The AP reports: After a rousing come-from-behind victory in their last game, the Dallas Mavericks avoided a misstep against the struggling Seattle SuperSonics. Jason Terry scored 22 points, Josh Howard added 17, and Dallas crept closer to a playoff berth with a 99-83 victory over Seattle on Tuesday night… Brandon Bass scored 13 off the bench for the Mavericks, and Dirk Nowitzki chipped in with 11 points and 12 rebounds in his fourth game since returning from knee and ankle injuries… Earl Watson had 22 points and eight assists for Seattle. Kevin Durant added 16 points, and Jeff Green and Nick Collison each had 11.
Category: Dallas Mavericks Blog
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Avery Johnson wants Kidd to penetrate more
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Jeff Caplan) reports: Avery Johnson continues to emphasize the importance for Jason Kidd using dribble penetration to break down defenses. “He’s not programmed necessarily to do those things,” Johnson said. “But we keep prodding him, and we keep talking to him.” After Kidd failed to get off a shot in the second half of Friday’s 112-108 loss to the Lakers, he continued to attack in the decisive fourth quarter against the Suns. Twice he drove past Steve Nash, missing the first layup, but he finished a critical driving layup with 2:51 to play to put the Mavs up by six. Kidd, who Dirk Nowitzki called too unselfish at times, said Kidd’s getting more comfortable with creating for himself.
Apr. 6: Mavs 105, Suns 98
The AP reports: Dirk Nowitzki scored 32 points and the Mavericks rallied from a 13 points down early in the fourth to stun the Phoenix Suns 105-98 on Sunday. Dallas outscored Phoenix 27-9 in the fourth quarter for the kind of gutsy victory against a strong opponent the Mavericks had sought since the trade that brought Kidd from New Jersey… Josh Howard added 24 points and Brandon Bass 19 for the Mavericks, who used a smothering defense in a 16-0 run that put them ahead for good in a game the Suns had led nearly throughout. Phoenix went scoreless for just under 8 minutes, missing 12 shots in the process… Amare Stoudemire had 31 points for the Suns but missed three of four free throws down the stretch. Nash had 14 points and 10 assists, but shot only 4-of-17 from the field.
Apr. 4: Lakers 112, Mavs 108
The AP reports: Lamar Odom scored a season-high 31 points against a subpar Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant added 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the Pacific Division-leading Lakers put a crimp in the Dallas Mavericks’ postseason push with a 112-108 victory on Friday night… Pau Gasol had 25 points and seven assists for Los Angeles, and Odom grabbed 10 rebounds. It was the sixth time this season that the Lakers have had three players with 20 or more points—all victories… Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavs with 27 points, Jason Terry scored 25 and Josh Howard added 23. Jason Kidd had 10 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. This was the Mavericks’ 10th loss that was decided by four points or less.
Apr. 2: Mavs 111, Warriors 86
The AP reports: Dirk Nowitzki was back, scoring 18 points in his unexpected start Wednesday night, and the Mavericks posted a 111-86 victory over the Golden State Warriors that could have big implications in a tight Western Conference playoff race… “There was already a sense of urgency. … And then seeing Dirk out there, it was very inspiring,” said Jason Terry, who matched a season-high with 31 points… Stephen Jackson had only two points on 1-of-11 shooting, and Al Harrington was 1-of-9 with six points. Monta Ellis led the Warriors with 27 points, while Baron Davis had 20… Josh Howard added 28 points for the Mavericks, while Kidd had a season-high 17 assists with 11 rebounds and five points.
Mar. 31: Mavs 93, Clippers 86
The AP reports: Jason Kidd scored 27 points, Josh Howard got 12 of his 25 in the fourth quarter, and the Dallas Mavericks held off the banged-up but stubborn Los Angeles Clippers 93-86 Monday night to complete a sweep of the four-game season series… Jason Terry had 20 points for Dallas, playing its fourth game since reigning MVP Dirk Nowitzki went down with knee and ankle injuries… Forward Jerry Stackhouse, whose buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave the Mavs a 95-94 win over the Clippers the last time they played them at Staples Center on Jan. 12, missed his second game with strained right groin. Rookie Al Thornton scored 26 points for the Clippers, who trailed throughout. They shot 36.8 percent and committed 23 turnovers against a Dallas defense that came in forcing a league-low 12.3 turnovers per game. Leading scorer Corey Maggette scored 23 points and was just 3-for-15 from the field.
J-Rich and Melo win Player of Week
The Charlotte Bobcats’ Jason Richardson and the Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, March 24, through Sunday, March 30. More info here.
J-Rich is playing well but it’s too little, too late for the Bobcats, who need a miracle to make the playoffs and may be having issues with head coach Sam Vincent, who several newspapers recently reported may not be kept around next season.
As for Melo, all recent talk was that they might miss the playoffs, as they were sitting in 9th place in the West for a while, but as of today they’ve jumped up to 7th, but only by virtue of a tie-breaker with the Mavericks and Warriors. I think Denver may stay in there.
Anyway, the Western conference playoff race is awesome. Even if you’re a fan of an East squad, watch the West closely, because that’s where it’s at.
Mar. 30: Warriors 114, Mavs 104
The AP reports: Monta Ellis scored 30 points and Kelenna Azubuike hit two clutch shots down the stretch to help the Golden State Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks 114-104 Sunday night to create a three-way tie for seventh place in the ultracompetitive Western Conference… Baron Davis added 21 points, Stephen Jackson had 16 and Andris Biedrins had 16 points and 14 rebounds. Azubuike scored 15 off the bench a day after Davis and Jackson called for more help from the reserves. Josh Howard scored 36 to lead Dallas in his third straight 30-point game since Nowitzki went down with the injury. Brandon Bass added 21 off the bench, while Kidd had 13 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds.
Mar. 27: Nuggets 118, Mavs 105
The AP reports: “Everybody was excited to see Nene back out there, just to see him back in his uniform, seeing him smile again after the stuff he’s been through,” said Carmelo Anthony, who scored 32 points and keyed the decisive run in the Nuggets’ fourth straight win. Nene had been out since Jan. 11, and it’s been just over a month since he underwent chemotherapy… Anthony also chipped in 10 boards and eight assists, helping Denver overcame a 30-point night by Josh Howard and 19 points and 15 assists from Jason Kidd… Kidd was left unguarded on the left elbow and swished a 3-pointer in the third quarter to give the Mavericks a 79-71 lead. The Nuggets responded with an 18-2 run, with Anthony scoring half of the points.
Mar. 25: Mavs 103, Clippers 90
The AP reports: Dallas, which had lost three straight, led only 60-58 when Josh Howard got rolling. Howard scored 20 of the Mavericks’ next 26 points, putting them up by 16 early in the fourth quarter. He finished with 32 points, easily his most since Jason Kidd arrived. Erick Dampier also stepped up for Dallas, scoring 19 points and matching his season high with 17 rebounds. Jerry Stackhouse scored 20 and Kidd had 10 points, eight assists and six rebounds… Corey Maggette led Los Angeles with 21 points before fouling out. Tim Thomas had 13, most coming on consecutive 3-pointers in the third quarter, and Nick Fazekas had 10 points in 16 minutes.