The NBA named Dirk Nowitzki as Western Conference Player of the Week for March 29 - April 4. Nowitzki averaged 32 points including 57.1% FG and 11.7 rebounds as Dallas went 3-0. Richard Jefferson (NJ) was named as Eastern Conference Player of the Week as he averaged 22.5 points including 57.9% FG, 8.8 rebounds, and 6.8 assists as New Jersey went 3-1. Sacramento at Dallas (April 1) Sacramento started off sluggish in shooting 2-11 FG and Dallas took advantage by going up 12-4 with 8:15 remaining. But Sacramento started hitting some shots and that was the largest lead of the quarter. 3 times Sacramento pulled within 1 point and a 3-pointer by Anthony Peeler tied the game at 30-30 with 5 seconds left. Dallas scored the first 4 points of the 2nd quarter and continued to hold a small lead between 1 and 7 points. Eddie Najera came in with 5:50 left and gave the Mavs a big boost in providing hustle and energy and even points as he scored Dallas' next 6 points. Dallas led 57-50 with 3 minutes to go and closed the quarter by scoring the last 10 points to go up 67-50 at the half. Dallas shot 61.5% FG and Sacramento struggled in shooting just 37.5% FG in the 2nd quarter as Dallas out-scored Sacramento 37-20. Michael Finley nailed a 3-pointer to give Dallas a 74-54 lead with 9:30 remaining. Dallas went on a 13-4 run to go up 99-72 with 2:30 left. Sacramento did scored the next 8 points. Dallas led 101-81 after 3. Both teams struggled to open the 4th quarter as each team had just a bucket over the first 3 minutes of the quarter. Sacramento scored 6 straight points to pull within 101-114 with 5 minutes to go. 3-pointers by Mike Bibby and Peeler pulled Sacramento within 111-120 with 3 minutes remaining. The teams traded misses and Steve Nash found Shawn Bradley for the layup with 2 minutes left. Sacramento did not have another run in them and Dallas won 127-117. It was a solid win by Dallas against a good team that has been struggling. Sacramento did play the night before and were missing Brad Miller. The Kings got back in the game in the 4th quarter thanks to free throws as they shot 14-15 FT in the quarter while Dallas shot just 2-2 FT. But Dallas had a large enough lead to hang on to the win. For the game, Dallas shot 54.2% (52-96) FG including 8-20 FT and 15-18 FT. Sacramento shot 47.7% (42-88) FG including 6-15 3-pointers and 27-33 FT. Dallas doubled Sacramento with 30 fast break points while the Kings had just 15 fast break points. Dallas also had a 56-50 edge for points in the paint. Both teams had 45 rebounds and Dallas had 32 assists and Sacramento had 25 assists. Dallas took the series vs Sacramento 3-1. The big 3 played very well for Dallas. Steve Nash had a career high, NBA season high, and team non-overtime record 19 assists. He also scored 20 points and turned the ball over just 2 times. Michael Finley was the high man with 29 points including 13-22 FG and had 7 rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki was solid with 27 points including 10-12 FT and 10 rebounds. Marquis Daniels again started and had a nice game with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. Antoine Walker was near invisible with just 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in 23 minutes. Antawn Jamison had a good outing with 16 points on 8-11 FG and 8 rebounds including 5 offensive. A number of his buckets came on fast breaks off of made baskets where the Kings were lax in getting back on defense. Proving once again that stats don't tell the whole story, Eduardo Najera played a valuable role in the win, but had just 8 points on 4-5 FG and 3 rebounds in 17 minutes. When he was subbed out with 27 seconds left in the 2nd quarter, the crowd rewarded his performance with a chant of "Eddie, Eddie, Eddie". Josh Howard did not play in the 2nd half due to concerns about his hamstring. The good news for Dallas was that Peja Stojakovic never really caught fire, as he is very capable of doing. And even so, he still had 21 points including 8-17 FG and 2-5 3-pointers and 8 rebounds. Mike Bibby had 23 points, but just 3 assists. He also had 3 steals. Chris Webber looked to be having a poor game, but his numbers tell a different story. Webber some how had 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists. Doug Christie couldn't shoot and had 10 points including 3-11 FG, but contributed in other ways with 5 rebounds and 9 assists. Vlade Divac was completely ineffective against Dallas and, thus, didn't play much. He had 8 points including 3-9 FG and 6 rebounds in 17 minutes. Darius Songaila saw significant court time as a result of Divac's struggles and Songaila had a nice outing with 17 points including 6-9 FG and 7 rebounds including 6 offensive in 28 minutes. Anthony Peeler was the 6th King in double-digits with 10 points. Quotes Don Nelson: "That was a good win for us. We played well for a long, long period of time and then we went to sleep for a little bit. We couldn't guard anybody in the 4th quarter, but we had a big enough lead and kept scoring that it was never in jeopardy." Nelson: "It was good to see Eddie Najera step up and have a good game. He played terrific tonight. I was glad to see that because it's important to us." Nelson on Daniels: "Marquis continues to play well. He's a pretty special rookie. Josh Howard has a hamstring that he's injured a couple times this year and couldn't get it loose. He did not re-injure it, but we did not want to take any chances in a game that we had a big lead in. It gave Mike a chance to play a lot of minutes. We needed him to be good tonight." Nelson on Nash vs Bibby: "The guy who plays well, his team always seems to do well. That's fairly accurate and they've both been good most of the time. But Nash will break that [assist] record again and again and again. It'll be 20-something before he's done here." Nelson on playoff positioning: "I don't think we can actually zero in on a spot at this point. We're a playoff team. Let's just get some momentum going into the playoffs. Let's give our rookies as much as we can going in so they can be factors in the playoffs. Let's see if this small lineup works. We have a lot of things that we're working on right now, least of all is trying to get some different seed. If we play we'll be as close as we can be to the next seed anyway or maybe get it. It's really simple right now." Dirk Nowitzki: "The last 3 games, we have been sharing the ball well as a team and getting everyone involved." Michael Finley on small ball: "We get more open looks, more opportunities in the open court, and it's working for us." Finley: "Everybody who played contributed." Finley: "It was good to get back into the trenches with the guys. I'm glad to be back." Finley: "When you look at the big scheme of things, the team was put together to complement us [the big 3]. We have to continue to play our game and not take away from our game, because then it takes away from the reason they brought the other guys in. Down the stretch [Nelson] is more comfortable with us and puts us in offensive sets where we can flourish, and we've taken advantage of it." Steve Nash on his assists: "I don't think I found people who were more open, I just think there were more possessions in this game. When you play in a game where you have over 100 points at the end of the 3rd quarter and you play 40 minutes, you are going to have some assists." Nash: "It's a nice performance for us tonight and we feel good about it, but we are not where we need to be." Antawn Jamison: "Well, we wanted to stop the bleeding a little bit. They have the best record in the league, so we knew it was going to be a dog fight coming in." Jamison on if the game can be a springboard: "It can. I think once we got back from the road trip and we got into this homestand we knew we had to get some wins. It was a game that we could have slipped up in so guys do what is expected of them." Jamison on Nash: "Steve is always pushing the ball up the court. If there's a little opening, he's going to get it to you." Jamison on the playoffs: "We just need to play good basketball. We match up pretty well with some of these teams, but the most important thing for us is to get on a roll and get back to the things we were doing before we hit that road trip. We need to execute offensively and defensively and make it tough on other teams. If we get on a little run before the playoffs it would definitely boost our confidence. It doesn't matter if we start at home or away." Rick Adelman on what he could feel good about: "The last quarter and a half. I don't know if it was that we got embarrassed or mad, but we started playing. We haven't seen that. We didn't play with emotion and we didn't play with good intelligence. We are still a team that has won 52 games and we have to find out how we did that. It hasn't just gone away, but the last quarter and a half we got our attitude and that is what you have to have is an attitude. You also have to play with intelligence. We made some awful mistakes that should have never happened in our transition defense and in our rotations. We were just running around and not thinking about what they should be doing. We have 2 days to get back to where we were." Adelman on Webber's 2nd half: "That's what we are hoping to get to. However Chris progresses, we have to have the other people being where they were as well. It's a whole team thing. I would like to have Bobby Jackson and Brad Miller back right now, that would certainly help as far as our rotation and what we can do. I think it is the way we are playing. The last quarter and change, we played with more of a purpose and played with intensity. It's not going to be given to us. We have to go from here. That's what I am going to try and build upon." Chris Webber: "Actually, I think tonight was a step forward. What I talked to the team about is that it is not about winning, ultimately that is what you want to do, but it is about the way in which you lose too. Tonight we can walk out of here with our heads up. It's the NBA - you are not going to win every game. The fight that we brought to that we didn't give up; that's all you can ask for. You don't know if you are going to make shots and you don't know if you are going to get stops, but if you put the effort out there, then what can you be ashamed of. Tonight I think we put the effort out there." Webber on playing back-to-back: "There are good days and bad days, so we will see in the morning. I bumped knees there at the end. So we will see how it comes in the morning with the knee and the hand. This is what I live for is to be a part of that, to be a part of the team whether we win or lose. Mentally I feel good and I think I am headed in the right direction. I am getting more comfortable on the floor and not second guessing on attacking the basket and looking for people. For me, it is a process and I just hope it keeps continuing to get better." Mike Bibby on the 4th quarter: "I think we were mad out there. We fought back. It's a start." Dallas Mavericks 127, Sacramento Kings 117 at Dallas (April 1) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 30 37 34 26 - 127 .579 .400 .542 .833 Sacramento 30 21 31 36 - 117 .493 .400 .477 .818 Halftime: Dallas 67-51 3rd Q: Dallas 101-82 Technicals: Vlade Divac 5:35 3rd Refs: Ed Malloy, Jack Nies, Jess Kersey Attendance: 20,533 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Scott Williams (sore right knee), Brad Miller (bursitis right elbow) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Michael Finley 42 13-22 3-8 0-0 29 1-7 1 1 3 0 1 Dirk Nowitzki 40 8-18 1-2 10-12 27 1-10 4 3 5 2 1 Antoine Walker 23 4-9 1-3 0-1 9 1-4 3 1 4 1 0 Marquis Daniels 38 6-13 0-2 4-4 16 1-6 2 3 4 3 0 Steve Nash 40 8-13 3-5 1-1 20 2-4 19 2 3 0 0 Josh Howard 10 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 1 0 0 1 1 Antawn Jamison 23 8-11 0-0 0-0 16 5-8 1 2 6 1 0 Shawn Bradley 7 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 2-2 0 0 0 0 0 Eduardo Najera 17 4-5 0-0 0-0 8 0-3 1 0 2 1 1 Totals 48 52-96 8-20 15-18 127 13-45 32 12 27 9 4 Sacramento Kings REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Chris Webber 41 9-19 0-0 4-6 22 3-11 5 3 0 1 1 Predrag Stojakovic 42 8-17 2-5 3-3 21 0-8 0 1 2 2 0 Vlade Divac 17 3-9 0-0 2-4 8 3-6 4 3 3 1 0 Mike Bibby 41 6-13 2-6 9-10 23 1-4 3 3 5 3 0 Doug Christie 38 3-11 0-1 4-4 10 2-5 9 2 2 1 0 Darius Songaila 28 6-9 0-0 5-6 17 6-7 1 1 3 0 0 Anthony Peeler 23 4-6 2-3 0-0 10 1-4 2 2 1 0 0 Gerald Wallace 8 3-4 0-0 0-0 6 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 Jabari Smith 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Rodney Buford 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 42-88 6-15 27-33 117 16-45 25 15 17 8 1 Phoenix at Dallas (April 3) Phoenix connected on 3 3-pointers to help themselves to an early 11-6 lead with 9 minutes remaining. Dallas then went on an 11-3 run to go up 17-14 with 6 minutes left. The game stayed close the rest of the quarter with neither team holding more than a 4 point lead. Phoenix led 32-31 after 1. The teams traded buckets in the first minute of the 2nd quarter and then Dallas held a small lead the rest of the quarter. Dallas led 55-51 with 2:15 to go and Dallas closed the quarter with a 10-2 run to go up 65-53 at the half. Antawn Jamison had 10 points in the 2nd quarter. For the half, Dallas was shooting 63% FG and Phoenix was shooting 39% FG (but the Suns had 12 offensive rebounds). Dallas' lead ranged between 9 and 14 points for most of the 3rd quarter. A layup by Antonio McDyess pulled Phoenix within 71-79 with 3:15 remaining, but Dirk Nowitzki closed the quarter with a 11-4 run to put Dallas up 90-75 after 3. Nowitzki had 15 points in the quarter. Michael Finley opened the 4th quarter with a 3-pointer and Phoenix was never able to get back into the game. Dallas scored 7 straight points, capped by a 3-pointer by Nowitzki, to take their largest lead at 110-87 with 5 minutes left. Eddie Najera nailed his 2nd 3-pointer of the season for the game's final bucket (making him 2-3 for 3-pointers on the season). Dallas won 124-103. Dallas shot a season high 61% (50-82) FG as small ball continues to roll. In addition, the Mavs played a great team game with 37 assists as 6 players had 4 or more assists each. With the Mavs as hot as they were, the Suns just did not have a chance in this game. Phoenix shot better in the 2nd half and upped their shooting percentage to 44.6% (41-92) FG for the game. Dallas out-scored Phoenix 23-11 in fast break points and 54-48 on points in the paint. Dirk Nowitzki was on fire and unstoppable. He had 34 points including 14-22 FG and 7 rebounds. Michael Finley chipped in 20 points including 4-8 3-pointers and 5 rebounds. Antawn Jamison was solid with 22 points including 8-10 FG and 7 rebounds off the bench. Steve Nash was again a dish maniac, but didn't shoot much. He had 14 assists to go with his 9 points (on 4-9 FG). Marquis Daniels had a good all-around game with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. And the other rookie also played well with 14 points including 5-6 FG, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Antoine Walker contributed 11 points, 9 rebounds including 4 offensive, and 4 assists. Instead of their usual 3-man team, Phoenix did get a good performance from a 4th man. As usual, Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire, and Joe Johnson put up stats and rookie Leandro Barbosa joined them with a good outing. Marion had 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Stoudemire had 20 points and 13 rebounds, but also had 6 turnovers. Johnson had 17 points including 5-15 FG, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists. Barbosa also had 17 points including 4-8 3-pointers and had 4 assists. Rookie Maciej Lampe was the 5th Sun in double-digits with 10 points on 5-6 FG and 5 rebounds in 15 minutes. Quotes Don Nelson: "It was a fun game to play. We have to work on our zone a little bit. Our lineup did a wonderful job, had 37 assists. It means we are making the extra pass, moving the ball. I wish we would have guarded a little better, but it wasn't bad. We could have held this team to under 100 points. The offense was clicking and there was a lot of shot opportunities there. I was real happy with the team's performance." Nelson: "I think the big 3 are playing real well. I think this was Antoine Walker's best game. I liked a lot of the things he did. He was real active for us. As far as substitution pattern for us, it really helps to have Josh available. The big 3 are playing well and the bench is coming through and performing when I'm calling on them. I really liked Marquis' game tonight. He was solid on all his assignments." Dirk Nowitzki: "The last couple of games we made a conscious effort to find the open guy. With the smaller lineup, it's easier because we have more shooters out there to move the ball to. On inbounds, they have to respect a lot of shooters out there. The last couple of games have been fun." Michael Finley: "Offensively, we've been scoring and defensively, we've been scrapping and doing all the things we need to do when we're smaller." Nowitzki on the 3rd quarter run: "I think that was big. We got a couple of steals and got into the open court. When we do that, I think we're really tough to guard. We all can run and get open shots in transition." Antoine Walker on small ball: "This gives us a lot of different combinations and that makes us tough to guard." Antawn Jamison: "Any time you have a guy like Antoine Walker playing the 5 and Mike Finely playing the 3, that's a difficult matchup. With the surges of Marquis Daniels and Josh Howard and the 2 being an offensive and defensive threat, it's kind of hard to pick your poison. You have guys like myself coming off the bench and giving them an extra boost of energy. Eduardo's doing a great job. We are making it difficult for teams when we have the ball. That's what we are capable of doing and we are doing a good job as far as moving the ball, getting guys the opportunity to score the ball. Jamison: "It's hard for anyone to match up with us. You can't double-team one guy and we're a very unselfish team. We're just doing a good job utilizing the matchups." Mike D'Antoni: "They played as hard as they can play and that is about all you can ask for. We are just not 48 minutes ready to play this type of team yet. This is a team that is hungry and trying to solidify their position in the playoffs. They played really well. For us to win on the road, we would have to play super and I don't think we played super. I thought we played well. The guys did everything they could do; they played hard and you can't ask for anything else." D'Antoni: "We just couldn't stop them. They're doing this to a lot of teams. Those guys just don't hit dry spells." D'Antoni: "We battled, but we just didn't have enough firepower. When you hit a dry spell, they don't have dry spells. We're just not 48 minutes ready to play this kind of team yet." Shawn Marion: "They've got a lot of weapons and everybody's playing great. Everybody who gets open looks can knock it down." Amare Stoudemire: "I think they came up with strong zones and double-teamed me everywhere I caught the ball. I had to adjust to it. They played pretty good. Dirk struck a match and caught fire. It was tough." Stoudemire: "We're kind of against all odds right now and leaving everything on the court." Dallas Mavericks 124, Phoenix Suns 103 at Dallas (April 3) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 31 34 25 34 - 124 .690 .417 .610 .824 Phoenix 32 21 22 28 - 103 .457 .409 .446 .750 Halftime: Dallas 65-53 3rd Q: Dallas 90-75 Technicals: None Refs: Michael Smith, Scott Wall, Tom Washington Attendance: 20,348 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Howard Eisley (hernia surgery), Jahidi White (right knee bone bruise), Jake Voskuhl (left foot injury) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Michael Finley 39 8-16 4-8 0-0 20 1-5 4 1 1 2 2 Dirk Nowitzki 34 14-22 3-7 3-3 34 0-7 4 1 2 1 1 Antoine Walker 29 5-8 0-2 1-2 11 4-9 4 3 3 0 1 Marquis Daniels 38 5-10 0-2 1-2 11 1-5 6 0 1 1 0 Steve Nash 30 4-9 1-3 0-0 9 0-0 14 3 2 0 0 Antawn Jamison 27 8-10 0-0 6-6 22 2-7 0 2 1 3 0 Josh Howard 27 5-6 1-1 3-4 14 2-8 5 3 2 0 1 Eduardo Najera 10 1-1 1-1 0-0 3 0-1 0 1 1 1 1 Travis Best 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Scott Williams 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 Totals 48 50-82 10-24 14-17 124 10-42 37 15 13 8 6 Phoenix Suns REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Shawn Marion 35 9-19 2-4 0-0 20 3-8 6 1 3 1 0 Amare Stoudemire 44 7-16 0-0 6-9 20 8-13 3 6 3 0 0 Antonio McDyess 22 4-7 0-0 0-0 8 1-4 0 2 3 0 0 Joe Johnson 42 5-15 3-8 4-4 17 1-7 9 2 1 1 0 Leandro Barbosa 32 6-15 4-8 1-1 17 1-1 4 3 4 1 0 Maciej Lampe 15 5-6 0-0 0-0 10 3-5 0 1 3 0 0 Casey Jacobsen 20 0-5 0-2 0-0 0 1-1 2 0 0 0 1 Zarko Cabarkapa 20 3-4 0-0 1-2 7 1-2 0 1 0 1 0 Donnell Harvey 10 2-5 0-0 0-0 4 0-0 0 0 2 1 0 Totals 48 41-92 9-22 12-16 103 19-41 24 16 19 5 1 patricia