The NBA named Dirk Nowitzki as Player of the Week for the Western Conference for the week ending Dec. 7. Nowitzki averaged 30.7 points and 10 rebounds as Dallas went 3-0. It was the 2nd time this season that Nowitzki has been named Player of the Week (1st being November 23). After 8 straight games of being listed as day-to-day and game-time decision, the team and doctors have decided to "shut" Josh Howard down for a bit so that his sore ankle can fully heel. There is no timetable for his return or how long he will wear the boot - Rick Carlisle said that he'll let the media know when there is new news instead of answering daily questions about Howard. Carlisle described Howard's ankle as having a yo-yo affect where Howard would practice and the ankle would swell, the swelling would go away, he would practice again and the swelling would reoccur. MRIs show no structural damage and surgery was not considered. Jerry Stackhouse (who does attend games) is also in a walking boot for his plantar fasciitis. Both have been on IL for a while [so I'm not mentioning them in the game notes below]. [Since I've got 4 games to do, I'm going to make the writeups a little bit shorter than usual.] LA Clippers at Dallas (December 2) The struggling Clippers (3-13) were without Chris Kaman and Dallas was missing Antoine Wright due to his strained groin. The Mavs gave the Clippers an early Christmas gift and spotted them 9 points as Dallas missed their first 5 shots. Dallas finally got on the scoreboard 3:35 into the game. A 3-point play by Zach Randolph gave the Clippers a 20-9 lead with 4 minutes left, but Dallas scored the next 8 points. The Clippers led 27-21 after 1. Randolph had 10 points. The 2nd quarter saw the Clippers holding a single-digit lead most of the way as Dallas would pull no closer than 2 points. Dallas pulled within 42-44 with 3:25 left on a 3-point play by Brandon Bass, but the Clippers then went on an 11-2 run to take a 55-44 lead with 30 seconds to go. Bass had a 3-point play with 5 seconds left in the quarter. The Clippers led 55-47 at the half. The Clippers shot 49% FG and Dallas shot 40% FG in the half. The Clippers continued to lead in the 3rd quarter as Dallas didn't have a run in them. A 3-pointer by rookie Eric Gordon gave them their largest lead at 75-60 with 3:25 to go. The Clippers led 81-68 after 3. Dallas made a couple of pushes in the first half of the 4th quarter to cut the Clippers' lead down to 8 points, but the Clippers had an answer each time and pushed their lead back into double-digits. The Clippers led 96-84 with 5 minutes to go and Dallas subbed Jason Terry in to give them a bizarre lineup of 6-2 Terry, 6-4 Jason Kidd, 5-10 J.J. Barea, 6-8 Bass, and 7-0 Dirk Nowitzki. Dallas went to a zone defense and the short lineup got their offense clicking as the Mavs went on a 13-2 run to pull within 97-98 with 1:40 left. Gordon missed with a minute left and Barea drained a quick 3-pointer with 50 seconds to go to give Dallas their first lead of the game at 100-98. Kidd stole the ball with 35 seconds remaining and Dallas ran time off the clock before Nowitzki missed a 3-point attempt with 10 seconds left. After a timeout, the Clippers did not get off a quick shot and Baron Davis' 3-point attempt bounced off the front of the rim and Nowitzki grabbed the rebound and time expired. Dallas won 100-98. Pure and simple, Dallas stole this game and the Clippers choked. Dallas only led 50 seconds in the game, but it was the last 50 seconds of the game. The Clippers shot just 1-6 FG and had 3 turnovers in the last 5 minutes of the game (with the Clippers having been up by 12 points prior to the stretch). Dallas out-scored the Clippers 32-17 in the 4th quarter. Dallas' bizarre lineup of 3-guards worked [and continues to work in the next games - in a Dallas tradition, I'm calling them the 3 Js: Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, J.J. Barea] and the zone defense disrupted the Clippers offense as only once during the last 5 minutes did they take the ball inside. It had to be deja-vu for new Clipper Zach Randolph as his then Knicks also choked at the end of the NY-Dallas game in allowing Dallas to overcome a large deficit at the end of the game (an 18-2 Dallas run) and Randolph had 27 points in each game. It was a 5-man game for Dallas as Dirk Nowitzki (29), Terry (26), Barea (15), and Brandon Bass (14) scored all but 16 of Dallas points - Kidd didn't score (missed 6 shots), but had 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals. Similar to the New York game, Erick Dampier played just 3 minutes as he couldn't handle the more mobile and outside shooter Randolph. It was also a 5-man game for the Clippers as they got just 7 points off the bench and each starter played no less than 36 minutes. Al Thorton had 23 points and 9 rebounds, Randolph had 27 points including 12-17 FG and 10 rebounds, Marcus Camby had 6 points and 15 rebounds, rookie Eric Gordon (who was on the court at the end of the game) had 13 points, and Baron Davis had 22 points. Quotes Rick Carlisle on playing Terry, Kidd, and Barea together: "It was unorthodox really all night. It was just a search for some energy, some spark at the defensive end. The group that ended the game did a great job of scrambling. We were in a zone defense and they were just real active in making things happen. For a 4 minute stretch, we caught lightning in a bottle and found some magic. Barea hit the shot - it was huge and he was a big factor in the entire game. I'm very happy for him." Carlisle: "[Dallas] has been a place where this team has gone on the court and won. It's been tougher this year. Our fans weren't into it early and we were having a hard time getting them into it. It just really appears to me that beginnings of games are important and digging a 9-0 hole is not a good way to start. The Clippers are a team that's much better than their record, obviously. The trade they made has made them a more dynamic team, both athletically and offensively. They are going to be a nightmare for everybody to play and it makes it harder when you start out 9-0." Carlisle: "We were up against it the whole game because we were giving up over 50% shooting. When we won that 6 out of 7, during that stretch, we were holding teams to 41% from the field. When our defense isn't there, it's going to be hard, especially without Josh, who is a difference making playmaker and a presence at both ends. I'm not sure where I was going with that answer or if I remember the question. But this is an important time. Every game is going to be an important time. It was huge to get the win." Carlisle on Barea's 3-pointer late in the game: "Just don't hesitate. Step into it. He's one of our better 3-point shooters. He's been in the high 30s, low 40s [percent] all year. When he has his feet set, he makes. He was one of the guys that willed us to this victory. He got the ball in the paint repeatedly, got to the basket, found people, made plays. You've got to give him quite a bit of credit for this." Dirk Nowitzki on Barea: "That was some gutsy stuff. He showed some big [heart] stepping up to shoot that one [3-pointer]." Jason Terry: "Those guys were hitting shots all night long. It just feels like you're never going to get a stop. But we put a little wrinkle in there. We went to our zone defense and took them out of their isolations. We started to get stops, we took the momentum, and our fans went crazy. The biggest difference in this game was homecourt advantage. Our fans helped us to this win tonight." Terry: "Credit the coaching staff for switching into the zone and really making it a problem. I think we had 4 or 5 straight stops where we were able to run out and get easy baskets." Terry on the 3-guard lineup: "It's a lineup we seldom use because in practice [because] we don't have enough bodies, but it's one that can be very beneficial for us because now you've got 3 ball handlers out there that can create, drive, get to the basket, and kick out for open shots. And we did it time and time again in the 4th quarter. Take your hat off to J.J. Barea. He played well and he hit a big dagger there at the end, the 3-pointer - he walked right into it." Terry on the 3-guard lineup: "We had a crazy lineup out there that had me at the [small forward]. I don't think I've played 3 since high school." Terry on Barea's 3-pointer late in the game: "It was tremendous and I told Stackhouse in the lockerroom, I said, 'I don't care who shot that 3, it was going in.' That's just the way the game was going - momentum was on our side." J.J. Barea: "Right there at the end, we kept fighting. No one got out of control. We kept fighting. Coach went to that zone and it worked out." Barea: "Coach made good adjustments on the zone. Their faces were looking shaky. They're a good 1-on-1 team. We played like a team in the zone." Barea on his 3-pointer late in the game: "I saw JKidd bring the ball down. I knew at some point the ball was coming over to me. I got my feet ready and it went in." Barea on his 3-pointer late in the game: "I saw JKidd bringing the ball up on the left wing and I knew he would eventually look my way. I knew if I got my feet set I would make it." Mike Dunleavy: "A really disappointing loss for us. We played so well throughout the game, but in the 4th quarter we did a terrible job defensively, no deflections in the 4th quarter. We settled for quick, long, 3-point shots - they just weren't good shots - and some turnovers and that allowed them to get out into the open court and score easy buckets. I think tonight we did the things we were trying to do, our execution was good, and our half court stuff was getting better. Down the stretch, our zone offense, we didn't execute, we didn't move the ball well enough, we just settled - that is disappointing." Dunleavy: "In the 4th quarter, we came out and scored a bunch of buckers on set plays that we ran and it was just the last 3 or 4 minutes. And, ya, we had some new guys in there or whatever, but our zone offense, we didn't move the ball, we didn't execute it, and we had guys open. But guys took shots, but someone else had a better shot. A zone says, look, we can't guard you, we can't guard you, we have to try and trick you, and we got to get you to fall for this trap. And we did - we fell right into the trap. We took long outside shots that were contested and gave them bboard coverage. And instead of moving the ball a couple of passes, getting dribble penetration, you know draw-and-kick, getting rhythm shots, and swinging the ball and posting back up. We didn't do a good job of it and it is something we have to continue to work on." Dunleavy: "We are getting a lot of good play and we've got 12 new guys, we have a lot of guys coming together. You know, some guys are new, some of it is hard to call stuff on the fly or whatever. For the most part it has been good, but again, down the stretch, 0 deflections in the 4th quarter tells me the story of how we were defensively. We turned the ball over, we took bad shots, and it just let them get out into the open court, get to the rim, and make plays and get a rhythm to where they banged out some 3s. Defensively, for most of the night, we were doing a great job - contesting shots, keeping guys doing great coverage, making it hard to make them. You know, we knew Dirk would get his points, but we were making him have to work for them. Where we are right now as a group we have to get better at closing games out." Dunleavy on Barea: "He did the job. He was a great spark plug for them. He made big shots, he made big plays off the dribble. He beat us off the dribble a bunch." Baron Davis on the 4th quarter: "I don't know, it all happened so fast. When the 4th quarter started they got into an offensive rhythm. We had a nice lead and we were comfortable with our lead, but once they went to the zone we didn't get any good shots. We didn't really get any good looks at the basket, and I thought they were able, from that point, to accomplish what they needed to accomplish - and that was to get their motors running. They are one of the leading teams in transition and I thought their zone helped them and forced us to take some outside shots and we didn't really get anything good down the stretch. We had some open looks, but we didn't hit our shots and I thought the zone really affected us." Davis: "Once we stopped being aggressive, that's when the tables turned. This is a tough loss. We were up 7 with 2 minutes to go. On the road, you've got to find something to close it out." Davis on Barea: "We knew that he was going to be a sparkplug and create some offensive matchups for them. He was aggressive and I thought for the most part he was aggressive during the game, but we were going back at him and making him work. That was a big reason we were able to stay up 13, because we were pretty much dictating the flow of the game. Even though they were playing aggressive and Barea was doing all he was doing offensively, we were still able to go back at him and against the rest of their team and be aggressive getting to the basket. Once we stopped being aggressive then that's when the tables turned for us. This is a tough loss, this is a tough loss. We were up 7 or 8 with 2 minutes to go and, on the road, you've got to have something to close it out, you've got to find something to close it out. I didn't think we did a good job of executing down the stretch. We took a lot of long shots, turned the ball over, and you can't do that with a team like that that's so good and has been playing so well and on their home floor." Zach Randolph: "We should have had it. It hurt." Randolph: "Once they went to the zone we just got stagnant. We weren't aggressive." Dallas Mavericks 100, Los Angeles Clippers 98 at Dallas (December 2) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 21 26 21 32 - 100 .484 .348 .448 .737 LA Clippers 27 28 26 17 - 98 .534 .286 .494 .800 Halftime: LA Clippers 55-47 3rd Q: LA Clippers 81-68 Technicals: none Refs: Dick Bavetta, Ed Malloy, Sean Wright Attendance: 19,670 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Antoine Wright (strained left groin) IL: Dallas - Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse LA Clippers Chris Kaman, Ricky Davis Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Devean George 22 1-3 0-1 1-2 3 0-1 1 1 2 1 0 Dirk Nowitzki 43 10-27 2-6 7-7 29 1-10 2 1 2 2 2 Erick Dampier 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1-1 0 0 1 0 0 Gerald Green 6 2-4 0-1 0-0 4 0-0 0 1 0 0 1 Jason Kidd 32 0-6 0-4 0-0 0 2-7 8 3 1 4 0 DeSagana Diop 23 1-4 0-0 1-4 3 3-9 1 1 2 1 2 Jason Terry 40 9-17 5-7 3-4 26 1-3 3 1 1 0 0 J.J. Barea 25 7-11 1-2 0-0 15 0-1 6 1 0 0 0 Shawne Williams 18 3-7 0-2 0-0 6 2-5 0 0 1 0 1 Brandon Bass 26 6-8 0-0 2-2 14 3-7 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 48 39-87 8-23 14-19 100 13-44 21 10 11 8 6 Los Angeles Clippers REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Al Thornton 44 10-20 0-1 3-4 23 3-9 3 2 3 0 1 Zach Randolph 42 12-17 1-1 2-2 27 0-10 3 4 3 0 0 Marcus Camby 37 3-8 0-0 0-0 6 5-15 4 3 4 0 2 Eric Gordon 36 5-13 2-5 1-2 13 1-2 3 0 3 2 3 Baron Davis 41 10-23 0-6 2-2 22 0-3 6 3 3 2 1 Paul Davis 14 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-2 0 0 1 0 1 Mike Taylor 11 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 2 0 1 1 0 Brian Skinner 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Mardy Collins 5 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0-1 0 1 1 0 0 Steve Novak 7 2-2 1-1 0-0 5 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 43-87 4-14 8-10 98 9-42 21 15 19 5 8 Phoenix at Dallas (December 4) It was the 2nd night of a back-to-back for Phoenix (New Orleans the previous night), but Steve Nash (flu) and Shaquille O'Neal (rest) did not play in the first game and were on the court for the Dallas game. Dallas was again without Antoine Wright. After his great 4th quarter performance against the Clippers, J.J. Barea was the starting 2-guard. Dallas jumped out to an early 8-2 lead and continued to hold a single-digit lead the rest of the quarter. Jason Terry hit a 3-pointer at the quarter's end to give Dallas a 33-24 lead after 1. Dirk Nowitzki had 14 points and Amare Stoudemire had 12 points. The teams traded buckets to open the 2nd quarter and Dallas then went on a 14-2 run (with 6 different Mavs players scoring) to take a 49-28 lead with 5:35 to go. The Suns would get no closer than 16 points the rest of the quarter. Dallas led 64-46 at the half. Dallas shot 53% FG and Phoenix shot 44% FG in the half. Nowitzki opened the 3rd quarter with a jumper, but Phoenix then scored the next 7 points to pull within 53-66 with 10 minutes left, but Dallas then scored the next 7 points to re-take a 20-point lead. Dallas led 87-65 with 2 minutes remaining and the Suns closed the quarter with a 9-1 run (but Stoudemire picked up his 5th foul with a minute left). Dallas led 88-74 after 3. Nowitzki had 13 points in the 3rd quarter. A bucket inside by Boris Diaw pulled the Suns within 78-88 with 10:50 to go, but Dallas scored the next 10 points to take a 98-78 lead with 7:20 left as the Suns missed 6 straight shots. Dallas took their largest lead at 105-82 with 4:10 left. Dallas won 112-97. It was a surprisingly easy win for the Mavs. Phoenix never led in the game. The Suns did make a push to pull within 10 early in the 4th quarter, but the Mavs had an answer and made it a blowout - some controversy on the Phoenix side as Steve Nash did not play in the 4th quarter. Even though he had just 2 points in the 4th quarter, it was a stellar game for Dirk Nowitzki and he finished with 39 points and 9 rebounds. J.J. Barea enjoyed his first start of the season with 18 points and Jason Terry continues to be the punch of the bench with 10 points. Nash had a double-double with 20 points including 7-11 FG and 10 rebounds. Amare Stoudemire had 28 points. Shaquille O'Neal was a non-factor with just 4 points including 1-6 FG and 5 rebounds. Erick Dampier played well in defending O'Neal and Damp had 14 rebounds and 9 points in 25 minutes. Quotes Rick Carlisle: "I thought from start to finish the energy level was good. We were following the game plan and just playing very aggressively. And even when we hit lulls, we kept attacking. It was a good win against a quality team, for sure. We just have to keep building on it." Carlisle on Nowitzki: "Great players tend to be taken a little for granted because they are great. It's special if you're a Mavs fan to be able to come and watch him play every night. He's just a tremendous player and tonight he willed us to a higher level than we've been at, and that was key. It was clear to me he was not going to let us lose." Carlisle on Barea: "He adds a different dimension to the team. He's playing well so he deserves to be playing. The challenge for him is going to be to continue to play at this level because teams are going to start game planning more for him. He was key tonight. He helped get us off to a good start. I thought his energy early was something that helped us at both ends. When we hit the lull in 4th, you know, we put in the pick-and-roll. He made a couple of big plays and got the wheels back on the wagon. He played a very important part of the game." Carlisle on Barea defensively: "He always battles. He can improve more if he'd grow 4 inches, but I don't see that happening. Guys that are his size, they've got to make up for it other ways. They've got to be tough to guard offensively and they've got to battle defensively. They've got to be active and good reactors to the ball. He battles out there. That's why he's playing." Carlisle on Dampier: "Damp's quietly had an exceptional year. Because we have 2 quality centers, he doesn't player starters' minutes most of the time. But his rebounds per minute and his productivity in terms of his presence in the paint is something would be hard for us to replace right now. He's extremely important where they have dominant centers coming in here, you know, Yao, Shaq, [Dwight] Howard. He's done a good job playing even against some of the smaller guys. It was tough for him the other night [vs the Clippers] because he didn't play many minutes at all because of matchups and he's got a lot of pride, so tonight, I think, he was making a point." Carlisle on Terry: "He's been great all year. Tonight was one of his lesser games and he still played really well. The decision to go with J.J. really was to allow us the opportunity to go to JET off the bench to get a lift with what he's been doing. In the 2nd half, we had to come to him a litter earlier than I'd hoped, but he came out there and made things happen right away. He and Dirk had a good feel for each other - they play off each other well. And we just need him to continue doing what's he's doing." Dirk Nowitzki: "I felt like I hadn't been shooting the ball extremely good - only in the low 40%, and that's not going to cut it. But my shot felt good tonight and I got some good looks." Nowitzki on Barea: "He's fearless. He's small, but for some reason he's a great finisher in there. He gets to the seams. I just really like that he's in attack mode." Jason Kidd on Barea: "When you have confidence you can do anything and his confidence is high right now." Jason Terry on Nowitzki: "Since they lost Shawn Marion, they can't match up with him. He took advantage of them all night." J.J. Barea: "I have to give a lot of credit to the coaching staff. [Carlisle] gave me the opportunity to go out there and play with my guys. Playing with Jason [Kidd], [Terry], and Dirk really gives me confidence." Barea: "It was a tough beginning. The preseason and first couple of games were tough for me. [Carlisle] just gave me an opportunity a couple of games ago and after that my confidence has increased. It feels pretty good." Barea on the 3-guard lineup: "When we have that lineup in, we have a lot of playmakers on the floor. I was just trying to get into the lane and finish." Shawne Williams: "I was just trying to get a shot to fall. I went back to the old school and went inside to get rebounds and hustle plays. We have enough scorers out there, so I need to find out what we lack and go in there and do those things." Williams on if his game has changed: "No, not really. Sometimes when you are used to scoring you can get a little lazy with the other parts of your game. If your shot isn't falling sometimes that is the quickest thing to get you going." Williams: "In the lockerroom today, we stressed tempo. We knew that this was a team that was going to make shots, but we wanted to make them play our game." Terry Porter: "Tonight was a struggle from the start. We allowed those guys to kind of pretty much go where ever they wanted to offensively at times, get what shot they wanted at times, and we just didn't have any resistance at all defensively. Offensively, in the 1st quarter we had some good looks and when we had good looks we couldn't make them. And it just compounded." Porter: "Their guys worked us on the boards pretty good during stretches when they did miss shots and they got a cushion and a comfort level. We were never able to break them off their rhythm offensively. They got whatever they wanted, [got] where they wanted to get to, and when they missed shots - when we did a good job contesting shots and they missed the shot - they ended up getting the offensive rebound. Had too many break downs in pick-and-roll situations and that really hurt us and got us behind the 8-ball to begin with." Porter: "I just thought we had so many break downs early on stuff we should know and we've got to have a better consistency level and not doing that. We can't have the same mistakes over and over again from game to game. Some of these things now should start to creep in. The rebound thing, that's tough. Sometimes it's the big has come over to help and his guy ends up with the ball offensively and that hurts sometimes rebounding-wise. But other times we've got guys there and they just out-work us and get them. So, that's an area we've got to do a much better job at. These last 2 games we've allowed teams to out-work us on the offensive boards and that really hurt us." Porter: "We haven't done a good job of taking the challenge and guarding their guys. There's no doubt we'll get better." Porter: "We allowed those guys to pretty much go wherever they wanted to offensively at times, get whatever shot they wanted at times. We just didn't have any resistance at all defensively." Steve Nash: "I just think our effort wasn't good enough. We didn't play hard enough or with enough discipline defensively and we let them feel good about themselves and they just kept making shots. It's one thing to cut a lead down to 10 points, but to not give up a 20 point lead at the half, that's a big concern. We've got to really take more pride in what we're doing individually and collectively and give a better effort." Nash if the losses have been because of effort: "I don"t know if it's always been effort. Off the top of my head, you will always say yes to that because you always feel you shouldn't have games like that. But it's human nature to not be perfect. We've lost games for a lot of different reasons this year. I don't think it's solely that, but it always feels bad when the effort's a factor." Nash: "We haven't found a rhythm or a good balance yet. We haven't shown a fighting spirit yet to get over the hump. Right now we're in a dark place but we have to believe in each other." Amare Stoudemire: "They came out on fire, as expected. Every time we play the Mavs, they're ready to play, and we are as well at times. Tonight they got us." Stoudemire on Nowitzki: "When he get shots like that, it's tough to turn him off. A couple of pin-down plays that they were getting it was hard to defend. From a team standpoint, it was hard to figure out what to do with that pin-down. That was why they got all those points off that pin-down pick-and-pop. It wasn't really the 1-on-1s. They got a couple of baskets off postups, but that didn't really hurt us. He got most of his baskets off pin-downs. Once we helped, he pops and gets jumpers. They played well." Dallas Mavericks 112, Phoenix Suns 97 at Dallas (December 4) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 33 31 24 24 - 112 .535 .412 .511 .750 Phoenix 24 22 28 23 - 97 .462 .375 .444 .826 Halftime: Dallas 64-46 3rd Q: Dallas 88-74 Technicals: Raja Bell (Pho) 2:48 1st Refs: Greg Willard, Jason Phillips, John Gobie Attendance: 19,813 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Antoine Wright (strained left groin) IL: Dallas - Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse Phoenix - Alando Tucker Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Devean George 26 2-5 1-3 0-0 5 1-2 0 1 2 2 0 Dirk Nowitzki 38 17-25 2-3 3-3 39 2-9 2 2 3 0 1 Erick Dampier 25 4-6 0-0 1-2 9 4-14 3 1 3 0 3 J.J. Barea 31 6-14 1-1 5-6 18 0-3 4 2 1 1 0 Jason Kidd 34 1-4 1-3 1-2 4 0-4 8 3 3 4 1 Brandon Bass 15 3-5 0-0 1-2 7 1-2 0 2 4 0 1 DeSagana Diop 8 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 0-2 0 0 0 0 0 Jason Terry 35 7-17 2-6 3-4 19 0-0 6 0 1 0 1 Shawne Williams 26 3-8 0-1 1-1 7 7-12 2 2 2 0 0 Gerald Green 1 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 1 2 0 0 James Singleton 2 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 45-88 7-17 15-20 112 15-48 25 15 21 7 7 Phoenix Suns REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Matt Barnes 32 3-7 2-4 0-2 8 2-6 2 3 5 0 0 Amare Stoudemire 33 11-21 0-0 6-6 28 2-5 2 4 5 1 1 Shaquille O'Neal 26 1-6 0-0 2-2 4 1-5 2 0 2 1 1 Raja Bell 33 2-6 1-3 0-0 5 1-5 2 0 2 1 0 Steve Nash 30 7-11 3-5 3-4 20 0-1 10 1 1 1 0 Leandro Barbosa 21 2-7 0-2 0-0 4 0-0 0 3 1 0 1 Grant Hill 21 2-8 0-1 0-0 4 1-5 1 1 1 1 1 Goran Dragic 10 2-6 0-1 3-3 7 1-2 3 1 2 0 0 Boris Diaw 24 5-7 0-0 1-2 11 1-4 0 1 3 2 0 Robin Lopez 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Sean Singletary 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 Louis Amundson 4 1-2 0-0 4-4 6 1-2 0 0 1 0 1 Totals 48 36-81 6-16 19-23 97 10-35 22 14 23 8 5 Atlanta at Dallas (December 6) It was the 2nd night of a back-to-back for Atlanta and the Hawks were without Al Horford. Antoine Wright remained out with a strained groin. The game stayed close in the 1st quarter with neither team holding more than a 4-point lead as there were 4 ties and 9 lead changes. Atlanta led 23-21 after 1. It was a repeat in the 2nd quarter as neither team made a run and 4 points was again the largest lead of the quarter and there were 4 ties and 6 lead changes in the quarter. Atlanta led 43-41 after 3. Atlanta shot 43% FG and Dallas shot 42% FG in the half. Someone finally mounted a run in the 3rd quarter. Atlanta led 43-45 with 11:30 left and Dallas scored the next 9 points to take a 52-45 lead with 8 minutes remaining. Dallas scored 9 straight points to take a 72-57 lead with a minute to go. Dallas led 74-59 after 3. Dallas out-scored Atlanta 33-16 in the 3rd quarter as J.J. Barea had 16 points. 6 straight Dallas points gave the Mavs their largest lead at 82-63 with 9 minutes remaining. Dallas led 88-71 with 5:15 to go, but the Hawks didn't give up and Dallas got sloppy. The Hawks scored the next 11 points, capped by a 3-pointer by Joe Johnson, to pull within 82-88 with 3:15 left. Consecutive jumpers by Jason Terry gave Dallas a 94-84 lead with 2 minutes to go, but Johnson and Mike Bibby each hit 3-pointers (after Dallas turnovers) to pull within 94-90 with 1:10 remaining. After Terry missed a 3-point attempt, Bibby had a layup to make it just a 2-point game. Dirk Nowitzki turned the ball over, but Josh Smith returned the favor in turning the ball over and Jason Kidd found Brandon Bass for the dunk with 27 seconds left. But Bibby hit another 3-pointer to pull Atlanta within 98-95 with 21 seconds to go. Terry was intentionally fouled and hit both free throws. Johnson missed a 3-point attempt with 9 seconds left and Bass got a dunk on the break. Johnson banked in a long 3-pointer at the final buzzer to cap the scoring. Dallas won 100-98. It was a sloppy end to what should have been another solid Dallas win. But the Mavs did manage to hang on to the win, which is all that counts in the long run. After out-scored Atlanta 33-16 in the 3rd quarter, Atlanta out-scored Dallas 39-26 in the 4th quarter. Dirk Nowitzki led the way with 24 points and 11 rebounds. J.J. Barea again started and had 22 points. Jason Terry had 19 points and Brandon Bass had 14 points as Dallas got 37 points off the bench (with Shawne Williams having the other 4 bench points). Erick Dampier had 7 points and 11 rebounds. Atlanta lost despite all 5 starters being in double-digit scoring - but they got just 8 points off the bench. 13 of Joe Johnson's game high 32 points came in the 4th quarter. 14 of Mike Bibby's 21 points came in the 4th quarter. Johnson and Bibby themselves combined to out-score Dallas in the 4th quarter (27-26). Marvin Williams had 11 points, Josh Smith (recently returned from injury) had 13 points and 9 rebounds, and Zaza Pachulia had 13 points and 12 rebounds. Quotes [sorry, never got around to hunting down more quotes] Carlisle: "We did a good job for 43 minutes. But we made some mistakes. And, listen, it's one of the burning questions about our team: How good is our level of concentration? How tough are we? Do we have the killer instinct? Can we finish games? Are we too emotionally scarred from the last 2 years? It's a microcosm of what the questions are about the team. I would tell you that it's an unbelievably important lesson, and listen, I'd rather learn having won than lost. But the players know the things that went on down the stretch were things that can't happen and there were a lot of mistakes made by all of us and we have to put it behind us." Carlisle on the successful small 3 guard lineup: "I'm a believer that anything is possible. Would I have predicted it? No." Jason Kidd on Carlisle comments about the game: "Everybody looks at it different. [Atlanta] didn't quit. We were in that same position against Indiana. We didn't stop fighting and we snuck one out maybe when we should have lost. This is one that maybe could have gone the other way, but we made plays when we had to - and up 19, it's something we have to figure out how we keep that lead and not let them get back into the game." Jason Terry: "We got another win. We're disappointed with the way we finished. But we're excited about the way we played for 45 minutes. You've got to take it." J.J. Barea: "It's just been great just being out there with the guys. Winning has been the most important thing. My confidence gets higher and higher." Mike Woodson: "We made plays down the stretch. But we had that 16-point 3rd quarter that put us behind. You can't spot this team like that. This team is too good." Dallas Mavericks 100, Atlanta Hawks 98 at Dallas (December 6) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 21 20 33 26 - 100 .544 .188 .476 .810 Atlanta 23 20 16 39 - 98 .491 .364 .453 .759 Halftime: Atlanta 43-41 3rd Q: Dallas 74-59 Technicals: Dallas defensive 3 seconds 11:17 1st, Ronald Murray (Atl) 10:47 2nd Refs: Scott Foster, Rodney Mott, Derek Richardson Attendance: 19,966 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Antoine Wright (strained groin), Al Horford (Atl, sprained ankle) IL: Dallas - Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse Atlanta - Speedy Claxton, Thomas Gardner, Othello Hunter Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Devean George 23 3-4 2-3 0-0 8 0-2 0 0 3 1 0 Dirk Nowitzki 35 9-17 0-0 6-6 24 2-11 3 4 3 0 0 Erick Dampier 20 2-5 0-0 3-5 7 6-11 2 1 0 1 0 J.J. Barea 32 9-18 0-3 4-5 22 0-2 4 1 1 0 0 Jason Kidd 33 1-5 0-3 0-0 2 0-6 8 3 1 4 0 Brandon Bass 20 7-9 0-0 0-0 14 3-6 1 0 3 0 0 Jason Terry 35 7-18 1-5 4-5 19 0-2 1 3 1 2 0 DeSagana Diop 21 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 2-4 0 2 6 0 1 Shawne Williams 21 2-7 0-2 0-0 4 1-4 0 2 4 0 1 Totals 48 40-84 3-16 17-21 100 14-48 19 17 22 8 2 Atlanta Hawks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Marvin Williams 38 3-10 1-4 4-4 11 2-6 1 1 2 1 0 Josh Smith 39 3-9 0-1 7-11 13 2-9 3 3 4 1 1 Zaza Pachulia 35 4-7 0-0 5-5 13 4-12 1 4 4 2 2 Joe Johnson 39 12-22 5-10 3-5 32 0-2 2 2 5 0 0 Mike Bibby 38 9-18 2-5 1-1 21 1-5 5 3 1 3 1 Solomon Jones 13 2-2 0-0 0-1 4 1-2 1 2 2 0 0 Maurice Evans 19 1-4 0-1 0-0 2 0-1 0 1 0 0 0 Acie Law 10 0-1 0-0 2-2 2 0-1 2 1 1 1 0 Ronald Murray 9 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 0-1 0 2 1 0 0 Totals 48 34-75 8-22 22-29 98 10-39 15 19 20 8 4 San Antonio at Dallas (December 9) Both teams held small leads early on. Dallas scored 6 straight points to take a 16-11 lead with 3:10 remaining. Jason Kidd hit a shot at the quarter buzzer to give Dallas a 22-17 lead after 1. San Antonio scored the first bucket of the 2nd quarter, but Dallas then scored the next 8 points, capped by a 3-pointer by Jason Terry, to take a 30-19 lead with 9:50 to go, but could get their lead no larger. Dallas led 36-27 with 6:45 left, but San Antonio went on a 14-2 run to take a 41-38 lead with 3:30 left. Tony Parker hit a jumper as the quarter ended to give San Antonio a 47-45 lead at the half. San Antonio out-scored Dallas 30-23 in the 2nd quarter. Dallas scored the first 7 points of the 3rd quarter to take a 53-47 lead with 9:55 remaining, but Dallas could get their lead no larger than 7 points in the quarter. A 3-pointer by Antoine Wright gave Dallas a 72-88 lead with 3:40 to go, but a goof by Dallas kicked off 7 straight Spurs points and San Antonio held a small lead (no larger than 3 points) the rest of the quarter. After a Spurs missed jumper, with no Spurs around, the defensive rebound squired out of Jason Kidd's hands and went up in the air and into San Antonio's basket - Matt Bonner (who really wasn't close) was credited with the bucket and rebound as being the nearest Spur. San Antonio led 81-79 after 3. After 2 free throws by Manu Ginobili, J.J. Barea scored 7 straight points to give Dallas an 86-83 lead with 10:20 minutes left and the game stayed close with both teams holding small leads. A 3-pointer by Michael Finley gave San Antonio a 101-96 lead with 5:20 to go. Barea hit a 3-pointer and (after a minute of misses) Kidd hit a 3-pointer to give Dallas a 104-103 lead with 3:25 left. Barea hit 1-2 FT and Parker tied the game with a jumper with 1:55 to go. Parker then stole the ball and got a layup on the break, but Dirk Nowitzki answered with a jumper to tie the game with 1:25 left. It was a series of missed opportunities by both teams of the rest of the 4th as Finley stepped out of bounds, Terry missed inside, Ginobili missed a 3-pointer but Finley got the rebound but Erick Dampier blocked Finley's layup attempt, and Nowitzki missed a 3-pointer with 15 seconds remaining. The Spurs held the ball for a final shot and Parker missed and we headed to overtime at 107-107. There were 5 ties and 6 lead changes in the 4th quarter. Barea had 12 points in the quarter. Tim Duncan hit a jumper to open the overtime and Parker hit 1-2 FT, but Barea and Nowitzki each hit a jumper to give Dallas a 1-point lead. Ginobili nailed a 3-pointer and Duncan got a putback to give San Antonio a 115-111 lead with 2:40 remaining. After Terry hit 2 free throws, the teams traded a series of misses. After a missed Dallas 3-point attempt, Parker pushed the ball with Terry trailing behind and Terry fouled him hard to prevent the layup and a flagrant foul was (correctly) called with 45 seconds left. But he only hit 1-2 FT and then missed a shot to leave the door open. Dallas passed the ball around and found Kidd in the corner and he launched a 3-pointer and nailed it to tie the game with 19 seconds left. San Antonio ran the clock down and Ginobili missed a runner - but he went too soon and Dallas called a timeout and the refs put 1.1 seconds back on the clock. But Nowitzki missed a 3-point attempt and we had a 2nd overtime at 116-116. Duncan again started the overtime with a jumper, but Nowitzki answered. Duncan got a putback and Barea hit 2 free throws. Duncan hit a jumper and Nowitzki missed. But Terry stole the ball and drained a quick 3-pointer to give Dallas a 123-122 lead with 3 minutes remaining. Parker hit a jumper and Kidd got 2 inside as both teams scored of 4 of their first 5 possessions of the 2nd overtime. After passing the ball around, Duncan found an open Bruce Bowen in the corner and he nailed a 3-pointer to give San Antonio a 127-125 lead with 1:45 to go. Terry turned the ball over, but Duncan missed, and the ball was passed to Dampier inside and he was fouled. He missed the 1st and hit the 2nd (shot 5-6 FT, extremely good for Damp) and San Antonio led by 1-point with a minute remaining. Ginobili found Duncan for a layup and Barea missed a pull-up 15-footer with 30 seconds left. Roger Mason was intentionally fouled and hit both free throws. Nowitzki missed a 3-point attempt and 2 more free throws by Mason capped the scoring. San Antonio won 133-126 in 2 overtimes. It was a barn-burner of a game in what is usually a tight matchup (the Dallas blowout of the Spurs earlier this season being the exception, not the rule). Too bad that this great game wasn't nationally televised (as all Dal-SA games should be). Unfortunately the Mavs came up a hair short in this one. I couldn't help thinking that if it wasn't for the bad luck of a defense rebound squirting out of Jason Kidd's hands into the Spurs' basket, Dallas would have won in regulation - goes to show that small things can make a difference in a game. But neither team has anything to be disappointed with their performances - San Antonio just hit one more clutch shot than Dallas (Bruce Bowen's 3-pointer). But in the long run, it does go down as a loss for Dallas and that's all that really counts. As would be expected in a tight, 2-overtime game, the numbers were pretty similar. The most amazing number of the night was that San Antonio had just 7 turnovers (in a 58 minute game) [helps explain the large points-off-turnovers difference - San Antonio 22, Dallas 8 - a stat that Dallas usually dominates]. As expected, the stars shined, and played heavy minutes. Tim Duncan had 32 points and 14 rebounds in 50 minutes. Tony Parker had 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 10 assists in 48 minutes. Manu Ginobili had 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists. Dirk Nowitzki had 35 points, but should have had more as the Spurs matched Dallas' small lineup and Michael Finley was at times guarding Nowitzki late in regulation and the overtimes - a mismatch Dallas should have immediately attacked instead of Nowitzki pausing waiting for the double-team. Jason Kidd had 24 points including 10-15 FG, 8 rebounds, and 12 assists. J.J. Barea had 21 points and 5 assists before fouling out at the end of the game. The Spurs paid him the ultimate complement by subbing in defensive specialist Bruce Bowen to guard Barea in the 4th quarter. Jason Terry had 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists, but also had 6 turnovers. Antoine Wright returned to action after missing the previous 3 games with a strained groin. Quotes Gregg Popovich: "It was a great game. I don't know what else to say, but it was a great game. You know the trite comment that either team could have won easily is absolutely true. We were thrilled to get it done in the end. For the most part, these are pretty close games and they come down to the wire. There is a lot of respect there and a lot of competitiveness and the fans were treated to a great game. I don't know how it could be any better." Popovich: "I don't know what the percentages were, but, you know, people were making jump shots and people were scoring. I think both teams were working hard and both teams executed really well. Barea, he was ridiculous, he was fantastic. We talked about that before the game how well he has been playing. This might have been even a little better than what he has been doing. He is earning his dough, that is for sure." Popovich on Duncan: "He's been doing it for 12 years, it didn't just happen. He's a Hall of Fame basketball player, just like Dirk is for Dallas. He is the guy we are going to go to and everybody feeds off of that." Popovich on Bowen: "Bruce has been a complete stud. He started for a long time and I have him coming off the bench now and he's handled it just like Manu has handled it in the past - with class - and he's supporting his teammates and just doing what he can to help us win a basketball game. He's been a real pro." Popovich on having Parker back: "You bet it is. Dallas would love to have Josh back. It certainly helps out a great deal and probably made a difference. Every team in the NBA wants to have their stud. It makes games a whole lot more fun." Tim Duncan on if it was like a playoff game: "Yeah, yeah it was. It was all the way from beginning to end. They got a jump on us early and I thought we did a really good job of sticking with it. The shots weren't going and things were going down for them. We kind of fought through it and got back in the game. It was double-overtime, just a great game by both teams, fighting through ups and downs." Duncan on hitting the first shot of the 1st overtime: "Yeah, I hit that first one and I wish I could have hit one of the last ones to kind of ice it. We were up 2 and I had a shot to put us up 4. Luckily we just continued to fight and we won that one. So it was a great victory for us." Duncan on Bowen's 3-pointer: "Bruce is always ready and that's his shot. We've been making that pass-and-catch-and-shot for a lot of years now. He stepped up and hit a big one for us. He's always going to be ready to go. They called on him to step up and give us some defensive help down the stretch there and I thought he did a great job." Duncan on Barea: "J.J. did great. He changed the game himself for stretches there. It's something we weren't used to from these guys and something we'll have to be ready for next time. He did a great job really moving the ball. Obviously with Jason [Kidd] and Jason [Terry] out there, both of those guys we're used to how they move. It's another guy we're going to have to get used to." Tony Parker: "It was like a marathon. I'm just happy we came out on the good end." Parker on Dallas' 3-guard lineup: "It was kind of weird for us. We haven't seen them play like that. With JET, Kidd, and Barea out there it was a different look. It was like [Barea] was a franchise out there. He was running every single play. He looked a little bit like Steve Nash dribbling like 100 times. Sometimes it's tough to guard that because you never know what he's going to do." Rick Carlisle: "I thought our undoing was probably in the 2nd quarter where they had a 30 point quarter and kind of got going offensively. We did a great job in the 1st quarter, defensively, on them. And then as well as we played in the 3rd, we were only able to tie. So it that was tough. We did a good job getting it into overtime because we played from behind most of the time in the 4th. So it's disappointing. It was a great game. It was a lot of great basketball and they just made a couple of more plays at key times than we were able to make." Carlisle on the 3 Js: "Well, Kidd and Terry and Barea all played big games for us. All 3 of them did a lot of good things." Carlisle: "The whole grind away thing in a 250-point game, I don't know if I can buy into that. These are all great games. We just were good enough over however many minutes it was. We've got to regroup and then we've got 3 more really important games on this homestand and then we've got to go on the road so we don't have a lot of time to hang our heads on this." Carlisle on his centers (Dampier and Bass): "Well, Bass started the 2nd overtime. So it was just a situation where we needed to have Damp in there defensively otherwise Duncan was scoring every time that we were playing man-up zone. Damp played great - he's been playing great all year. One of the things about playing a team like San Antonio is they're going to force you to have one of your better defenders in the game. You can't always have 5 offensive players. I like the way Damp plays. He's been playing great all year and he played really well again tonight." Carlisle on Barea [and tiring of questions about Barea]: "His job is to play well. All our guys' jobs are to play well. His job is to be aggressive, to attack, scramble on defense, and take shots when they're there. And try to get the ball in the rim. He played well again." Jason Kidd on the loss: "It's tough, especially the way we have been playing, and we wanted to protect this homestand. It was a pretty entertaining game all the way around. We wish we would have been on the other end of the stick, but it's something we can learn from. We had our chances and they made shots when they had to." Kidd: "I think anybody that watched the game, came to the game, or participated in the game - this was a great game. Nobody wanted to lose, nobody wanted to go home. We had our chances in the 1st overtime, but came up a little short in the end." Kidd on the loss: "It's tough, especially the way we have been playing. If we play like we did tonight, we can win a lot of games." Kidd on Barea: "J.J. has been great. He's given us a spark on both ends of the court and he's been running the show very well. He works extremely hard and that hard work is paying off." J.J. Barea: "I think we played all right. It was a good game both ways. They played better down the stretch. They hit some key 3-pointers that hurt us. We've got to keep our heads up and keep fighting." Barea on his 4th quarter: "I hit a couple of buckets in a row, coach kept calling that pick-and-roll for me and I just kept being aggressive." San Antonio Spurs 133, Dallas Mavericks 126 2OT at Dallas (December 9) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT 2OT - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% San Antonio 17 30 34 26 9 17 - 133 .528 .400 .490 .862 Dallas 22 23 34 28 9 10 - 126 .565 .375 .516 .750 Halftime: San Antonio 47-45 3rd Q: San Antonio 81-79 4th Q: 107-107 OT: 116-116 Technicals: San Antonio defensive 3 seconds 2:37 2nd, Dallas defensive 3 seconds 7:42 4th Flagrant fouls: Jason Terry (level 1) 0:43 OT Refs: Tom Washington, Tony Brothers, Eric Lewis Attendance: 19,937 (sellout) IL: San Antonio - Blake Ahearn, Ian Mahinmi, Anthony Tolliver Dallas - Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse San Antonio Spurs REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Michael Finley 37 5-15 3-7 0-0 13 1-5 3 3 2 0 1 Tim Duncan 50 12-20 0-0 8-9 32 3-14 4 0 4 2 1 Matt Bonner 30 5-5 3-3 0-0 13 2-4 0 0 1 0 0 Manu Ginobili 42 7-21 2-9 2-2 18 1-6 8 1 1 1 1 Tony Parker 48 12-25 0-0 5-8 29 0-5 10 2 2 3 0 Kurt Thomas 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1-3 0 0 1 1 1 Roger Mason 27 3-7 1-4 5-5 12 0-2 1 0 4 0 0 George Hill 12 2-3 0-0 3-3 7 0-0 2 0 2 0 0 Fabricio Oberto 8 2-2 0-0 2-2 6 0-2 0 0 1 0 0 Bruce Bowen 27 1-2 1-2 0-0 3 0-1 0 0 4 0 0 Totals 58 49-100 10-25 25-29 133 8-42 28 7 22 7 4 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Devean George 24 1-5 0-2 0-0 2 1-3 0 1 0 0 0 Dirk Nowitzki 52 16-33 0-6 3-5 35 0-10 2 2 0 0 1 Erick Dampier 37 2-2 0-0 5-6 9 1-8 4 1 5 0 1 J.J. Barea 40 8-16 2-3 3-4 21 1-2 5 0 6 0 0 Jason Kidd 46 10-15 3-6 1-1 24 2-8 12 3 3 2 1 Jason Terry 46 6-14 3-6 4-4 19 1-9 4 6 2 1 0 Antoine Wright 18 2-3 1-1 2-2 7 0-1 0 0 2 0 0 DeSagana Diop 14 0-0 0-0 0-2 0 1-2 0 0 2 0 1 Brandon Bass 13 3-5 0-0 3-4 9 2-5 1 0 0 0 0 Totals 58 48-93 9-24 21-28 126 9-48 28 13 20 3 4 patricia