It's become a MASH unit for Dallas. Devin Harris aggravated his left quad during the Utah game and he is expected to be out for a while. Josh Howard was activated prior to the Sacramento game, but he aggravated his left hamstring and did not play in the 2nd half of that game. Adrian Griffin strained his right hamstring during the 4th quarter of the Utah game and did not play in the Sacramento game. Keith Van Horn remains out with a sprained left MCL. All 4 are out for tonight's game vs Cleveland. There is currently no time table for the return for any of them (Van Horn and Harris are definitely out for a while). Dallas at Utah (March 11) Josh Howard remained out with his strained hamstring. A bucket by Dirk Nowitzki and 3-pointer by Jason Terry opened the game, but Utah scored the next 4 points and Dallas continued to hold a small lead. Dallas led 11-10 with 6 minutes to go and the Mavs scored the next 8 points to go up 19-10 with 4:45 remaining. Devin Harris left the game during the run after aggravating his strained quad and did not return. Marquis Daniels hit a bucket near the quarter's end to give Dallas a 29-19 lead after 1. Nowitzki had 12 points in the 1st quarter. A jumper by Matt Harpring pulled Utah within 23-31 with 11:10 remaining, but Dallas then scored the next 7 points to take their largest lead at 38-23 with 9 minutes left. Dallas' lead ranged between 11 and 15 points the rest of the quarter. Carlos Boozer got a layup near the quarter's end. Dallas led 51-40 at the half. Nowitzki hit a 3-pointer to open the 3rd quarter, but the Jazz then scored the next 10 points to pull within 50-54 with 7:45 to go. 3 straight free throws by Utah pulled the Jazz within 58-58 with 3:45 left, but Nowitzki hit another 3-pointer and Dallas continued to hold a single-digit lead the rest of the quarter. Dallas led 68-63 after 3. It was an ugly open to the 4th quarter as the teams combined to shoot just 3-11 FG over the first 3 1/2 minutes of the quarter. Unfortunately for Dallas, Utah had all 3 makes to take their first lead of the game at 69-68 with 8:45 remaining. Adrian Griffin left the game 2 minutes into the 4th quarter with a strained hamstring and did not return. A 3-pointer by Terry put Dallas on the board for the quarter with 8:25 to go. A layup by Boozer tied the game at 71-71 with 8:05 left. Dallas then rattled off the next 10 points to go up 81-71 with 4 minutes remaining as the Jazz missed 9 straight shots. Consecutive layups pulled Utah within 75-81 with 2:50 left, but Nowitzki answered with consecutive 3-pointers to give Dallas an 87-75 lead with 1:50 to go. Utah did go on an 8-1 run to pull within 83-88 with 12 seconds remaining. Andrei Kirilenko stole the ball in the back court and was fouled with 6 seconds left. He hit the first and intentionally missed the 2nd, but Daniels got the rebound. Jerry Stackhouse hit 2 free throws and a 3-pointer by Deron Williams at the final buzzer capped the scoring. Dallas won 90-87. It was an up-and-down game and fortunately the last down was not long enough for Utah to pull even. Utah is a scrappy team, but it would have been nice if Dallas had played better in the 3rd quarter and kept a large lead instead of ending up in a tight game, especially with all the injuries. But it was a win and that's all that matters in the long run. Dallas shot 47.9% (34-71) FG including 6-14 3-pointers and Utah shot 45.1% (32-71) FG including 3-8 3-pointers. Dallas shot 16-25 FT and Utah shot 20-29 FT. Utah did out-rebound Dallas 39-37 including 10-6 offensive. Dallas got 12 points off of Utah's 13 turnovers and Utah got 7 points off of Dallas' 12 turnovers. All hail Dirk. Dirk Nowitzki led the way for Dallas with 34 points - including 14 in the 4th quarter - including 14-25 FG and 4-6 3-pointers. He also had 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Jason Terry had 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. He also had 4 turnovers. Jerry Stackhouse had 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. Marquis Daniels filled in nicely for the injured players and had 12 points and 7 rebounds in 33 minutes. DeSagana Diop didn't attempt a shot and had just 1 rebound and 5 fouls in 12 minutes. Erick Dampier missed his only attempt and had 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 5 fouls in 29 minutes. Due to those two's foul problems, DJ Mbenga saw a little time and had 3 points and no rebounds in 7 minutes. Adrian Griffin had 7 points including 2-7 FG and 6 rebounds before leaving in the 4th quarter. Devin Harris had 4 points and 1 assist in 6 1st quarter minutes. Darrell Armstrong missed his 2 attempts and had 2 assists in 13 minutes. Mehmet Okur had a stellar night for the Jazz with 32 points on 10-16 FG, 2-2 3-pointers, and 10-12 FT and 11 rebounds. Andrei Kirilenko had 19 points and 9 rebounds. The other 3 starters combined for just 9 points including 3-17 FG. Matt Harpring had 12 points and Carlos Boozer had 10 points and 7 rebounds off the bench. Deron Williams did have a string of 5s with 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, but he shot just 2-11 FG as a starter. Quotes Avery Johnson: "Tonight we are excited to get out of here with this win. It was a hard fought game, we knew it was going to be a dogfight playing against a well coached team. Okur was a tough guard for us tonight; we just haven't played him well in this building. Hopefully we can do a better job against him, because we play them again. Kirilenko blows up the stat sheet and he is always a tough cover. I thought we did a pretty good job on the rest of the [Jazz]." Johnson: "We won this game tonight because of 2 people: Marquis Daniels and Eric Dampier. Damp with the way he rebounded and played defense on some of their big guys. Daniels with the way he came off the bench and gave us some great minutes." Johnson on keeping focused in the 4th quarter: "That's the sign of a good team. We were kind of on our heels but we kept battling, it was a gutsy performance by our team." Dirk Nowitzki: "Their zone was really effective in the 3rd quarter and we couldn't really make shots. What you've got to do with the zone is clog it up in the middle and hopefully hit some shots. And they kept using it in the 4th quarter and fortunately we made some [shots]. Utah is a tough place to play, it was a gutsy win for us." Nowitzki: "I just tried to be aggressive. That's what my team needed. I missed a lot of shots in the 2nd quarter, but I tried to keep battling." Nowitzki: "I found myself open a couple of times and made some shots." Nowitzki: "I missed a couple shots - a lot of shots - in the 2nd quarter after a good start and just tried to keep battling. With Josh Howard out - before he got hurt he scored 20 to 25 a game for us - with him being out, other guys have to step up. Stack has been great and I had to pick up the scoring a little bit." Nowitzki: "I've got to take advantage of mismatches. I didn't really finish great around the basket so I was kind of looking to that high post area to make plays for myself and I was able to kind of turn around and shoot over him a little bit, and obviously that was big." Nowitzki on when Kirilenko defended him: "He's so long, he's tough to shoot over. He's very active on both ends of the floor. Once I go up, he's right there with his length and his ability to quick-jump. He's one of the best defenders in the league." Nowitzki: "Once we get healthy we are one of the deepest teams in the league. We can have 10 to 12 guys come in and have an impact on the game and be aggressive for us." Jason Terry on Nowitzki: "He started out very hot tonight, so I knew [he'd] cool off for a stretch, but in that 4th quarter, there's no better player to throw the ball to but him. He hit some big shots tonight. That's why he's the MVP." Jerry Stackhouse: "For a stretch tonight it seemed like everything went in their favor. They went into a zone and we got kind of passive then they hit a couple of baskets, then Avery called a timeout and drew up some things for us to attack the zone. We did it a couple of times, got some good looks, and Dirk hit some big 3s." Stackhouse on Utah: "That team played hard. You're not going to find any team in the NBA that plays harder than them. It was a good test for us." Stackhouse on injuries: "It only takes 5 to play, but obviously we want to get everybody back healthy and ready for the stretch run and for the playoffs. We don't want to take our chances with guys coming in and out. We've just got to with what we have. We know we have enough to get it done." Devin Harris on his injury: "It doesn't feel good. There's no telling now [how serious it is]." Adrian Griffin on his injury: "I felt something pop in there. I'll wait and see how it feels." Jerry Sloan: "Well, we got back in the ballgame, but then as we came down the stretch we got the ballgame where it's a winnable ballgame and then we couldn't make layups, we couldn't make open shots, and then we couldn't stop them. We tried to zone them a couple times as we got down there when the ballgame got tied up at one point, but when we got to that point they scored almost every time and then we couldn't score. I thought I had the guys in there that can make the shots, but evidently we weren't able to put them down like I thought we should be able to." Sloan: "In the 1st part of the ballgame, the way we started out, we were intimidated. To me we were totally intimidated because when they bounced us around and stood us up, we got further out on the floor and that's what great teams do. They're a very good team, they're a terrific team. They defend you. They can score, but they can also defend you. They put a body on you and they stood us up a few times and we accepted that, and when you accept that you find yourself shooting mostly perimeter shots." Sloan on missed shots in the 4th quarter: "You miss one thing and then you let it compound everything else. Those are the things you have to fight through if winning is important to you." Sloan: "We were in the ballgame and missed layups and open jumpers, then we couldn't stop those things at the other end. We were off them just enough to give them the open shots." Sloan: "It was a winnable ballgame if we make those shots we had at the end. We got good shots, but if you don't make those shots in this league, you're probably going to go home. They, on the other hand, went down there and made almost every single one they had to make. That's a good ballclub." Sloan on Kirilenko intentionally missing a free throw late in the game: "Well, Andrei's got to be Andrei. I'm not going to get upset about it. He's got to understand that everybody needs to know what we're doing. I'm not going to get in a rift with him. The important thing is for him to play and play well. Whatever it takes for him to play well, I'm willing to accept that." Sloan on defending Nowitzki: "Well he is for any team. It's not the first time he got points like that - he's a terrific player. A guy like that, everybody knows he's going to the free throw line, but you can't be intimidated. We were totally intimidated by the guy to start with because he had such a free roam. We never got a hand in his face, when he shot the basketball our hands were down to our side, let the guy shoot over you and you get up on him and if you foul him, you foul him. I mean I've got to foul out before I'm going to let a guy just run over me all night long." Sloan on Dallas: "They're playing more like playoff basketball rather than a pickup game. They've got guys who have been in the league a long time, [and] if you make a little mistake, they take advantage." Andrei Kirilenko: "I think we are a little bit unlucky at the end. We didn't make a couple of easy layups and couple jumpers and hold the lead like when we started leading by 1 point. We had the opportunity to keep [the lead], but Dirk had a tremendous game and in the 4th quarter he just killed us." Kirilenko: "I think all guys try hard and fight, fight and play with a good attitude and that's what we need. You know every game if were going to put this kind of effort then the winning will come." Kirilenko: "In the 1st half, I think we were kind of frustrated with the layups because Dallas made lots of layups. Everybody thinks they are a great shooting team, they are, but they still get some layups and that's what we didn't pay attention on. So in the 2nd half, we tried to play harder especially defensively and start to help and play very close inside. So we let them shoot more outside." Kirilenko on intentionally missing his 2nd free throw late in the game: "It's very practical in Europe, miss free throw on purpose with good angle. It was close. [Okur] almost gets it. I should probably get little bit higher arc." Matt Harpring: "We just didn't get the stops at the end of the game. They hit a couple of 3-pointers, they had some big plays, the momentum kind of shifted." Harpring: "You've just got to keep playing. You're going to have ups and downs in games and you just got to keep fighting. Tonight I thought we fought, we just didn't make shots down the stretch. We missed some crucial shots that could have put us back in the game, but we've got to move on now." Harpring on Kirilenko intentionally missing a free throw late in the game: "If you're going to do it you've got to tell your teammates." Harpring on Nowitzki: "He's tough. He's a 7-footer that can shoot the ball. What makes him unique is he plays against the other teams' 4 or 5 man and he's really kind of a 3 out there and 5s and 4s are used to playing a perimeter guy like that so he usually can beat guys off the dribble or just shoot right over them." Devin Brown on Nowitzki: "He hit 2 3s there that were sneaky. He hid behind the zone and waited. There's one spot there that is hard to guard, by the time you look to see where he was, he was shooting." Dallas Mavericks 90, Utah Jazz 87 at Utah (March 11) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 29 22 17 22 - 90 .491 .429 .479 .640 Utah 19 21 23 24 - 87 .460 .375 .451 .690 Halftime: Dallas 51-40 3rd Q: Dallas 68-63 Technicals: none Refs: Greg Willard, Marc Davis, Tony Brown Attendance: 19,790 (cap 19,911) Did not play due to injury: Greg Ostertag (sprained left ankle) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Adrian Griffin 26 2-7 0-0 3-4 7 2-6 1 0 2 2 0 Dirk Nowitzki 43 14-25 4-6 2-4 34 1-9 5 3 3 2 2 DeSagana Diop 12 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 0 1 5 0 0 Jason Terry 38 6-13 2-6 0-0 14 1-3 3 4 3 1 0 Devin Harris 6 2-3 0-0 0-0 4 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 Erick Dampier 29 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-8 0 1 5 1 4 Jerry Stackhouse 34 5-11 0-2 6-8 16 1-3 3 1 2 0 0 Darrell Armstrong 13 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 2 1 1 0 0 Marquis Daniels 33 4-8 0-0 4-7 12 1-7 2 0 5 2 0 DJ Mbenga 7 1-1 0-0 1-2 3 0-0 0 1 2 0 1 Totals 48 34-71 6-14 16-25 90 6-37 17 12 28 8 7 Utah Jazz REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Andrei Kirilenko 43 8-13 0-2 3-5 19 2-9 2 3 2 1 4 Mehmet Okur 37 10-16 2-2 10-12 32 2-11 0 1 3 0 2 Jarron Collins 16 0-1 0-0 1-2 1 1-2 0 2 3 0 0 Deron Williams 35 2-11 1-3 0-0 5 1-5 5 2 3 1 2 Milt Palacio 19 1-5 0-0 1-2 3 0-0 1 1 1 1 0 Carlos Boozer 27 4-9 0-0 2-4 10 2-7 2 2 4 0 0 Matt Harpring 27 5-10 0-1 2-2 12 1-3 0 0 2 0 1 Devin Brown 23 1-5 0-0 1-2 3 1-2 1 0 2 0 0 Keith McLeod 13 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 4 1 1 1 0 Kris Humphries 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 32-71 3-8 20-29 87 10-39 15 13 21 4 9 Dallas at Sacramento (March 12) It was the 2nd night of a back-to-back for Dallas and the Mavs again found themselves minus the services of Devin Harris and Adrian Griffin. Josh Howard started, but did not return to play in the 2nd half due to his strained hammy. The game stayed close in the 1st quarter with both teams holding small leads, none larger than 4 points. Dallas led 23-22 after 1. The game was tied at 28-28 with 9:45 left and Sacramento went on an 11-4 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Ron Artest, to go up 39-32 with 5:40 remaining. A layup by Mike Bibby and layup by Brad Miller gave Sacramento their largest lead at 12 points with 7 seconds to go, but Dirk Nowitzki nailed a 3-pointer with .2 seconds left. Sacramento led 52-43 at the half. Sacramento shot 50% FG and Dallas shot 42% FG in the 1st half. Neither team scored over the first 2 minutes of the 3rd quarter. Dallas then scored 8 straight points (last 6 by Marquis Daniels) to pull within 51-52 with 8:20 remaining. A technical free throws (defensive 3 seconds) gave Sacramento their first point of the quarter 4 minutes into the quarter and kicked off a 9-2 Sacramento run to put the Kings up 61-53 with 6 minutes to go. But 8 points would be the Kings' largest lead of the quarter. After a non-call on one end and a touch foul on the other, Avery Johnson picked up a T for complaining and then stormed the court to let the ref know how he really felt and then headed to the locker room with his 2nd T. Jerry Stackhouse hit a 3-pointer and jumper to pull Dallas within 60-63 with 1:55 to go - and that would be the score after 3 as the teams missed their last 6 shots. It was an offensive quarter in the bad sense as Dallas "out-scored" Sacramento 17-11 in the 3rd quarter. Bonzi Wells got a layup 15 seconds into the 4th quarter, but Nowitzki hit a jumper and Jason Terry nailed a 3-pointer to tie the game at 65-65 with 10:50 left. But Sacramento then scored the next 6 points to go up 71-65 with 7:40 remaining. Sacramento led 76-70 with 3:50 to go and Nowitzki hit 2 free throws and Terry got a bucket to pull Dallas within 74-76 with 3 minutes remaining. DeSagana Diop got 2 blocks, Dallas missed, and Sacramento missed as a minute went by with neither team scoring. Artest hit 1-2 free throws, missing the 2nd which Sacramento rebounded, and Miller got a bucket to give the Kings a 79-74 lead with 1:40 left. Terry answered with a 3-pointer to again make it a 2 point game. Kenny Thomas' jumper took about 5 bounces on the rim before falling in with 55 seconds to go. Terry drove, got the bucket, and was fouled and he converted the 3-point play to pull Dallas within 80-81 with 49 seconds left. Thomas again hit a jumper (this time without the bounces) to make it a 3 point game with 29 seconds to go. Daniels missed an open 3-point attempt with 20 seconds left and Erick Dampier's tip in attempt wouldn't go in and Wells was intentionally fouled with 16.7 seconds remaining. And he missed both free throws. Nowitzki passed out to an open Terry and his 3-pointer missed with 11 seconds left [he was fouled on the follow-through, but it wasn't called] and Thomas was intentionally fouled. And he hit both free throws for the final margin. Sacramento won 85-80. It wasn't that pretty of a game for either team as both struggled with their shot. Dallas was hampered by injuries and Sacramento played a tight rotation of just 7 players. The Mavs didn't play great, but they still were in the game - nothing to be proud of, but nothing to hang their heads about. Sacramento shot 42% (34-81) FG including 5-14 3-pointers and Dallas shot 36.4% (32-88) FG including 4-17 3-pointers - Dallas shot 6-20 FG in the 4th quarter. Sacramento shot 12-20 FT and Dallas shot 12-16 FT. Dallas had the slight edge on the boards in out-rebounding Sacramento 45-43 including 13-10 offensive. Both teams were fairly clean with the ball as Sacramento had 12 turnovers and Dallas had 10 turnovers. No one player stood out for the Kings. Brad Miller had a solid all-around game with 17 points, 10 rebounds including 5 offensive, and 6 assists. Ron Artest had 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 turnovers. Kevin Martin had 14 points and 4 rebounds. Mike Bibby had 12 points, but only shot 4-14 FG. He also had 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Kenny Thomas had 10 points and 6 rebounds. For the 2 bench players, Bonzi Wells had 9 points on 4-13 FG and 1-4 FT and 9 rebounds and Shareef Abdur-Rahim had 8 points and 3 rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki led the way for Dallas with a double-double. He had 24 points including 10-25 FG, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists. Marquis Daniels had a solid game in starting and had 19 points and 7 rebounds. Jason Terry struggled in missing his first 6 shots, but 12 of his 14 points came in the 4th quarter. He shot 5-15 FG and 2-9 3-pointers and had 5 assists and no turnovers. It wasn't a great night for Jerry Stackhouse as he had 13 points including 5-16 FG, 2 rebounds, no assists, and 4 turnovers. DeSagana Diop had 2 points on 1-1 FG, 7 rebounds, and 5 blocks and Erick Dampier had 3 points including 1-3 FG, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Josh Howard had 2 points on 1-6 FG and 1 rebound in 13 1st half minutes. Josh Powell played 12 minutes and had 3 points (1-4 FG, 1-2 FT) and 3 rebounds including 2 offensive. Darrell Armstrong also played 12 minutes and missed his only shot and had 1 assist and 1 foul for his only stats. Quotes Rick Adelman: "I'm really proud of our team tonight. I think we came with the right attitude playing this team. It's an excellent team. They got on us pretty well in the 3rd quarter. I thought we missed so many shots in the 3rd quarter - we just couldn't get any of them down - but we stayed with it and scrambled defensively. In the 4th quarter we finally got some stops and it was a great win. This is the type of home game that really gives you a boost. You're going to have to win these if you're going to make the playoffs. We talked about winning on the road, but this is the type of game you have to win at home. We have another big one on Tuesday. I'm just really proud of the way the guys competed and played tonight." Adelman: "It was such a big game. We were playing against such a quality team and they have 2 or 3 guys out, but they still went about 9 or 10 deep. They have a really tough team. Nowitzki is a handful and Terry finally started making some shots for them. You have to give Ron [Artest] credit - [Nowitzki] worked his tail off to get his shot. He had 15 points in the 1st half and ended up with 24. I also give [assistant coach] Elston [Turner] credit; he came up with the game plan that we put in there. It wasn't as conventional as the other ones, but we did it for a reason. Our guys got better and better as the game went on and understood what we wanted - that was the key to this game. You can come up with a plan, but you have to rely on the guys to execute it. They have to understand what we are trying to do and not get upset or concerned if they score." Adelman: "We did what you have to do against an incredible player like [Nowitzki]. It was a total team effort, because one guy can't guard him. That's what we're going to have to do when we get down the stretch and into the playoffs." Adelman on Thomas: "Kenny came up huge in the end. He was the guy that they were leaving open and he hit that 1 shot that gave us a little bit of luck there, then the 2nd one was dead center, and he made 2 free throws." Adelman being above .500: "We made a huge climb. Now that we are over it, we have to stay over it. We just have to keep working at it. Now we have the Lakers coming in here Tuesday. They had a disappointing loss today; Kobe [Bryant] had a tough game which means they will come in here and play well." Mike Bibby: "It was a judgment game. A game that we both wanted, but we needed more. We weren't hitting too many shots but we pulled it out in the end. I know we gave it our all even though our shots weren't going in. I was trying to rebound, do everything I could to help the team win." Brad Miller on getting above .500: "It hasn't really sunk in yet. We've got to enjoy the fact we kind of climbed one little step, but we've still got some work we're trying to get done before the playoffs." Kevin Martin: "There was a lot of defense. It was low scoring for a Dallas and Sacramento game. Last time, Dirk hit 3 or 4 big shots down the stretch but tonight Ron [Artest] was playing good defense on him. It feels good [to be in the 8th spot]. The main thing is just to keep it now. You can't enjoy it until it's set in stone. We got the Lakers coming in on Tuesday and they lost today. It's going to be important for the playoff standings and just keep our home winning streak alive. We need to come in here and give a good effort." Martin on defense: "I started off with Terry, Ron started off with Dirk, and any time we came together we were supposed to switch. If it was anybody else, we were supposed to stay with our man. We were just trying to shut down Jason Terry and Dirk." Kenny Thomas: "It was one of those games that we had to win. It means a lot to me because Mike [Bibby] had a lot of confidence in me in passing to me for those 2 shots. I was just trying to concentrate on knocking them down. I didn't take that many shots before that." Thomas: "We're over .500 now - and that's really big - but we want to keep thinking about the next step. We're still not in yet. We can't get comfortable now." Shareef Abdur-Rahim: "I've never been in a playoff game so I don't know how it feels. It was an exciting game, seemed like a lot of fun for the fans and it was fun to be a part of. Our guys locked down and got the stops when we needed and made plays when we needed to. I looked up at the score in the 4th quarter and I was [surprised]. Both teams are pretty high scoring teams, but it was a really bang it out type game. We just have to keep on pushing. Our goal is to make sure we get one of those [playoff] spots." Avery Johnson: "You have to give the Kings a lot of credit. They really came out and played hard and gave it a gutsy effort. I thought our guys battled, but we seemed to stumble little bit. I thought Del Harris and the rest of the coaching staff gave our guys a chance to win throughout the game. They [coaches] did a really good job." Johnson: "It is a disappointing loss. When we come to the games we try and give ourselves a chance to win. I wasn't trying to rally the team by getting ejected; I think it was more just a difference of opinion. That is something that happens in pretty much every NBA game. It was just a situation where we were dealing with different things the whole game and we thought that we had a legitimate beef with the way they were playing Dirk. I guess we were wrong. We'll just move on." Johnson on his ejection: "We thought we had a legitimate beef with the way they were playing Dirk. When you don't complain, sometimes it can give the message that you don't care." Johnson on his ejection: "Sometimes when you don't complain, then in certain situations you tend to give a message that you don't care. I try not to complain. I tried to do that as a player. I'm trying to do that as a coach because it really doesn't get you anywhere. But at the same time, when you're sitting on the sidelines and you're allowing things to just go on continually, then I think sometimes people take a kindness for a weakness." Dirk Nowitzki: "Obviously, it's tough to win on the road if you shoot [36%]. I think the effort was there with all the guys out and even Josh going out in the middle of the game. We battled and were right there. Jason's look was basically in. But that's the kind of night it was." Nowitzki: "We were right there, but it was just a tough shooting night." Jason Terry: "It was a tough loss but you have to give Sacramento credit. They came out and played real hard. It was just a situation where we could not get it done. Defensively we had a real solid quarter where we could play lock down defense, but 1 quarter of defense is not just going to get it done." Terry: "We had opportunities to win the game. Things didn't go our way. Do we hang our heads? No. That was a beatable team." Terry: "They are lot different now that they have Artest. They don't run the passing the game the way that they used to. They are more of a post-up isolation team. We just did not knock down our shots tonight. I don't know if it was their defense or our lack of offense, but we had a lot of good looks. It could have been a foul call on that final play, but it could have been called either way. I didn't have a chance to follow through I can definitely say that." Marquis Daniels: "It was pretty physical out there tonight. Kenny Thomas hit some big shots out there. We had some good looks and some of our shots were just going in and out. Some of their shots were bouncing around and just dropping. On my last shot I felt good and it was on line, but I did not get it up high enough. Kenny Thomas hit 3 big shots tonight and played a great game for them." Sacramento Kings 85, Dallas Mavericks 80 at Sacramento (March 12) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Sacramento 22 30 11 22 - 85 .433 .357 .420 .600 Dallas 23 20 17 20 - 80 .394 .235 .364 .750 Halftime: Sacramento 52-43 3rd Q: Sacramento 63-60 Technicals: Dallas defensive 3 seconds 8:01 3rd, Sacramento defensive 3 seconds 4:21 3rd, Avery Johnson 3:43 3rd, Avery Johnson (ejected) 3:43 3rd Refs: Mike Callahan, Gary Zielinski, Jess Kersey Attendance: 17,317 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Adrian Griffin (strained right hamstring) Sacramento Kings REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Mike Bibby 39 4-14 2-6 2-2 12 1-8 4 0 0 0 0 Kevin Martin 33 5-9 2-3 2-2 14 0-4 2 3 2 1 0 Ron Artest 44 6-16 1-2 2-6 15 1-3 2 3 4 0 1 Kenny Thomas 32 4-8 0-0 2-2 10 1-6 3 0 1 2 2 Brad Miller 44 7-15 0-2 3-4 17 5-10 6 1 1 0 1 Bonzi Wells 28 4-13 0-1 1-4 9 2-9 2 1 5 0 0 Shareef Abdur-Rahim 21 4-6 0-0 0-0 8 0-3 0 3 3 0 1 Totals 48 34-81 5-14 12-20 85 10-43 19 12 16 3 5 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Marquis Daniels 41 8-17 0-2 3-4 19 2-7 3 1 2 2 1 Jason Terry 40 5-15 2-9 2-3 14 0-1 5 0 2 2 0 Dirk Nowitzki 42 10-25 1-2 3-3 24 3-13 5 0 2 0 1 Josh Howard 13 1-6 0-0 0-0 2 1-1 0 2 1 1 0 DeSagana Diop 26 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 2-7 0 1 4 0 5 Jerry Stackhouse 32 5-16 1-4 2-2 13 0-2 0 4 5 1 0 Erick Dampier 22 1-3 0-0 1-2 3 3-11 0 1 0 0 3 Josh Powell 12 1-4 0-0 1-2 3 2-3 0 0 2 0 0 Darrell Armstrong 12 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 Totals 48 32-88 4-17 12-16 80 13-45 14 9 19 6 10 patricia