).


CONNECTIONS:
Grizzlies forward Darell Arthur is from Dallas and attended South Oak Cliff High School.
…Mavericks guard Dominique Jones was originally drafted by Memphis with the 25th overall pick in the 2010 Draft and then traded to Dallas.
…Mavericks forward Brian Cardinal played for the Grizzlies from 2004-07.
…Mavericks guard Delonte West and Grizzlies guard Tony Allen were teammates in Boston from 2004-07.
…Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay played on the 2010 USA Basketball Men’s World Championship Team with Mavericks forward Lamar Odom.
…Mavericks forward Brandan Wright grew up in Nashville, Tenn.
….Grizzlies guard Gilbert Arenas and Mavericks center Brendan Haywood were teammates in Washington for six-and-a-half seasons from 2003-04 to 2009-10."

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/grizzlies.pdf

"GRIZZLIES' PROBABLE STARTERS
SF RUDY GAY
#22
6-8
230
6TH SEASON
• Averaging a team-high 18.3 points, a career-high 6.5 rebounds and 1.48 steals after returning from last
season’s season-ending shoulder injury.
• Memphis is 17-8 when Rudy scores 20-or-more points.
• Ranks seventh in the NBA in dunks (94) and is one of two NBA players (LeBron James) this season with at least
90 dunks and 40 three-pointers.
• One of the NBA’s top two-way forwards, averaged 19.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.68 steals and 1.07 blocks in 39.9
minutes in 54 games last season before suffering a season-ending left shoulder subluxation.
• Helped the United States win the gold medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championships.


PF MARREESE SPEIGHTS #5
6-10
255
4TH SEASON
• Memphis is 27-15 with Speights in the starting lineup.
• Scored a season-high 25 points and handed out a career-best five assists on March 13 vs. LA Lakers.
• Recording career highs this season in points per game, rebounds per game and free throw percentage.
• Posted 20 points and career-high 18 rebounds (a Grizzlies season high) on Feb. 15 at New Jersey.
• Acquired by Memphis from the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 4 in a three-way trade also involving the New Orleans
Hornets… The Grizzlies sent Xavier Henry to New Orleans and a 2012 second round pick to Philadelphia in the
deal.


C MARC GASOL #33
7-1
265
4TH SEASON
• A first-time All-Star selection this season, averaging career highs in points (15.3), rebounds (9.6, 14th in the
NBA), assists (3.1) and blocks (1.90, 7th) on .479 shooting in a team-high 38.0 minutes (6th) this season after resigning
with Memphis to a multi-year contract on Dec. 14, 2011.
• The third All-Star selection in franchise history, joining Zach Randolph (2010) and Pau Gasol (2006).
• Won his first career Player of the Week Award for the week of Jan. 16, averaging 19.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.5
assists and 2.50 blocks on .673 shooting while leading Memphis to a perfect 4-0 record.
• The Grizzlies’ all-time leader in field goal percentage.


SG TONY ALLEN #9
6-4
213
8TH SEASON
• 2010-11 NBA All-Defense Second Team selection averaging 1.70 steals (9th in the NBA) and ranks fifth the NBA
in steals per 48 minutes (3.05) in his second season in Memphis.
• Finished fourth in the 2010-11 NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett
and Tyson Chandler
• Ranked fifth in the NBA in steals per game last season (career-high and team-high 1.79)
• Adds championship experience to the Grizzlies, winning the 2008 NBA Championship with Boston


PG MIKE CONLEY
#11
6-1
185
5TH SEASON
• NBA All-Defense candidate this season leads the NBA in total steals (116), steals per game (franchise-record
2.37) and steals per 48 minutes (3.18).
• Leads the team in assists (career-high 7.0, 11th in the NBA) for the fifth consecutive season.
• Continued his steady ascension as a floor general last season, posting career highs in scoring (13.7 points), assists
(6.5) and steals (1.78, 6th in the NBA) in 81 games.
• Has led the Grizzlies in assists in every season since being drafted fourth overall by the team in the 2007 NBA
Draft.
• Has increased his points and assists averages in every season since joining the NBA.


INJURIES/ROSTER NOTES LAST GAME INACTIVES
Darrell Arthur (torn right Achilles) is out for the season.
Darrell Arthur Josh Selby has been assigned to the NBA D-League’s Reno Bighorns."

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.star-tele... ... ricks.html
By Dwain Price.
Victory escapes Dallas Mavericks' grasp.

DALLAS--"If the Dallas Mavericks do the unthinkable and slip-slide their way completely out of the playoffs, Friday night's 99-97 overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers might be the game that cost them that precious postseason berth.
LaMarcus Aldridge nailed a 17-foot jumper at the buzzer in overtime over the outstretched arms of Brendan Haywood, then was mobbed by his teammates as the Mavericks walked dejectedly off the American Airlines Center floor.
But before the Mavericks (31-25) can turn their attention to tonight's 7 o'clock game in Memphis, they'll probably look back and wonder how this game got away.
The Mavs led the Blazers by as many as 15 points, 47-32, midway in the second period. But the Blazers used a 16-0 blitz in the last 3:37 of the third period to turn a 66-58 deficit into a 74-68 lead.
Raymond Felton had 12 of the Blazers' points during that surge as he did the same thing to the Mavs -- banging in 3-pointers -- that Randy Foye of the Los Angeles Clippers did when Dallas lost 94-75 on Monday night.
"The adjustment was they picked up their intensity level of play and we didn't," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "The third quarter was tough.
"It took a lot out of us. We battled to get back, but expended a lot of energy."
Shawn Marion's basket sent the game into overtime with 15.6 seconds remaining in regulation. Then, Aldridge hit six of his 25 points in overtime to boost Portland's record to 7-6 under interim coach Kaleb Canales, who is a UT Arlington graduate.
"He scored," Carlisle said of Aldridge's game-winner, "... made a strong dribble move and knocked it in."
Before Aldridge's winning shot, Dirk Nowitzki rebounded Felton's missed shot and saw Marion streaking down the floor. But the ball slipped out of Nowitzki's hands and his pass went out of bounds, nowhere near Marion with 19.3 seconds remaining and the game tied 97-97.
"I think he was trying to hit [Marion] and the pass was off," Carlisle said. "I'm sure he'd like to have it back."
A lot of that transpired Friday which the Mavericks would like to have back. Felton hit 12 of 18 shots, including 5-of-8 on 3-pointers, and finished with a season-high 30 points, plus seven rebounds and six assists.
Portland also won the rebounding battle 51-44 and kept making the scrappy plays when it needed to.
The Mavs played without point guard Jason Kidd (strained right groin) for the third consecutive game. They also were without backup center Ian Mahinmi, whose girlfriend was expected to have a baby Friday night.
But the Mavs did have guard Delonte West, who finished with 10 points and five assists despite spraining his left ankle in Friday morning's shootaround.
"I give him a lot of credit for being out there," Carlisle said of West. "I'd say the majority of guys in this league wouldn't have.
"He gave us what he had. I was impressed."
What Carlisle wasn't impressed with was the way his team let a 15-lead evaporate so quickly. Especially since the Mavs led 27-17 after the first period and 56-44 at the half.
"When you build a 12- to 15-point lead, one of the things you've got to do is maintain a level where you can maintain a lead, maintain a cushion, and we didn't do that," Carlisle said. "Once you get up against the 8-ball, a lot is left to chance, because you've got the bounce of the ball, the officials come into play more.
"We let it get away."
And now the Mavs -- with this loss on their minds -- have to look to dealing with the rugged Grizzlies."

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.chron.com... ... 465441.php
Aldridge leads Blazers to OT win over Mavericks.
DALLAS (AP) —"The last time LaMarcus Aldridge played in his hometown, he left with a bitter taste. This trip was a lot sweeter.

Aldridge's buzzer-beating 17-foot jumper lifted the Portland Trail Blazers to a 99-97 overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.

Aldridge, a former Dallas-area high school star who finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds, made the fallaway jumper over the outstretched arm of Mavericks 7-foot center Brendan Haywood at the overtime buzzer, then was mobbed by teammates at center court.

"LaMarcus is our All-Star," Portland interim coach Kaleb Canales said. "We were going to LaMarcus. Big-time player, big-time shot."

The Mavericks won the previous meeting between the teams this season, 97-94 in two overtimes on Feb. 11 in Dallas.

"This is big because it was in the crib (his hometown)," Aldridge said.

Raymond Felton scored 16 of his season-high 30 points during Portland's 30-10 surge in the third quarter. Jamal Crawford added 14 points for the Blazers, who've won four of six to remain in playoff contention with 10 games left.

"The last time we were here it was a tough loss," Crawford said. "(A loss) tonight would have definitely clouded our playoff hopes."

Dirk Nowitzki had 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Jason Terry scored 18 points to lead defending champion Dallas.

With the score tied at 97 in the final minute of overtime, Felton misfired on a long 3-pointer, and Nowitzki grabbed the rebound. However, he threw the ball out of bounds while trying to pass to a wide-open Shawn Marion streaking downcourt with 19 seconds left.

That gave the Blazers possession, leading to Aldridge's game-winner and a confidence boost for a team that entered the night 7-19 on the road.

"It was just a brutal play," Nowitzki said of his bad pass. "I got the rebound, and I really wanted to hold it for the last shot. I looked up and saw Shawn was wide open. I tried to rush it to him, and it just got away.

"It was kind of an instinct play. You see a guy open, you want to throw it to him. Sometimes you make decisions in a split second. I made the wrong one."

Terry kept his team close in the fourth quarter, hitting two 3-pointers, then feeding Marion for a layup with 15.6 seconds left in regulation to tie it at 91.

The Blazers set up for a final shot with 8 seconds remaining, but Terry stole the ball from Crawford before missing a desperation 3 at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.

Portland trailed by 15 in the second quarter, but the Blazers finished the third with a 16-0 run that included 12 from Felton, who had three 3s and a three-point play during the spurt.

Felton's swish from beyond the arc with 0.8 seconds left in the third gave him 26 points and put Portland ahead 74-66.

Felton's previous season-high was 24 on March 25 against Golden State.

"A couple of their guys got going, and it was tough to shut them off," Marion said.

Nowitzki got off to a strong start, hitting his first four field goal tries and scoring 10 of his team's first 14 points.

Dallas was in front 27-17 heading into the second quarter and was up at halftime, 56-44.

The Mavs had won 22 of their previous 29 regular-season meetings with the Blazers.

NOTES: Terry's 3-pointer in the first quarter gave him 1,761 for his career, passing former Dallas teammate Peja Stojakovic for fifth on the NBA's all-time list.
... Dallas reserve C Ian Mahinmi missed the game to be with his financee for the birth of their child. Mahinmi is expected to rejoin the team for Saturday night's game at Memphis.
... Mavs starting G Delonte West had been questionable after twisting his left ankle by stepping on a ball during Friday morning's shootaround, but West underwent treatment and was in the lineup.
... The Mavericks were already short-handed with G Jason Kidd sitting out his third consecutive game due to a strained right groin.
... Canales is 7-6 since taking over after the firing of Nate McMillan on March 15. Calales is a native of Laredo, Texas, and a graduate of the University of Texas-Arlington."

[jcisco loboe'77]

Friday, April 6,2012
7:30 PM CT - American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX.

FINAL
POR-17-27-30-17+8=99
DAL-27-29-10-25+6=97


Portland Trail Blazers (27-29)....field goals..rebounds.
...............pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba=pts
N. Batum G-F 39:59 3-9 0-3 0-0 +20 1 8 9 5 0 0 1 0 0 6
L. Aldridge F 44:29 11-24 0-0 3-4 +3 6 6 12 2 1 0 1 1 1 25
J. Przybilla C 13:12 1-1 0-0 0-0 -1 1 4 5 0 2 0 1 0 0 2
W. Matthews G 36:47 4-11 1-5 0-0 +13 1 2 3 1 5 2 1 0 2 9
R. Felton G 43:05 12-18 5-8 1-1 +20 1 6 7 6 1 2 2 0 0 30
J.J. Hickson 27:21 4-11 0-0 0-0 +1 2 5 7 0 0 0 1 0 1 8
J. Crawford 28:40 4-14 1-4 5-6 -5 1 3 4 3 2 0 3 0 0 14
H. Thabeet 08:31 0-0 0-0 0-0 -1 0 2 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0
L. Babbitt 13:01 1-2 0-0 0-0 -22 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 2
J. Flynn 09:55 1-4 1-1 0-0 -18 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 3
C. Smith....DNP - Coach's Decision
N. Smith....DNP - Coach's Decision
K. Thomas..DNP - Coach's Decision
Totals.....265 41-94 8-21 9-11 14 37 51 17 13 5 12 2 5=99
......................43.6% 38.1% 81.8% team rebs: 5 total to: 12


Dallas Mavericks (31-25)....field goals.rebounds.
...............pos min fgm-a 3pm-a ftm-a +/- off def tot ast pf st to bs ba=pts
S. Marion F 41:36 6-11 0-0 0-0 0 1 8 9 1 1 1 3 1 0 12
D. Nowitzki F 42:35 9-16 1-5 4-4 +6 1 13 14 2 1 0 1 1 1 23
B. Haywood C 27:51 1-5 0-0 0-0 0 4 2 6 0 4 0 1 1 0 2
V. Carter G-F 23:40 3-10 0-2 0-0 -5 0 5 5 0 1 1 1 0 1 6
D. West G 30:16 4-13 1-1 1-2 -3 0 2 2 5 1 0 0 0 0 10
J. Terry 37:22 7-14 4-9 0-0 -3 0 1 1 5 1 3 2 0 0 18
L. Odom 11:24 1-3 1-2 0-0 -2 0 1 1 1 1 0 2 0 0 3
R. Beaubois 25:07 5-14 0-5 0-1 -1 1 0 1 5 3 0 0 0 0 10
B. Wright 25:09 6-7 0-0 1-1 -2 2 3 5 0 0 1 0 2 0 13
B. Cardinal..DNP - Coach's Decision
Y. Jianlian..DNP - Coach's Decision
D. Jones....DNP - Coach's Decision
I. Mahinmi.NWT - Personal
Totals........265 42-93 7-24 6-8 9 35 44 19 13 6 10 5 2=97
.........................45.2% 29.2% 75.0% team rebs: 8 total to: 11




inactive
Trail Blazers: Williams, Williams
Mavericks: Azubuike, Kidd

technical fouls
Trail Blazers: Crawford
Mavericks: --

scoring
Lead Changes: 4
Times Tied: 12


arena stats
Arena: American Airlines Center, Dallas,TX
Officials: #19 James Capers, #16 David Guthrie, #68 Marat Kogut

Attendance: 20544
Duration: 2:22