Dallas Mavericks Blog – Page 55 – NBA Blog

Dirk 21 points, 20 rebounds but Mavs lose to Bucks

Monta Ellis made sure the Milwaukee Bucks didn’t lose another close game.

Dirk Nowitzki couldn’t do the same, even with a stat line the Dallas Mavericks had not seen from their star in nearly 10 years.

Ellis scored 22 points, and the Bucks spoiled Nowitzki’s first game since April 2003 with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a 95-90 victory over the Mavericks on Tuesday night.

Playing point guard with struggling backcourt mate Brandon Jennings on the bench, Ellis twice put the Bucks ahead in the final 2 minutes, the last time on a jumper for a 92-90 lead with 1:03 remaining. Milwaukee snapped a three-game losing streak – all by three points or fewer, just the third time that’s happened in franchise history.

”We can put that behind us now and build off of that,” said Ellis, who also had game highs with nine assists and six steals.

Nowitzki had 21 points and 20 rebounds for the Mavericks, who had two chances to tie after Ellis’ go-ahead basket. Vince Carter missed a 3-pointer, and after Nowitzki’s 20th rebound at the other end, Darren Collison’s wild shot on a drive wasn’t close…

J.J. Redick, playing his second game in Dallas in six days but in a different uniform after he was traded from Orlando to Milwaukee, had nine points at halftime, tied with Mike Dunleavy for the team lead, and finished with 14. Dunleavy had 13…

Larry Sanders had 11 of his 13 points in the second half and led Milwaukee with 13 rebounds…

O.J. Mayo, Dallas’ leading scorer, bounced back with 18 points after scoring just eight on 2-of-9 shooting while Kobe Bryant dominated with 38 in the Lakers’ win Sunday. Elton Brand had 12 points and 14 rebounds.

— Reported by Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press

Thunder sign Derek Fisher, again

The Oklahoma City Thunder has signed guard Derek Fisher, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

“We are excited to welcome Derek back to the Thunder organization,” said Presti. “He contributed to our team in various ways last season, and we are looking forward to him joining us again.”

Fisher appeared in 20 regular season games with Oklahoma City last season after signing with the Thunder on March 21. The guard averaged 4.9 points, 1.4 assists and 1.4 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per game. In 20 playoff games with the Thunder, he averaged 6.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 22.3 minutes per game.

A five-time NBA champion, Fisher has appeared in 229 career playoff games (158 starts) averaging 8.6 points, 2.5 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 27.5 minutes per contest.

Dirk Nowitzki hopes to keep re-signing with Mavericks

After his most dominant performance of a frustrating season, Dirk Nowitzki declared he has no doubt he’ll play for the Dallas Mavericks at least through the 2015-16 season.

“When my [current] contract’s up, I’m 36 and I’ll definitely sign a couple more years,” Nowitzki said after recording season highs of 30 points and 13 rebounds in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. “It’s still fun, but I don’t know if I’ll play until 40. But when I’m 36, definitely sign one more deal, maybe two or three years.”

That reiterates the comments Nowitzki, whose contract expires after next season, made in November. However, Nowitzki acknowledged Sunday that he had doubts about continuing his career while struggling this season following arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, a significant factor in the Mavs being in serious jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the first time in 12 seasons.

“Honestly, I had some doubts here when I came back,” Nowitzki said. “It took so long. Is it ever going to come back? It was a tough stretch for me coming back from the surgery, but the way I feel now, I still think I can play a couple of years.”

The 34-year-old Nowitzki missed the season’s first 27 games and had his 11-year All-Star streak snapped.

— Reported by Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas

Bryant outscores Nowitzki as Lakers top Mavs

Kobe Bryant had 38 points to win a scoring duel with Dirk Nowitzki, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks 103-99 Sunday in a matchup of teams fighting to get in the playoff race.

With chants of MVP from a strong contingent of Lakers fans, Bryant scored 14 in the fourth, including seven in the final 3 minutes to hold off a spirited Dallas effort.

Nowitzki finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds for the Mavericks, who had a chance to pull virtually even with the Lakers for ninth place in the Western Conference. Houston is in eighth, with a cushion of several games.

Bryant, who also had 12 rebounds and seven assists, was playing in Mark Cuban’s building two days after the outspoken Dallas owner suggested in a radio interview that the Lakers might have to consider dumping the five-time NBA champion through the amnesty clause.

Steve Nash had 13 of his 20 in the second half against his former team in a game that neither team led by more than six.

— Reported by Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press

Chris Kaman available again for Mavs

Dallas Mavericks center Chris Kaman is available to play Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers after missing the last 10 games due to a concussion.

Kaman, who continued to experience headaches for several days after passing the cognitive testing portion of the NBA’s concussion protocol that he referred to as “the stupidest test ever,” declared himself ready after Saturday’s practice.

“Hopefully, I’ll get a few minutes tomorrow,” Kaman told reporters. “The headaches are gone, so I’m clear. I’m going to play. It’s been too long.”

Kaman, who was injured during the Mavs’ Jan. 28 practice, fully participated in two practices this week after being medically cleared. The Mavs wanted him to practice twice before playing in a game.

— Reported by Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas

Vince Carter 3 lifts Mavs over Hornets, 104-100

Dirk Nowitzki knows a vintage Vince Carter performance when he sees it.

So with a subtle nod, Nowitzki gave Carter the green light to take a crucial shot in the final seconds, and could not have been more pleased with the result.

Carter capped a 22-point performance with a 3-pointer that gave Dallas the lead with 6.5 seconds left, and the Mavericks held on for their third straight victory, 104-100 over the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night.

”I looked at him to see what he wanted,” Carter said of Nowitzki, who was supposed to get the shot with the Mavericks trailing 100-99. ”He gave me the nod to go ahead. Yes sir.” …

Nowitzki, who scored 25 points, said he and Carter noticed New Orleans making a defensive switch in the final few possessions, resulting in 7-foot forward Jason Smith covering Carter. When it happened just inside the final minute, Carter tried to drive on Smith, and found Mike James open in the left corner for a clutch 3 that made it a one-point game…

Elton Brand added 13 points for Dallas (25-29), which is 4 1/2 games out of the last Western Conference playoff spot with 28 games left. Darren Collison scored 11, hitting a pair of free throws with 3 seconds left for the final margin.

Eric Gordon scored 23 for the Hornets, who have lost three straight, but had only three points in the second half and lost the ball out of bounds while being closely guarded by O.J. Mayo with 5.8 seconds left, costing New Orleans a chance to set up a shot to tie or lead.

— Reported by Brett Martel of the Associated Press

Mavs trade Dahntay Jones to Hawks for Anthony Morrow

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have acquired guard Anthony Morrow from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for guard Dahntay Jones.

Morrow (6-5, 210) was originally signed by the Golden State Warriors after going undrafted in the 2008 NBA Draft. He averaged double figures in each of his first four seasons in the league and holds career averages of 11.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 26.2 minutes in 280 career games (120 starts) with Golden State, New Jersey and Atlanta.

The Charlotte, N.C., native is career .450 shooter from the field, holds a .425 career average from behind-the-arc and has shot .895 from the free throw line. Morrow scored a career-high 42 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 3, 2012.

Morrow played collegiately at Georgia Tech where he established a school record by shooting .867 from the free throw line for his career while also finishing third in all-time three-point field goals (258).

Morrow will wear number 23 for the Mavericks.

Jones was acquired by the Mavericks, along with Darren Collison, from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Ian Mahinmi on July 12, 2012. He saw action in 50 games (15 starts) and averaged 3.5 points, 1.4 rebounds and 12.7 minutes per game.

Elton Brand says Mavs must step up on defense

Elton Brand, one of the players who must shoulder the load when it comes to rebounding, understands the situation. He said the numbers make it clear why they have struggled.

“We play great defense for about 20 seconds,” Brand said Tuesday. “But there are all kinds of stats these days. And the stats say we’re one of the worst teams in the league defensively, 29th, in the last four seconds. So we’re not contesting shots right at the end.

“And the next step is, stopping the offensive rebounds. If you play good defense and don’t get the rebound — that’s cost us games.

“In these last 30 games, we have to take pride in that. We have to get stops and we have to come away with the ball. That’s why Sarge [Bernard James] is out there with his energy and Shawn [Marion], who’s athletic, is there. We got to do it by committee. We have to find a way to get those balls.”

— Reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News

Mavs may have interest in Eric Gordon

The odds of the New Orleans Hornets trading shooting guard Eric Gordon before the Feb. 21 deadline are slim.

The odds of the Mavs trading for Gordon before the deadline are much closer to none.

However, ESPN’s Chris Broussard reports in an Insider column that the Mavs, Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors are among the teams that have inquired about Gordon. In the cases of the Mavs and Rockets – a couple of teams that will have enough cap space to enter the Dwight Howard summer sweepstakes – the inquiries are likely about exploring a potential offseason fallback option…

Is Gordon worth that kind of money when the Mavs could probably re-sign O.J. Mayo for significantly less?

— Reported by Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas

Vince Carter passes Larry Bird as Mavs put away Kings 123-100

Move over, Larry Legend. Vinsanity still has a few special moments in him.

Vince Carter scored 26 points to pass Larry Bird on the NBA’s career scoring list, and the Dallas Mavericks headed into the All-Star break with a 123-100 victory against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.

Carter earned his nickname with circus dunks but can’t quite rattle the rim like he used to. He’s more dangerous these days from one of the places where Bird did plenty of damage: the 3-point line.

The 14-year veteran turned aside a Sacramento rally in the third quarter by going 5 of 7 from long range and scoring 17 of Dallas’ last 21 points in the period. He ended the night with 21,796 career points for 29th on the all-time list, five ahead of Bird.

”There were open shots and I was shooting them to make them. I wasn’t shooting to get attention,” said Carter, who also became the 11th NBA player with at least 1,600 3-pointers. ”I’ve talked to Larry before. He is a legend and one of the greatest to play the game.”

Tyreke Evans scored 23 for the Kings, who lost their 18th straight regular season game in Dallas dating back almost 10 years.

The 3-pointer that pushed Carter past Bird came from a couple of feet behind the line with 2.9 seconds left in the third quarter and gave Dallas a 92-77 lead.

— Reported by Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press