Mavs looking better, beat Blazers 104-99

The AP reports: Josh Howard got Dallas going early and Jason Terry pulled them through late, but it was a team effort. Brandon Bass made nine of 11 shots for 19 points, Dirk Nowitzki had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Antoine Wright had 11 points and some solid defense on Portland’s Brandon Roy. Kidd did, too, along with scoring seven points and grabbing seven rebounds… Roy still scored 26 points, but that included a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute, which made things a bit more interesting but didn’t change the outcome. Portland lost its 11th straight in Dallas.

Nowitzki scores 29, Mavericks beat Magic 105-95

The AP reports: The Dallas Mavericks are slowly creeping back up the Western Conference standings. Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and six rebounds, Jason Terry had 23 points and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Orlando Magic 105-95 Monday night for their third straight win… Josh Howard and Jason Kidd added 13 apiece for the Mavericks, who held Orlando to 3-for-20 shooting from 3-point range. Dwight Howard had 35 points and 11 rebounds, and Hedo Turkoglu scored 18 as the Magic ended their three-game winning streak. But that wasn’t the worst news of the night for Orlando.

Mavericks shoot past Heat with ease, 111-96

The AP reports: Once again, with no championship at stake, the Miami Heat simply couldn’t beat the Dallas Mavericks. Dirk Nowitzki scored 30 points on 12-for-14 shooting, Jason Terry scored 20 and Jason Kidd finished with 11 assists as the Mavericks beat the Heat for the ninth straight time in the regular season, 111-96 on Saturday night… Dwyane Wade scored 30 points for Miami, which lost for the second straight night. .. Michael Beasley finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for Miami, which also got 17 points from Mario Chalmers and 10 from Udonis Haslem. Josh Howard finished with 15, while Jose Barea and Brandon Bass each added 11 for the Mavericks.

Mavericks turn away Warriors 117-93

The AP reports: After a couple of awful defensive performances last week, the Dallas Mavericks slowed down one of the highest-scoring teams in the league. Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard keyed a game-changing run during the second quarter, and Jason Terry scored 22 points to lead the Mavericks past the Golden State Warriors 117-93 Wednesday night… Nowitzki scored 20 points, Howard added 19, Brandon Bass had 16 and James Singleton chipped in with a season-high 14 for Dallas, which rebounded after losing by 24 to the Celtics. Golden State’s Stephen Jackson had 25 points and Corey Maggette came off the bench to score 21. The Warriors, the NBA’s worst defensive team yielding nearly 112 points per game, have lost their last three games at Dallas by a combined 71 points.

Celtics blow out Mavericks 124-100

The AP reports: Paul Pierce reached over and gave Kevin Garnett a hearty slap on the back as they laughed off the suggestion that now, with virtually everything going right, would be a good time to buy a lottery ticket. “I’ve got a lottery ticket already,” Pierce said after watching Garnett score 23 points and help shut down Dirk Nowitzki to lead Boston to its eighth straight win, 124-100 over the Dallas Mavericks… Reserve Eddie House also scored 23—including seven 3-pointers—and Ray Allen scored 20 of his 23 points in the first half as the Celtics opened a 27-point lead and coasted to their sixth straight double-digit victory… Jason Terry scored 27 for the Mavericks, who have won just three of their last nine games. Nowitzki had 18, but the Dallas 7-footer shot 4-for-17 from the field and had the ignominy of having his shot blocked by the 6-foot-1 House in the second quarter… Rajon Rondo had 13 points and 14 assists for the Celtics.

Mavericks rout Pistons 112-91

The AP reports: The Dallas Mavericks bounced back from a humiliating loss in a big way. Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points, Josh Howard added 22 and Dallas routed the Detroit Pistons 112-91 on Friday night, two nights after a 34-point loss in Milwaukee… Brandon Bass added a season-high 18 points, and Jason Kidd had 11 points and 10 assists for Dallas, which lost 133-99 to the Bucks… Richard Hamilton, coming off the bench for just the second time in his Detroit career, led the Pistons with 17 points, and Tayshaun Prince added 12— 10 from the free-throw line. Allen Iverson finished with 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting.

Villanueva, Redd lead Milwaukee to 34-point win over Mavs

The AP reports: Michael Redd scored 27 points, punctuated by a crossover, fadeaway jumper over Nowitzki, and Charlie Villanueva added 32 points and 10 rebounds, lifting the Bucks to a 133-99 victory over Dallas on Wednesday night… The Bucks shot 29 percent in the first quarter, but picked up the pace with 111 points over the final three quarters. Milwaukee made a season-best 13 3-pointers and committed nine turnovers… Ramon Sessions, who finished with 21 points, hit all seven of his attempts and Milwaukee shot 57.8 percent as a team.

Jason Terry having great season

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Jan Hubbard) reports: Jason Terry has had a distinguished career, averaging 16.1 points for the Hawks and Mavericks in his first nine seasons. But this season, his 10th in the league, he’s taken it to a new level. Rick Carlisle has been consistent with Terry, preferring him to come off the bench rather than starting, even with the muddled situation at shooting guard. Terry has had to start seven games because of injuries, but his primary role has been as a reserve and he’s been nothing less than spectacular. Terry is the only non-starter in the league averaging more than 20 points a game, and considering that the majority of his points come from the perimeter, his 46.6 shooting percentage is solid. But even more significant is Terry’s willingness to accept his role. Most 20-point scorers in the league would pout if they did not start. But not Terry, who is averaging a career-high 20.6 points.

Mavericks in limbo

The Dallas Morning News (David Moore) writes:  If this team was average at best, the decision would be easy. Tear it down. But the Mavericks are on pace to win 48 games after a slow start. It’s a significant drop from there to mediocre. Management can’t afford to get this wrong the way it did last year when it acquired Jason Kidd. The move was made because Cuban and Nelson clung to the idea of where the team had been 20 months earlier rather than accept what it had become. The Mavericks had deteriorated to the stage where one player was not enough to get them back to The Finals. Reality has sunk in this season. The problem is that it cost Devin Harris and two first-round draft picks for the Mavericks to have their eyes opened. That leaves Cuban and Nelson with precious few assets to offer heading into this trade deadline. Is this team at a crossroads? “That’s overstated,” Cuban said. “You just do the best you can and try to be opportunistic.