Houston (23-16) at Dallas (31-8) (January 21) In a change from the past 3 games, Dallas had their shooting touch to open the game and shot out to an 18-6 lead with 7:15 left as the team shot 7-9 FG. We knew that kind of shooting wouldn't last and Dallas missed their next 3 shots and Houston rattled off the next 9 points to pull within 15-18 with 5 minutes to go. Houston hit 4 straight free throws to take their first lead of the game at 23-22 with 2:30 remaining. Dallas answered by scoring the next 6 points and led 30-27 after 1. Steve Francis had 13 points and Michael Finley had 10 points. The 2nd quarter was all Dallas as they had their offense and defense clicking and Houston was turning over the ball like crazy. Dallas used a monster 25-6 run to go up 55-33 with 3:30 to go. Dallas led 59-40 at the half. Dirk Nowitzki, who was scoreless in the 1st quarter, had 12 points. For the half, Dallas shot 49% FG and Houston shot 40% FG. Dallas had 17 assists and Houston had just 3 assists. But the key stat was that Houston had already committed 14 turnovers which Dallas converted into 21 points while Dallas had just 3 turnovers off of which Houston had 2 points. Houston pulled within 46-61 with 9:50 left, but Dallas went on an 11-2 run, with a 3-pointer by Michael Finley and 8 points from Nowitzki, to take their largest lead at 72-48 with 7 minutes to go. Houston scored 12 consecutive points as Dallas missed 5 straight shots to pull within 62-74 with 2:30 remaining, but Dallas scored the next 4 points to end the run. Walt Williams missed with time running out, and players pogoed under the basket tapping the ball and Finley went up again in a crowd and tapped the ball in as the buzzer sounded to give Dallas an 82-66 lead after 3. The refs were whistle happy during the quarter as there were 24 free throws attempted (12 by each team). Dallas led 85-70 with 9 minutes to go and went on a 12-3 run, capped by consecutive back breaking 3-pointers by Nowitzki that surrounded a free throw by Francis, to take a commanding lead at 97-73 with 6 minutes remaining. The scrubs came in at that point and Dallas led in the 20s the rest of the game. Dallas won 107-86. I guess all the Mavs needed was a night in their own bed. The team looked vastly different than they had during the 4 game road trip. Their offense and defense was working well (with, as expected, lapses here and there). It helped that Houston was playing a really sloppy game and only had one player clicking. The key stat of the game easily was turnovers. Houston committed 26 turnovers which Dallas converted into 30 points and Dallas committed just 9 turnovers which Houston converted into 5 points. Houston's turnovers permitted Dallas to attempt 21 more field goals than Houston. Dallas' 2nd half shooting dropped their shooting percentage to 41.9% FG while Houston had consistently poor shooting and finished shooting 38.5% FG. Houston lost despite out-rebounding Dallas (46-37) and shooting more free throws (a very high 35-43 FT to 27-28 FT). Dallas also played the team game in having 22 assists while Houston had just 8 assists. The big 3 lead the way for Dallas with all 3 shooting 50% FG or better and each made 7 field goals. Dirk Nowitzki was the high man with 26 points including 10-10 FT and 8 rebounds. He did sit for good chunks of time due to foul trouble. Steve Nash had 20 points and 8 assists, but did have 5 turnovers. He had a sweet rebound-touch pass to Finley under the basket for the easy 2. Nash also extended his string of consecutive free throws made to 45. Michael Finley was fairly quiet after his strong 1st quarter and finished with 19 points. But the hero of the game didn't have gaudy stats. Raef LaFrentz started and was a key factor in Yao Ming being a non-factor in the game and shutting down the middle. LaFrentz had 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 blocks, including 3 on Yao. Raja Bell also was a factor without much stat wise with his defense and hustle. Bell had 7 points and 3 rebounds in 27 minutes. After lots of ugly misses, Antoine Rigaudeau got his first NBA bucket on a driving layup with less than a minute left in the game. Houston was a one-man show this night. I feared that Steve Francis was going to come out like a ball of fire after his dismal outing the night before (he had just 4 points and sat the 4th quarter while his teammates made a comeback and it was a tight game) and he did. Fortunately, he didn't get much help. Francis was all over the court and made some spectacular players (and a couple of non-called travels with those) and finished with 26 points on 8-17 Fg and 9-11 FT, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. He did have 6 turnovers, though. Cuttino Mobley was the only other Rocket in double-digits with 16 points. He also had 7 rebounds. Yao Ming was ineffective in this game, partly due to being a rookie and partly due to Raef LaFrentz's defense. He had just 6 points including 2-6 FG, 5 rebounds, 5 turnovers, and 0 blocks in 22 minutes. Starters James Posey had 7 points including 1-6 FG and 5 rebounds and Maurice Taylor had 6 points including 2-6 FG and 5 rebounds. Kelvin Cato did have 10 rebounds, but only had 3 points on 0-1 FG and 3-6 FT. Quotes Don Nelson: "It's good to win again. It seems like a month instead of a week since we won. We did all the things that we have been preaching the last couple of losses on the road that we hadn't been able to do. It took a few days to sink in. Our ball movement was really good and sound. 22 assists shows that we were making the extra pass. The steals indicate that we were aggressive and the Rockets performance indicates that they were in a back-to-back. We won't too much out of it. It was probably a hard game for them after they played San Antonio last night and had a big win over the Lakers a couple of days before. I was very pleased with our play most of the time. Of course we had a couple of lapses, but other than that it was a pretty solid performance." Nelson: "Raef was terrific and we gave him some support on double teams of Yao. Mainly he played him himself and really rose to the occasion. I thought Yao played like a rookie, which he is supposed to do sometimes and it is a learning process for him. Let's not forget when Nowitzki was a rookie how he struggled and I am sure Yao is going through the same things. He is soon to be a great, great player." Nelson: "I started Bell because I needed energy. He did everything that I hoped he would do. He moved the ball, ran the break, guarded, he was tough. It was good to see again. I had been playing him inconsistently because his play had been inconsistent. We needed something and I made the move and started him. I thought the team was searching some help from us. We changed some of our coverages and strategies, which I thought were very successful. I thought the main thing was our ball movement and our activity on our defense and their back-to-back." Nelson on ending the losing streak: "As Philadelphia can attest, these things can get out of hand in a hurry. Until you nip it, you always have to be concerned because you know it can go the other way. Now, this sets us up for the next road trip with some positive energy." Nelson on Rigaudeau: "He's not a disruptive player. I think his skills fit into the team concept. He was very aggressive shooting the ball tonight. That was okay. He will settle in and will be a good team player. I think he is just what the doctor ordered. He only made one shot tonight and that is okay. There needs to be a blend period. I am a little careful in those areas. I want to make sure that Bell and Griffin play first. I thought that was important to keep that going. Eventually they will all be teammates, all play together, and all make beautiful music together." Michael Finley when told about Francis comments: "It's hard being the 2nd or 3rd best team in Texas." Dirk Nowitzki: "Last time [against Houston], we played a lot of zone, and Yao got a lot of dunks. This time, Raef played him head up and he blocked a few of his shots and made Yao run the floor with him. It was a big difference." Nowitzki: "Raja was huge at the beginning. They kind of played off him and he made some big jumpers at the beginning. He's an energy player. He hustles; he gets offensive rebounds; he's a great defender, probably our best defender." Nowitzki: "We were just in a little slump. Everyone was a little flat the last couple of games. Nobody was running the floor, being aggressive on defense. We just went back to a layup drill out there. So today we wanted to make sure we were aggressive on both ends of the floor and make things happen and we did." Nowitzki: "The problem on the road trip was that we were lacking energy, so tonight we needed to get back to running and being aggressive. It was a good team effort." Nowitzki: "I was a little broke in the 1st quarter. I was just trying to keep aggressive and get to the line a little bit. Hitting a couple of free throws helped a little bit." Steve Nash on the win: "It was important because Houston has been a good team this year and they're dangerous. We haven't been playing well lately and we're going back east again so we really needed this one and we're glad we got it." Nash: "We had a lot more energy defensively. We had a lot more commitment and fire. We trusted each other and we were really there for each other and that's how this team has to play. That's how we played early on when we played well defensively." Nash on the losing streak: "Sometimes there are nights where you just don't have the legs or the energy. We've played so many games and you just can't play on the same level every night. Sometimes you have to find other ways to win. That's what we weren't able to do our last couple of games. But tonight we played with a lot of energy and got the win." Nash: "Sometimes you have to find other ways to win when you don't have your legs. That's kind of what we weren't able to do when we played these last 3 games. We just didn't have a lot of energy or a lot of legs and we didn't find another way to win." Nash: "Raef was great. He played really well on both ends of the floor and especially on Yao he did a tremendous job of making it difficult for him and really shutting him out of the game." Nash on Rigaudeau: "He's one of the best shooters on the floor. It's really difficult to come all the way over from Europe, join a new team, a new culture and step right in there. Everyone is waiting for you to make one and that's a tough situation. He's going to make a lot of shots for us if he gets the opportunity. He's a very good shooter and I'm glad he made one, though maybe it will take a little of the pressure off." Raef LaFrentz on defending Yao: "He was my defensive assignment, but I did have help. Our defensive approach was simpler tonight than it has been in the past. Houston has a lot of weapons. Steve [Francis] and Cuttino are great one-on-one players so it's my job to clog up the middle. It was my job to not let Yao get easy buckets right under the basket." LaFrentz on defending Yao and his blocks: "He just got the ball a lot and I tried to time it and get my hands on it. I just tried to meet him and put a body on him and not let him get to the hole." LaFrentz on if he thought Yao was frustrated: "You can't really read him. He doesn't talk a lot." LaFrentz on Bell: "He was big tonight. He hit some big shots and got us rolling early on both ends. Everyone in this locker room has a role. Some players have more expected of them than others and are more of a focal point offensively. Dirk, Steve, and Mike play a lot of minutes and any rest we can get those guys will be beneficial down the road." LaFrentz on the losing streak: "We needed to stop the bleeding 2 games ago. We were playing hard and playing strong, but it just didn't seem we had the pep in our step that we normally do. Tonight it felt like it was back and we were hitting some shots and feeling good about our game." Raja Bell on ending the losing streak: "We needed to stop the bleeding. Actually, we needed to stop the bleeding 2 games ago after getting beat at Sacramento." Avery Johnson: "This was the difference between losing 4 in a row and going on the road to Philadelphia, plus losing to a team in your division. This was a must win for us. And I really like the way we responded. It was a convincing win against a terrific basketball team, a team that had been playing awfully good lately." Rudy Tomjanovich on Dallas' defense: "I thought Don Nelson mixed it up pretty good. They still do things where they will switch some times, which makes you really have to execute. I was really happy with our effort. I thought we played hard, we just didn't play smart. Our decision making wasn't bad, it was horrible. We just talked about it at halftime, some guys got it and some didn't; we try to do too much with a possession. I thought they did a great job starting that game. Our plan was that we weren't going to give up lay-ups. We were going to lay off some of their lesser scorers, and they just passed the ball to that guy and the guy made the shot. They executed very well. They read the defense. I thought we fought the defense." Tomjanovich on the lack of assists: "We talked about it at halftime. Some guys got it, some didn't. We were trying to do too much with a possession. We did a pretty damn good job defensively and rebounding. We were just horrible on making decisions. We wanted that quick, 'Get out of my way, I'm going in there.' They know we got good first-option players. We just have to move the ball to the next guy." Tomjanovich on Yao: "I think he is tired. Just talking with the coaches, we think he should take the next 2 days off and rest. He is not a mistake player and he had 5 turnovers in 22 minutes, which is a lot for him. This is a tough league for everybody, but what he has gone through, I think he needs to get his batter recharged and I think it will start happening again." Tomjanovich on 26 turnovers: "Poor decisions. That was the game right there. I think we present some problems for them, defensively, just like they do to everybody. Our decisions were bad. I got more passes coming to me right on the numbers." Tomjanovich on the turnovers: "Poor decisions. That was the game right there. Our decisions were bad. I got more passes coming to me. I had a couple right on the numbers. They still do things when they switch sometimes which makes you really have to execute. We played hard, we just didn't play smart. Our decision-making wasn't bad, it was really horrible." Tomjanovich: "When you shoot 43 free throws and out-rebound a team, you figure the game is going to be close, but 30 points off turnovers ... holy Moses! We had horrible decision making." Steve Francis on Dallas playing mostly man-to-man defense: "I am surprised. That's why I was so mad, because they beat us playing man-to-man. I never thought that team could beat us playing man-to-man." Francis on the turnovers: "I think there were a lot of careless passes. It was like a chain - started from one guy and went to the next guy and everybody had miscues on a lot of plays. Against a team that likes to run up and down the court and take a lot of jump shots, you can't really do that because they will capitalize at the other end." Francis on Dallas: "They've got a lot of work to do, just like we do, too. They know they have a lot of stuff to work on." Francis: "I thought my defense was excellent tonight. I thought I played good defense individually, but individually doesn't work. You have to have everyone on the same page defensively, and that's where you want to start. I thought that all year we have been playing well defensively as a team." Cuttino Mobley: "We just didn't take care of the ball like we should have, that's all. I guess we were a little anxious." Mobley: "They played well, we didn't. You're supposed to protect your home. We got them 2 times in Houston. We have to protect our home, so we'll see." Yao Ming: "I felt I had good opportunities, I just didn't put the ball in the basket." Maurice Taylor: "They played pretty good defense, but we missed some shots. We didn't really play well. We didn't move the ball around. We were stagnant in our offense. We just didn't play well. You could say that they played good defense; you can't take anything away from them because they are a good team, but we didn't really play well today." Dallas Mavericks 107, Houston Rockets 86 at Dallas (January 21) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 30 29 23 25 - 107 .412 .444 .419 .964 Houston 27 13 26 20 - 86 .407 .167 .385 .814 Halftime: Dallas 59-40 3rd Q: Dallas 82-66 Technicals: Raja Bell 3:16 3rd Refs: David Jones, LeRoy Richardson, Mike Callahan Attendance: 20,104 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Eddie Griffin (tight back) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Michael Finley 32 7-14 1-2 4-4 19 2-4 2 0 1 1 0 Dirk Nowitzki 32 7-15 2-4 10-10 26 0-8 2 0 4 4 1 Raef LaFrentz 26 2-5 0-1 4-4 8 1-3 3 1 5 3 5 Raja Bell 27 3-9 1-1 0-0 7 2-3 1 0 3 1 0 Steve Nash 29 7-12 2-2 4-4 20 2-4 8 5 0 2 0 Walt Williams 26 2-6 1-3 4-4 9 1-3 1 0 5 1 0 Nick Van_Exel 14 2-9 1-4 1-2 6 0-1 2 0 2 1 0 Adrian Griffin 21 3-4 0-0 0-0 6 2-4 2 1 4 1 0 Antoine Rigaudeau 11 1-7 0-1 0-0 2 1-2 1 0 2 0 0 Popeye Jones 9 2-2 0-0 0-0 4 3-4 0 1 1 0 0 Shawn Bradley 7 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 0 1 4 1 0 Avery Johnson 6 0-3 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 48 36-86 8-18 27-28 107 14-37 22 9 32 15 6 Houston Rockets REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Maurice Taylor 27 2-7 0-0 4-4 8 1-3 2 3 3 0 1 James Posey 29 1-6 0-2 5-6 7 2-5 0 1 2 0 0 Yao Ming 22 2-6 0-0 2-2 6 3-5 0 5 2 0 0 Steve Francis 42 8-17 1-2 9-11 26 2-8 4 6 4 4 2 Cuttino Mobley 34 4-10 0-1 8-9 16 3-7 0 3 4 0 0 Juaquin Hawkins 9 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 1-1 0 0 0 0 0 Moochie Norris 18 3-5 0-0 1-1 7 0-1 2 1 3 0 0 Terence Morris 18 2-3 0-0 0-0 4 1-2 0 2 2 0 0 Bostjan Nachbar 17 1-5 0-1 3-4 5 2-4 0 2 3 0 0 Kelvin Cato 18 0-1 0-0 3-6 3 3-10 0 2 2 0 0 Jason Collier 6 2-3 0-0 0-0 4 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 Totals 48 25-65 1-6 35-43 86 18-46 8 26 25 4 3 patricia