Keith Van Horn jammed his middle finger during the New Orleans game - they popped it back in and he continued playing, but there was swelling the next day. It's a minor injury, but he did miss the Denver game due to a sprained right middle finger. He was placed on IL and Rawle Marshall was activated. He hopes to play in tonight's game vs Atlanta, but is listed as a game-time decision. Denver at Dallas (November 15) They call this basketball? It was a really ugly and sloppy game in the 1st quarter with both teams looking terrible. Denver had fewer turnovers than Dallas and held small leads in the quarter. Consecutive buckets by the Nuggets gave them a 16-9 lead with 4 minutes to go. Dallas then scored the next 6 points. Denver led 20-17 after 1. Both teams shot 32% FG in the quarter. Carmelo Anthony had 10 points and DeSagana Diop had 7 rebounds. Kenyon Martin, who had missed Denver's previous game, played in the 1st quarter but did not play the rest of the game due to a sore knee. The ugliness continued in the 2nd quarter and Denver continued to hold small leads. Dallas scored 4 straight points to take a 1 point lead with 4 minutes to go and the teams traded the lead 7 times over the rest of the quarter. Anthony buried a long jumper at the quarter buzzer to give Denver a 41-40 lead at the half - it was initially called a 3-pointer, but on review it was changed to a 2-pointer. Both teams shot 37% FG in the half. The fans were hoping that the players would remember how to play basketball during halftime and put on a better performance in the 2nd half. One team did, but the other actually played worse. Dallas came out of halftime with no hustle, energy, or focus and the biggest culprit was Dirk Nowitzki who looked like he was sleep walking out there. Denver took full advantage and scored the first 15 points of the 3rd quarter to go up 56-40 with 8:30 to go. A dunk by Anthony gave Denver their largest lead at 64-45 with 5:30 left and Avery Johnson called his 3rd timeout of the quarter. Something finally clicked in that timeout as Dallas came out and had the hustle and energy they had been lacking in diving for and going after loose balls - with some nice hustle plays by Darrell Armstrong, Jason Terry, and Devin Harris - and Nowitzki woke up. Dallas then closed the quarter with a 15-4 run. Denver led 68-60 after 3. Dallas continued their run by opening the 4th quarter with a 13-4 run to take a 73-72 lead on a 3-pointer by Nowitzki with 6:10 to go. Andre Miller hit a jumper, but Dallas scored the next 6 points to go up 79-74 with 4:40 left. Denver scored the next 4 points and then the teams traded 2 points and Dallas led 81-80 with 2:45 remaining. And both teams reverted back to their 1st half performances as Harris turned the ball over, Denver missed on 3 attempts (including 1 up close), Terry missed, Denver missed on 2 attempts, Nowitzki missed, and Denver called timeout with 17 seconds left. Surprisingly, Denver did not go for a quick shot and Anthony got the ball on the wing. He drove baseline and Nowitzki and Diop came over in front of him and as Anthony went up for the dunk, Diop got the clean block with 3 seconds left and Harris got the rebound and was fouled. It was Denver's foul to give, so Dallas used a timeout to advance the ball. The ball was inbounded to Armstrong and he was fouled and the buzzer sounded - review put .5 seconds back on the clock. Armstrong hit both free throws to give Dallas a 3 point lead. Denver called timeout and advanced the ball. DerMarr Johnson got open (grumble) at the top of the arc, but his 3-point attempt missed. Dallas won 83-80. What a strange, strange game. The 1st half saw both teams playing really ugly basketball. The 3rd quarter saw Denver make a 23-5 run and then Dallas make a 15-4 run (or 28-8 run to the middle of the 4th quarter). With the way both teams played, it was actually a game that neither deserved to win. But Dallas got the stops at the end and Denver was cold in the 4th quarter. Denver only shot 5-20 FG in the 4th as Dallas out-scored them 23-12 in the quarter. For the game, Dallas shot 44.6% (33-74) FG including 4-12 3-pointers. Denver shot 38.1% (32-84) FG including 0-8 3-pointers. Dallas shot 13-16 FT and Denver shot 16-18 FT [the refs let lots go]. There were lots of rebounds, but few offensive rebounds. Dallas out-rebounded Denver 47-41 and Denver had the offensive rebound edge at 14-12. Dallas turned the ball over 22 times and Denver had 15 turnovers. The assist number was good for Dallas with 21 assists and Denver had 16 assists. Dirk Nowitzki will get praise for his high numbers, but it was DeSagana Diop who was the star of this game. He played solid throughout and had the game-saving block at the end. He set career highs with 16 rebounds and 6 blocks in a career high 37 minutes. He also had 4 points. It's rare that I feel Nowitzki should be pulled for his performance, but that's what went through my mind during the first few minutes of the 3rd quarter. He did redeem himself in getting going late in the 3rd quarter and stayed strong in the 4th. 17 of his 35 points came in the last 15 minutes of the game. With Josh Howard struggling mightily, Marquis Daniels filled in nicely off the bench with 17 points including 8-10 FG, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Only Daniels and Nowitzki were in double-digits scoring. Devin Harris was his up-and-down self with 8 points, 4 rebounds, a game high 8 assists, and a game high 6 turnovers. That's about it for the positives for Dallas. The negatives start with Erick Dampier. Dampier had an absolutely miserable outing. He picked up 2 fouls in the first 3 1/2 minutes of the game and sat the rest of the quarter. He came in a minute and a half into the 2nd quarter to give Diop a rest and it wasn't even 20 seconds later that he picked up his 3rd foul. He did remain in the game and didn't pick up his 4th foul until 4 minutes later. He played the opening 3 minutes of the 3rd quarter and sat the rest of the game. His pathetic line was no points (nothing attempted), no rebounds, no assists, no blocks, 4 turnovers, and 4 fouls in 11 minutes. Howard was only slightly better. His poor play combined with Daniels' good play limited Howard to just 17 minutes. He had 3 points including 1-4 FG, 3 rebounds, and 3 fouls during his time on the court - that's 2 straight poor games by Howard. Jason Terry couldn't stop shooting - though a couple of his makes came during Dallas' comeback. He had 9 points on 4-15 FG and 1-7 3-pointers, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. Darrell Armstrong had 4 points and 4 rebounds in 12 minutes. Doug Christie had 3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in 17 minutes. Josh Powell made his NBA debut and missed 2 shots and had 2 rebounds in 5 minutes. Denver was led by Carmelo Anthony's 24 points, but he only had 2 points in the 4th quarter. He also had 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 turnovers. Andre Miller had 17 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists (the only Nugget with more than 2 assists), 3 steals, and 3 turnovers. Marcus Camby was the only other Nugget in double-digits with 11 points to go with his 9 rebounds. Eddie Najera enjoyed his return to Dallas with 6 points and 10 rebounds including 5 offensive. DerMarr Johnson had 8 points including 2-8 FG and 4 rebounds and Earl Boykins had 2 points on 1-8 FG and 2 assists. Quotes Avery Johnson: "That was a gutsy win for us. I am really proud of those guys. They really battled and turned a bad night into a good night. What a huge block by DeSagana at the end of the game. I am really proud of our competitive spirit during the 2nd half of this game. This was a great win for us and our fans that stuck around and stuck with us. Obviously, we have a lot of work to do playing this game without Stackhouse and Van Horn, but the bench really stepped up again for us." Johnson on where Dallas' found momentum for the comeback: "They got it from each other. I didn't say a word in one of the timeouts and let the leaders lead." Johnson: "Martin didn't play in the 2nd half - he's been bothered by his knee. That's a terrific team and Coach Karl has done a great job with them. They really tried to put us away in the 3rd quarter, but we had some guys who have some strong characters and we had some gutsy performances." Johnson on Diop: "He's been steady and its good when a coach knows what he is going to get consistency. He may not have the same stat line, but its good when I know I am going to get a certain type of energy, competitive spirit, and intensity. He's been pretty consistent in that area." Johnson on Dampier: "On the first play of the game, he got an offensive foul. The next thing you know, he's got 3 fouls, then 4. Sometimes fouls can take away some of your aggressiveness." Dirk Nowitzki on Diop's block: "I didn't see him. He came out of nowhere. He saved the game for us." Nowitzki on if he knew Diop was behind him when Anthony drove: "I was hoping he was because I certainly wasn't going to get the block. It was a heck of a play. It saved the game for us." Nowitzki: "Diop is clogging up the middle for us, especially when Damp is struggling." Marquis Daniels on being down in the 3rd quarter: "We just kept saying, 'There's a lot of time, there's a lot of time, just keep playing, a lot of time left.' Del [Harris] has been telling us that even in practice sometimes when were scrimmaging, guys get down, but he's, like, there's a lot of time, a lot of basketball left and never give up. We just showed that if you go out there and have heart and continue to play hard that anything can happen." Daniels on his jumper: "That's something that I want to continue to focus on. I like to get warmed up really well before the game and try to get into a good rhythm and I did that and it really paid off for me tonight." Daniels on Diop: "He played unbelievable tonight. He came in tonight and didn't even worry about scoring. He comes in and sets good picks and just plays all out defense for us and rebounded great tonight. He was a monster tonight, and he's been doing it all year for us. As long as he continues do that and continues to clog up the middle for us, he'll do good things for us." Daniels on Diop: "He played big the whole night. He had that big block and rebounded. He did everything." DeSagana Diop: "I played a lot of minutes tonight and that always helps. I think I had career minutes tonight also. Its a great feeling. I just need to keep doing it though. I need to keep working hard and give a lot of effort. Without playing the minutes, you'll never be able to build confidence. I never had that in Cleveland, but I'm in a lot better shape now and that helped a lot. I'm thankful we got this win. Diop on his confidence: "Its the highest its been since I've been in the league. I just need to get better and keep working on my game. This is the most fun I've had and being on the floor when the games on the line is great. Diop on his block on Anthony: "I knew he was not going to pass it. When he gets that far under, he's going to shoot every time. I was just ready and Dirk going down really helped me a lot. George Karl: "We celebrated a little too early. We became happy in the 3rd quarter." Karl on Diop: "I am sure that he had a great game; he's a big kid. We probably made him look better than we should have. If we make a pass and suck him in and move the ball, which we are doing better. We are getting better and improving in that area. It was more a lack of offense and wacky shot selection. I think we should know that when defenses pack it in and take away, you have to give it up to the teammate that is open. I have to put the guys on the floor that are going to make the shots, but when you are inconsistent in giving it to the teammate that is open; it puts me in a bind." Karl on Anthony's drive near the end: "He is not going to get that call on the road. Carmelo has to understand that if they play him one-on-one, we want him to shoot the ball. If they play him with 3 [players], then we want him to pass the ball. Thats my responsibility to teach him." Karl on Nowitzki and Dallas' comeback: "You saw a great player get better and take responsibility." Carmelo Anthony on the start of his drive near the end: "I don't know what happened after that. It could have went both ways. Bottom line, I missed the shot." Anthony in response to Karl's comments about whether he should have passed near the end: "I was guarded by one guy first. When I got in the air, it was 2, so there was nothing I could do at that point." Anthony on his drive: "My main goal was to go in and make the shot [or] draw some contact somehow. I'm not going to say I got fouled. I missed the shot." Marcus Camby: "The referees blowing their whistles, that let them back in the game. We can't blame it all on the refs. We were up by 19. We should have had this one." DerMarr Johnson on his last shot attempt with .5 seconds left: "Its hard to get a shot up in half a second, so I didn't know if I was able to get my full follow through so I just threw it up there." Johnson on Dallas' comeback: "They just picked up their intensity and they hit shots. Dirk started hitting shots and they started doing the same thing we were doing - running and getting fast break layups." Dallas Mavericks 83, Denver Nuggets 80 at Dallas (November 15) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 17 23 20 23 - 83 .468 .333 .446 .813 Denver 20 21 27 12 - 80 .421 .000 .381 .889 Halftime: Denver 41-40 3rd Q: Denver 68-60 Technicals: none Flagrant fouls: Marcus Camby 1:25 3rd Refs: Bob Delaney, Ron Olesiak, Scott Wall Attendance: 20,189 (sellout) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Jason Terry 30 4-15 1-7 0-0 9 0-3 4 1 2 0 0 Doug Christie 17 0-2 0-0 3-4 3 0-2 2 0 2 2 0 Dirk Nowitzki 43 13-25 3-4 6-6 35 0-7 0 3 1 1 3 Josh Howard 17 1-4 0-0 1-2 3 2-3 1 0 3 1 0 Erick Dampier 11 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 4 4 0 0 DeSagana Diop 37 2-5 0-0 0-0 4 6-16 1 0 4 2 6 Marquis Daniels 36 8-10 0-0 1-2 17 2-6 3 5 5 0 1 Devin Harris 31 4-8 0-0 0-0 8 0-4 8 6 1 2 1 Darrell Armstrong 12 1-3 0-1 2-2 4 1-4 2 2 0 0 0 Josh Powell 5 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 1-2 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 48 33-74 4-12 13-16 83 12-47 21 22 23 8 11 Denver Nuggets REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Andre Miller 34 6-12 0-0 5-5 17 0-4 5 3 4 3 0 DerMarr Johnson 25 2-8 0-4 4-4 8 2-4 0 1 2 2 2 Carmelo Anthony 40 9-22 0-2 6-7 24 0-3 2 3 2 0 1 Kenyon Martin 8 1-4 0-0 0-0 2 2-3 1 0 0 1 0 Marcus Camby 37 5-12 0-0 1-2 11 1-9 2 1 4 2 2 Francisco Elson 26 2-4 0-0 0-0 4 3-6 2 0 3 1 1 Earl Boykins 25 1-8 0-2 0-0 2 1-2 2 1 1 1 1 Eduardo Najera 25 3-7 0-0 0-0 6 5-10 2 4 2 0 1 Greg Buckner 13 2-3 0-0 0-0 4 0-0 0 0 2 2 0 Voshon Lenard 7 1-4 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 0 1 2 0 0 Totals 48 32-84 0-8 16-18 80 14-41 16 15 22 12 8 patricia