Michael Finley has missed 5 games due to his sprained right big toe. He did travel with the team for the Portland-Sacramento road trip and hopes to play tonight. Shawn Bradley has missed the last 4 games due to back spasms and did not travel with the team for the mini-road trip as the doctors recommend rest. Toronto at Dallas (December 15) The Mavs were once again without Michael Finley and Shawn Bradley. Despite that, Dallas held a small lead for most of the 1st quarter - no larger than 6 points. Lonny Baxter converted the 3-point play with 28 seconds left (and Antoine Walker missed 2 free throws with 7 seconds left) to give Toronto a 29-28 lead after 1 - their first lead of the game. Toronto opened the 2nd quarter with a 13-6 run to go up 42-34 with 7:50 remaining. The Mavs were unable to get closer than 3 points the rest of the quarter and a 3-pointer by Morris Peterson gave Toronto their largest lead at 54-44 with a minute to go. Steve Nash hit 2 free throws with less than a second left in the quarter. Toronto led 54-46 at the half. Dallas only shot 7-25 FG in the 2nd quarter. A 3-pointer and dunk by Vince Carter gave Toronto their largest lead of the game at 63-50 with 9:50 to go. Dallas finally found a run and went on a 15-2 run to tie the game at 65-65 with 5:45 remaining. Toronto answered by scoring the next 7 points. After trading buckets, it was Dallas' turn to rally and the Mavs went on a 10-2 run to close the quarter and go up 77-76 after 3. Nash and Walker had 9 points and Carter had 11 points in the quarter. Dallas was unable to build any distance with the Raptors early in the 4th quarter and Dallas led 82-81 with 8:25 left. Dallas then went on a 12-2 run, with 7 points by Walker, to go up 94-83 with 5:35 left. The teams traded 2 free throws over the next minute and Toronto would get no closer than 10 points the rest of the way. The Mavs scores 7 straight points near the end of the game to make the final margin not indicative of the game. Dallas won 111-94. It wasn't an easy one and it wasn't the blowout that the final score made it seem. Toronto lost their shooting touch in the 4th quarter and Dallas took full advantage as the Mavs out-scored Toronto 34-18 in the 4th. Toronto shot 50% FG through 3 quarters and just 5-18 FG in the 4th. For the game, Dallas shot 47.2% (42-89) FG including 11-24 3-pointers and Toronto shot 45.5% (35-77) FG including 8-21 3-pointers. Both teams shot 16-20 FT. Dallas out-rebounded Toronto 49-39 including 17-10 offensive [after being one of the worst offensive rebounding teams in the league last season, Dallas is one of the best this season]. Toronto committed 19 turnovers while Dallas had 12. The win gave Don Nelson sole possession of 2nd place on the all time coaching wins list with 1,111 wins (passing Pat Riley's 1,110 wins and behind Lenny Wilkens' 1,292 wins). It was also Nelson's 3,000 NBA game as a player or coach - only Wilkens has played and coached in more at 3,401 games. Antoine Walker was the high man with 27 points including 5-9 3-pointers and had 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Steve Nash had 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 11 assists. Antawn Jamison had 23 points including 10-16 FG - 13 of his points came in the 4th quarter - and 9 rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki had a terrible game with 14 points including 4-13 FG and 5 rebounds in 33 minutes. Rookie Josh Howard had a very nice outing with his 3rd double-double of the season with 14 points including 6-9 FG and 14 rebounds. Tony Delk had 10 points. It was basically a 6-man rotation as Danny Fortson, Marquis Daniels, and Eduardo Najera combined for no points and 4 rebounds in 22 minutes. Vince Carter had a quiet 21 points and 5 assists. Donyell Marshall had 18 points and 8 rebounds. Rookie Chris Bosh had a nice home coming [and is more polished than I thought he'd be - saw him in the Global Games 2 years ago and thought he'd definitely would make it in the NBA, but would be very raw unless he stayed in college for a while]. He had 14 points and 8 rebounds. Alvin Williams and Morris Peterson had 11 points each. Quotes Don Nelson: "We had to work way too hard for that win. I was hoping we would have had a good carryover form the Laker win, but that didn't seem to happen. We didn't have enough energy at the beginning of the game as far as I was concerned." Nelson: "We had to work way too hard for that win. We didn't have enough energy at the start. At halftime, the players had to decide if they wanted to win it, and they decided that they did." Nelson: "I thought Josh Howard played outstanding again. I'm here to tell you Mavs fans, we got a player in that young kid. He gets better with every game. He's got a great sense and understands his mistakes and does something about them. He's definitely carved his way into the rotation, whether Mike is playing or not. Even when Mike comes back, Josh is going to be on the floor somewhere." Nelson on shortening his rotation: "I have to make a decision on the backup point, and there are not a lot of minutes. It's better to play one guy 14 minutes than two guys 7 each." Nelson on passing Pat Riley on the career coaching list: "I'm just glad it's over so we can stop talking about it." Nelson: "There are a lot of great coaches in this league around the 60% winning level. Anybody around that level is a great coach and that's not me. I'm a good coach who's had a lot of longevity. I'm not a great coach like Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, Red Auerbach, or Lenny Wilkens." Dirk Nowitzki: "It's going to take me a few more games for sure to get my conditioning back." Steve Nash on Nelson: "He's a Hall of Fame coach and it's great to play for him. It's special to be part of this milestone." Antoine Walker on the 1st half: "We weren't playing aggressive. We were just lollygagging around. Our defensive intensity picked up. We were able to get out and run. That gave us some easy opportunities on the other side." Antawn Jamison on Dallas' 3rd quarter run: "We knew exactly what we needed to do. We got the timeout and guys just took it upon their shoulders to hold up their end of the bargain and make it hard for them to score." Jamison: "We were definitely disappointed in the 1st half. We were lackadaisical. We weren't helping each other out. They came out in the 2nd half blazing. We got the timeout and guys just put it on their shoulders to hold up their end of the bargain." Josh Howard: "It's nice [to be in the rotation], but I can't let it go to my head. You never know what to expect. I made some mistakes in this game and Nellie let me know about it." Travis Best on being out of the rotation: "It's disappointing because I know I can still add a dimension to this team with my speed. But as long as this team wins, if it requires me bringing energy from a seat on the bench, that's what I'll do." Kevin O'Neill: "They wore us down. They shot the heck out of the 3-point line in the 4th quarter and took over the game." O'Neill: "We did a good job of controlling the tempo in the 1st half, but when you take some quick shots and turn the ball over, they are going to run out and get some easy plays. We played the way they wanted to play and they shot the heck out of it in the 4th quarter." O'Neill: "We did a good job controlling tempo in the 1st half. We kept things to a less than frantic pace, but when you shoot quickly and turn it over, especially against that zone defense, they're going to run out and they wore us down." O'Neill on Nelson: "I have great respect for Nellie. I have great respect for anybody that's been in it long enough to have garnered that kind of recognition. He's a Hall of Fame guy obviously. He's one of the greatest coaches of all time. I hate he got it against me but I'm happy for him." Vince Carter: "That's the way they play. It's a matter of time before they get on a run and we didn't respond." Jalen Rose on Dallas' 3rd quarter run: "We were up 10 or 11, then next timeout, we were only up 5; and the timeout after that, we were down. You just can't allow that." Rose: "When we got our lead in the 2nd half, they did a good job of making shots fast ... as opposed to us being able to hold on to that lead for a couple of minutes. I think if we'd been able to hold on to that lead for a couple of minutes ... it probably would have put their backs against the wall. We were up 10 or 11 and then next timeout we were only up 5 and the timeout after that, we were down. We were still getting baskets, they were just scoring faster and getting 3s." Rose: "Any time you play Dallas, they basically surround the 3-point line with shooters. Then they penetrate off it and, as a defender, you're hesitant to help off your man because he's a shooter. It becomes the lesser of two evils." Rose: "They just hang around that 3-point line and force you to play their style. They've been playing good basketball and were coming off a big win." Chris Bosh on his first appearance in his hometown of Dallas: "It was good to be out there and play in front of my family. It could have been a little sweeter with a victory, but you can't win them all. I tried to treat it like any other game. But it's being in front of my family. That's what I love the most." Michael Curry: "In stretches, we made them play in the halfcourt. We didn't respond well to them changing the defense a lot." Dallas Mavericks 111, Toronto Raptors 94 at Dallas (December 15) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 28 18 31 34 - 111 .477 .458 .472 .800 Toronto 29 25 22 18 - 94 .482 .381 .455 .800 Halftime: Toronto 54-46 3rd Q: Dallas 77-76 Technicals: Vince Carter 0:37 1st, Antoine Walker 0:37 1st, Chris Bosh (hanging on the rim) 8:25 2nd, Dallas defensive 3 seconds 5:24 2nd, Dallas defensive 3 seconds 0:31 3rd Refs: Bill Spooner, Jack Nies, LeRoy Richardson Attendance: 19,846 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Dirk Nowitzki (sprained right big toe), Shawn Bradley (back spasms) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Josh Howard 38 6-9 1-2 1-2 14 4-14 1 3 5 1 0 Antoine Walker 42 10-20 5-9 2-4 27 1-8 5 3 0 1 1 Dirk Nowitzki 33 4-13 1-4 5-6 14 0-5 2 1 2 2 1 Tony Delk 28 3-6 2-4 2-2 10 0-4 2 0 1 1 0 Steve Nash 40 9-20 2-4 3-3 23 2-5 11 2 1 1 1 Antawn Jamison 37 10-16 0-1 3-3 23 6-9 2 1 2 3 2 Danny Fortson 4 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 2-2 0 1 2 0 0 Marquis Daniels 7 0-3 0-0 0-0 0 1-1 1 0 0 0 0 Eduardo Najera 11 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1-1 0 1 4 0 0 Totals 48 42-89 11-24 16-20 111 17-49 24 12 17 9 5 Toronto Raptors REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Vince Carter 34 8-19 2-4 3-4 21 1-2 5 3 2 1 1 Donyell Marshall 40 7-13 2-3 2-4 18 2-8 2 3 2 2 0 Chris Bosh 43 4-9 0-1 6-6 14 2-8 3 2 1 0 2 Jalen Rose 39 5-13 0-4 1-2 11 0-3 4 3 2 1 0 Alvin Williams 29 4-10 1-2 0-0 9 1-2 3 0 1 1 1 Lonny Baxter 14 2-2 0-0 2-2 6 3-10 1 2 6 0 1 Morris Peterson 25 4-9 3-7 0-0 11 1-5 3 1 1 0 0 Michael Curry 16 1-2 0-0 2-2 4 0-1 1 3 2 0 0 Totals 48 35-77 8-21 16-20 94 10-39 22 19 17 5 5 Dallas at Boston (December 17) Dallas was again without Michael Finley and Shawn Bradley. Boston jumped out to an early 12-4 lead with 8:45 left, but couldn't maintain it. Dallas scored 14 straight points, capped by 3 consecutive 3-pointers (and then hit a 4th one after a Boston bucket), to go up 23-16 4:30 remaining. Dallas took their largest lead at 29-18 with 1:45 left, but Boston scored the last 6 points of the quarter. Dallas led 29-24 after 1. Dirk Nowitzki had 10 points on 4-5 FG. Dallas scored the first 6 points of the 2nd quarter, but Boston wouldn't let Dallas' lead get larger than 11 points. Boston hit consecutive 3-pointers and then a jumper by Jiri Welsch cut Dallas' lead down to just 44-43 with 6:30 left. Dallas was able to maintain a single-digit lead and led 62-56 at the half. Antawn Jamison had 11 points in the quarter. Dallas had a huge advantage at the free throw line in attempting 16 more free throws than Boston, but were killing themselves in only shooting 18-25 FT for the half. 5 straight points by the Mavs gave them a double-digit lead at 74-64 with 7:45 left. A layup by Marquis Daniels gave the Mavs their largest lead at 81-69 with 5 minutes to go. But Boston then went on an 8-2 run to pull within 6 points with 20 seconds left. Vin Baker goaltended a Jamison short shot and Dallas led 85-77 after 3. After both teams shot around 45% FG in the 1st half, both teams shot around 37% FG for the 3rd quarter. A jumper by Josh Howard gave Dallas a 87-77 lead early into the 4th quarter, but Boston kept chipping away at Dallas' lead. Boston pulled within 90-92 with 6 minutes left and it was going to be a battle to the finish. The teams traded 2 points over the next 3 1/2 minutes and Dallas led 98-94 with 2:30 remaining. Walter McCarty nailed a 3-pointer, Dallas turned the ball over, and Mike James got a layup on the break to give Boston a 99-98 lead with 1:45 left. Dallas missed, but got the rebound and Jamison was fouled with a minute remaining. He hit both to give Dallas back the lead, but McCarty nailed another 3-pointer with 48 seconds to go. But Steve Nash answered with a 3-pointer and Dallas led 103-102 with 37 seconds left. After a timeout, Baker set a pick for Paul Pierce (picking Howard) and Pierce nailed a long jumper over the out-stretched finger tips of former teammate Antoine Walker to put Boston up by 1 with 21 seconds to go. Walker fumbled the ball on the other end, but Jamison picked up the loose ball, but missed the 9-foot floater and Boston rebounded and the Mavs intentionally fouled with 9 seconds left. McCarty only hit 1-2 FT. Walker's 3-point attempt hit the side of the iron as the game ended. Boston won 105-103. Pure and simple, this game was lost at the line. If Dallas had hit their free throws at a decent clip, the game wouldn't have come down to a last shot. Dallas missed 12 free throws in a 2 point loss. In addition, Dallas was sloppy with the ball with 17 turnovers (Boston had 16 turnovers, but Dallas only averaged 12.4 per game) - and 5 of Dallas' turnovers came in the 4th quarter. The Mavs also didn't get to the 3-point shooters as Boston shot better behind the arc than for 2-pointers. Boston shot 14-28 3-pointers. Dallas did out-rebound Boston 56-42 including 23-7 offensive, but only shot 36.8% FG for the game. And Boston stepped it up in the 4th while Dallas was ice cold. Boston shot 10-19 FG including 4-7 3-pointers and Dallas shot 6-26 FG including 1-6 3-pointers in the 4th. Paul Pierce hit the big shot and was the high man for Boston with 25 points including 4-7 3-pointers. He also had 11 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 turnovers. Jiri Welsch had a very nice outing with 21 points. Walter McCarty enjoyed the extended minute he received with Boston's recent trade and had 18 points including 5-8 3-pointers, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in 35 minutes. Vin Baker had 10 points and 8 rebounds and Mike James had 15 points as all 5 starters were in double-digits. New addition Ricky Davis had a quiet outing with 8 points including 3-9 FG in 24 minutes. I figured it would be an extreme game for Antoine Walker in his first road team visit to Boston - either an awesome performance or a terrible performance. Unfortunately it was the later. Walker was very tight throughout the game and never got it going. He had a season low 7 points on 3-14 FG, 0-6 3-pointers, and 1-4 FT. He did contribute 7 rebounds, and 8 assists, though. Dirk Nowitzki was awesome in the 1st half and terrible in the 2nd. He had 19 points including 7-10 FG in the 1st half and 11 points on just 4-18 FG and 2-5 FT in the 2nd half. He finished with 30 points including 11-28 FG and 13 rebounds. Danny Fortson did enjoy his return against his one-time team with 10 points and 16 rebounds including 8 offensive. Steve Nash struggled with 14 points including 3-9 FG. He had 9 assists, but had 6 turnovers. Josh Howard also struggled with 9 points on 4-11 FG, 0-4 3-pointers, and 1-3 FT, but did have 6 rebounds including 3 offensive in his 27 minutes. Antawn Jamison did a nice job off the bench with 21 points and 9 rebounds. Quotes Jim O'Brien: "We talked at halftime. I didn't think we had a real good 1st half effort. I just reminded them what wins basketball games for them - a tremendous effort defensively. I said at shootaround today, when the game is over, I don't want you to be able to walk off the court. They walked off the court, but they didn't have much left." O'Brien: "I think that Ricky Davis is going to get more comfortable. He's going to be a tremendous offensive player for us. Chris Mihm did some nice things. He hustled. It was good to get Ricky 24 minutes and at least next game, he's going to be a little more comfortable." Paul Pierce: "You couldn't ask for a better script, to knock [in] a shot over Antoine Walker. It was a storybook ending. I like it. He's not going to hear the end of it." Pierce on Walker's missed 3: "I was like, 'Oh, hell, no, don't come in this building and hit this' because I know I wouldn't hear the end of it." Pierce on Walker's missed 3: "I kind of had an out-of-body experience. I was praying to God he wasn't going to hit that shot because I knew he was going to bring out the wiggle." Pierce on Walker: "It was a lot of fun just getting back on the court and running with him and talking with him. It was a lot of fun playing with him the last few years, and to go against him as an opponent was a lot of fun, too." Walter McCarty: "It was very important because a lot of people were doubting the situation here. We know we're a very good ballclub. We just have to stay together. Getting a win tonight just shows us that if we stay together we can beat any team in the league. We wanted to play tough as nails and just leave it all out on the court." Don Nelson: "I thought Walker was tight and wasn't himself the whole game and it made it really hard on our substitutions. I wanted to give him the opportunity to play for the fans here in Boston, but he was just having that kind of nightmarish game and things weren't going that well for him, so it made it a hard home coming for him." Nelson on Walker: "I think if he would have gotten a standing boo, it would have been better for him. I think emotionally that really did it - it did it for me anyway. I thought the fans were great the way they cheered him; he had a little apple in his throat. It just ended up that it wasn't going to be his night." Dirk Nowitzki: "Paul Pierce gets that wide open to win the game - that shouldn't happen, and it didn't happen last year." Steve Nash: "Just add this one to that growing list. It's another one we shouldn't have lost. It's still really early, but it's a big concern for us right now." Antoine Walker: "We were playing great. We were moving the basketball. We were making shots. They made a run there at the end where they made some easy buckets and they continued to fight. They played a pretty good game. Every time we got an opportune point, they made a run and got it back down in striking distance." Walker: "A tough night. It just happened to be here. If I had come in and had a great game, everyone would have said that I got my revenge. It's one game." Walker on Pierce: "It was fun going against him. We had a good conversation out on the floor. I just had a lot of fun playing basketball. It was the first time we ever went against each other, and he's one up on me now." Walker on his missed 3: "I got a great look but came up short." Walker on his missed 3: "It felt good and I got a good look. I just came up short. I couldn't get one to go tonight. But I've been playing well, been shooting the ball well the last 5 or 6 games. It's unfortunate where you don't make shots in a game like this." Walker on his missed 3: "We all live for that kind of shot. I had a good look, but I came up short." Walker on the applause from the fans: "I didn't know what to expect. It was nice. It was a great reception from the fans. It was special for me individually as a player. They appreciated the hard work I gave here for 7 years. It was a great feeling to be treated like that at the beginning of the game." Danny Fortson on Walker: "I'm sure he had nervous jitters, but he still played hard. I'm sure he wanted to win this game as bad as I did, if not worst." Boston Celtics 105, Dallas Mavericks 103 at Boston (December 17) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Boston 24 32 21 28 - 105 .439 .500 .459 .813 Dallas 29 33 23 18 - 103 .400 .280 .368 .684 Halftime: Dallas 62-56 3rd Q: Dallas 85-77 Technicals: Jim O'Brien 7:55 2nd, Boston defensive 3 seconds 9:07 2nd Refs: Ken Mauer, Pat Fraher, Tony Brothers Attendance: 18,624 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Michael Finley (sprained right big toe), Shawn Bradley (back spasms) Boston Celtics REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Vin Baker 32 4-6 0-0 2-3 10 2-8 3 2 4 0 2 Jiri Welsch 32 8-12 3-5 2-2 21 0-3 0 1 4 2 1 Walter McCarty 35 6-11 5-8 1-2 18 0-5 5 3 5 1 0 Mike James 38 7-17 1-6 0-0 15 0-2 4 2 3 2 0 Paul Pierce 44 7-19 4-7 7-8 25 2-11 7 5 4 2 2 Ricky Davis 24 3-9 1-1 1-1 8 0-1 3 2 2 2 0 Mark Blount 11 2-3 0-0 0-0 4 2-4 1 1 4 0 0 Jumaine Jones 10 1-3 0-1 0-0 2 0-4 2 0 2 0 2 Chris Mihm 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1-3 0 0 2 0 1 Marcus Banks 6 1-5 0-0 0-0 2 0-1 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 48 39-85 14-28 13-16 105 7-42 25 16 30 10 8 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Antoine Walker 36 3-14 0-6 1-4 7 1-7 8 2 2 0 2 Dirk Nowitzki 41 11-28 3-7 5-8 30 5-13 1 1 5 2 1 Danny Fortson 31 3-8 0-0 4-5 10 8-16 2 2 4 1 0 Josh Howard 27 4-11 0-4 1-3 9 3-6 1 2 4 1 1 Steve Nash 38 3-9 3-6 5-6 14 0-1 9 6 2 1 0 Tony Delk 9 0-3 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 1 0 2 0 Antawn Jamison 29 7-14 0-1 7-7 21 4-9 0 2 2 2 0 Marquis Daniels 19 3-6 1-1 3-4 10 2-2 0 0 1 0 0 Eduardo Najera 7 1-2 0-0 0-1 2 0-1 0 0 1 0 0 Travis Best 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 35-95 7-25 26-38 103 23-56 21 17 21 9 4 Dallas at Minnesota (December 18) It is normally a battle when these 2 teams face each other, and this was no exception. The Mavs were again short handed as Michael Finley and Shawn Bradley remained out [Minnesota is missing Wally Szczerbiak and Troy Hudson, but they've been out all season]. Dallas scored 9 straight points to go up 14-8 with 8:20 left. Dallas took their largest lead at 21-12 with 5:35 to go, but couldn't substain it as Minnesota then scored the next 14 points to go up 26-21 with 1:30 remaining as Dallas missed 7 straight shots. Kevin Garnett hit a 3-pointer at the quarter buzzer to give Minnesota a 29-24 lead after 1. Garnett had 11 points in the quarter. Minnesota continued to hold a lead (between 3 and 10 points) during the 2nd quarter as Dallas could not mount a run. Trenton Hassell hit a jumper at the quarter buzzer and Minnesota led 59-50 at the half. Garnett had 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists already while no Mav was in double-digits. Minnesota shot 59% FG and Dallas shot just 41.3% FG (but had 12 offensive rebounds). Dallas still tried to cut Minnesota's lead during the 3rd quarter and Minnesota still hung on. Minnesota led 76-69 with 3:20 remaining and Dallas went on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 78-78 with a minute left. But the Mavs could not take the lead as the teams traded 2 points over the end of the quarter. Minnesota yet again got a quarter-ending buzzer beater as Keith McLeod hit a jumper to give Minnesota an 84-82 lead after 3. The teams continued to trade 2 points early in the 4th quarter. 4 straight points by Minnesota gave them a 96-90 lead with 7:30 to go. The teams traded buckets and Dallas scored the next 7 points, capped by a 3-pointer by Steve Nash, to go up 99-98 with 5 minutes left. It was a short lived lead as Garnett hit 2 jumpers to start a 9-1 run to put Minnesota up 107-100 with 2:45 remaining. Antawn Jamison hit a 3-pointer and Hassell got a layup with 2 minutes left. Minnesota missed and Nash hit 2 free throws to pull Dallas within 105-109 with a minute to go. Minnesota ran the clock down and Sam Cassell missed, but Hassell got the rebound and Garnett was fouled shooting. He hit both free throws with 25 seconds left. Nash got the quick layup and Cassell hit 1 of 2 free throws with 14.5 seconds to go and Minnesota led 112-107. Josh Howard was fouled and hit both free throws with 11.8 seconds left and Cassell was fouled and hit both free throws with 11.1 seconds remaining. Nash missed a 3-pointer with 7 seconds remaining and that was game. Minnesota won 114-109. It was a tough back-to-back for Dallas as the Mavs did not arrive until 3 am and it was a 6:30 pm start time. Both teams fought hard throughout and Dallas did not get enough from their 2 big guns to pull this one out. The boxscore team numbers were pretty well matched. Both teams had 42 rebounds and low turnovers (12 for Dallas and 14 for Minnesota). Minnesota shot 52.5% (42-80) FG including 3-11 3-pointers and Dallas shot 45.9% (39-85) FG including 7-22 3-pointers. Minnesota shot 27-34 FT and Dallas shot 24-29 FT. Minnesota did have an impressive 34 assists. Kevin Garnett was the man with a triple-double. He had 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists - all 3 were game highs. Gary Trent had a stellar outing against his former team with 18 points including 7-7 FG and 12 rebounds including 6 offensive. Sam Cassell also enjoyed playing against his one-time team with 26 points including 8-11 FT, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Trenton Hassell had 14 points and 9 rebounds. Latrell Sprewell had a poor outing with just 8 points on 4-12 FG, but did have 8 assists. Minnesota didn't get much from the bench as the 4 bench players combined for just 13 points. Dirk Nowitzki and Antoine Walker had consecutive poor outings. Walker had just 8 points on 4-10 FG and Nowitzki had 15 points including 4-13 FG. Walker also had 6 rebounds and 6 assists and Nowitzki had 7 rebounds. Steve Nash was the high man with 27 points including 9-16 FG and 4-7 3-pointers and 9 assists. Antawn Jamison was solid with 22 points including 9-16 FG - 14 of his points came in the 4th quarter - and 7 rebounds. Josh Howard had 14 points including 8-10 FT and 6 rebounds and Marquis Daniels had 12 points including 5-7 FG. Quotes Flip Saunders: "It was a great game. You had 2 teams with high scoring offenses and great individual players. KG was huge, Sam was great, but the role players made the difference: Daniels, Howard, and Jamison for Dallas - even though you can't call Jamison a role player. He'll be the 6th Man of the Year. For us, Gary, Oliver Miller, and Hassell played well. Hassell was great with his offensive rebounding, keeping balls alive on the glass." Saunders: "They're a top team, but we might of played better against them in Dallas but lost. We did a better job on the glass in the 2nd half. They only had 3 offensive rebounds. We had 34 assists and only 14 turnovers. ... Overall, this is a pretty good win." Saunders on Trent: "A lot of guys played well, but the biggest surprise was Gary. It was the best game he had this year." Saunders on Trent: "He has been more aggressive. We told him not to just rely on his jump shot and to use his quickness and strength. He has taken it to heart. When he puts his head down and goes to the bucket, he's very effective and can get others in foul trouble. He got to the line tonight. It puts more pressure on the defense. Defensively, our opponents put so much focus on KG, Sam, and Spree, there will be openings." Saunders on Garnett: "Every time we talk, he keeps getting better and better. He had the triple-double tonight on that last rebound. I told people when we were struggling at 9-8 earlier this year, he was playing better than last season when he was in the MVP hunt. He doesn't amaze me. He can't do anything more. ... The thing is, it's infectious on our team. He's our leader." Kevin Garnett: "We beat a very good team. Right about now we are looking for motivation, trying to get ourselves going here at home. We know the schedule gets pretty tough, but we're up for it. We're playing with a lot of confidence. The team's playing together. We get [Hudson] back this Saturday, so that will be cool. Tonight was a gutty performance." Garnett: "Trenton kept a lot of balls alive, Gary kept a lot of balls alive, and I got in where I fit in and grabbed a couple of boards here and there. It was off of their performance that led to me having things easy." Garnett: "For me, it's game by game. I was good tonight. I could be raggedy tomorrow. ... At times I was kind of dragging tonight, and I was upset about that. I didn't even know I had 35 tonight, to tell you the truth. It didn't feel like it." Sam Cassell: "This was a win that we had to have. We're playing good basketball right now. We're understanding our concepts, we're forcing the tempo, playing pretty good defense. But let me tell you something, that's a hard team to defend. When Steve Nash is making off balance runners. ... How he's developed that shot, it's amazing. When he's making it in the 1st quarter and the 4th quarter, that's the sign of a great ballplayer. And he's a great ballplayer." Cassell on the division race: "It's a dogfight in this division - we're just trying to scratch and claw our way through it." Cassell on Hassell and Trent: "They are the keys to our team. They don't get enough credit, but they are the missing links. Kevin, Spree, and myself are going to do what we're supposed to do, but Trenton, Gary - and give a shout out to the Big O [Miller]. His presence out there is going to help us down the stretch." Cassell on Trent: "He is a beast. He realizes his biggest asset to this team is offensive rebounding. You can't box him out. When he's doing that consistently every night, it's going to be tough for anyone." Gary Trent: "I was 7-for-7? I didn't even know that. ... Things were just rolling for me. I was in the right place at the right time and guys were finding me. I was active on the boards, and that's just what I try to do." Trent: "We're not really that excited about being tied for 1st [in the Midwest]. There are so many games left. We're just going to take this one game at a time and solidify ourselves. We've been doing decent on the road and we're just getting into a stride at home. We're just trying to play hard every night." Trent on Garnett: "He just makes it easier for everybody. He sets the tone. He goes that hard, you can't be slacking - no excuses. He is our team leader and we're going to go as far as he can take us." Trenton Hassell: "We've got to contribute to this team, whether it's playing defense, rebounding, or hitting open shots." Hassell: "I realize I don't get a lot of plays called for me. If I do want to score, I have to do it in transition and attack the offensive glass." Don Nelson: "I thought we put up the good fight and battled the best that we could. It was kind of a long game for us in a lot of ways. I was pretty proud of the way the guys hung in there. I thought we had a chance pretty close to all the way to the end. It was a good effort. ... As long as a team plays up to its potential, I won't complain about wins or losses. But it happens. This was one of those games where I had no complaint." Nelson: "We've been rebounding the ball extremely well, but they're also a good rebounding team. I thought Gary Trent was the key to the game. We were helping on Garnett and he found holes in our defense because of it and hurt us on the offensive boards. When he had his opportunities to score, he did that. He was the catalyst tonight, but certainly Garnett and Sam did their thing." Nelson on Garnett's triple-double: "That doesn't surprise me. The guy's sensational. He is every night we play him." Nelson: "Steve played a marvelous game and our rookie gave a really big effort. I thought everybody gave an effort. We're just not having everybody hitting at the same time. You need that when you're playing a back-to-back game and playing against a good team, a hot team." Nelson on Nowitzki and his sprained ankles: "He's had the bad ankles. I didn't even know if I'd have him for this game. I wouldn't have minded if the trainers had said to sit him for this one. But he said he felt pretty good this morning and wanted to play." Dirk Nowitzki on his ankles: "This time I've got to fight through it, because it can't get any worse. We've got a nice day off and I'll get a little treatment." Steve Nash on the late arrival (3 am) and back-to-back: "It would have been nice to be in our rooms all last night watching movies, but I don't think the game was decided by energy or the lack of it. But we didn't get a lot of breaks. 3 buzzer beaters - none of which were really great shots - hurt us." Nash: "We didn't get a lot of bounces. There's a lot of things you can point to, but we've still got to play better." Antoine Walker: "Every game we lose is tough, whether it's 1 point or 10 points. It's unfortunate. We played well for a stretch of the game. We played well enough to win the game. We took the lead late and then they made a couple clutch shots down the stretch. Sam Cassell's 3 hurt there at the end." Walker: "There are a lot of teams, especially in our division, that are playing very good basketball right now. Guys are working real hard right now. Teams have improved themselves. A lot of moves around the league, and a lot of teams have improved. Every game is going to be a challenge." Walker: "Minnesota's playing good ball right now. They started off struggling, but now they're going strong." Walker: "I only shot the ball 10 times. Shots are not the reason why we lost. I'm not worried about my game and me scoring. We've got so many weapons on this team you can't ever worry about scoring." Antawn Jamison: "We did a good job of getting back into it and taking the lead, but they just kept hitting tough shot after tough shot. They really fed off the crowd. It's a difficult place to play. When they're hitting shots like that, it's always difficult. ... You really have to commend them. They stayed poised, they were calm, they didn't get erratic or lose their composure at all. The biggest difference was their ability to hit shots down the stretch." Jamison: "We have to get some stops. And if we're going to let Garnett have a big night, we can't let those other guys come in and do what they did." Jamison: "Dallas, Minnesota, San Antonio - it seems like everybody who's been in the playoffs the last couple of years - that type of atmosphere during the regular season. As a player, it's a great atmosphere to be a part of. It's fun. That's what the game is all about. ... I'm very fortunate to be in this situation." Jamison on Garnett: "Unbelievable. I still think he is kind of underrated. I think he should have at least 2 MVP trophies in his closet somewhere. The guy is phenomenal - unselfish. He knows how to play the game. In my book, he's probably the greatest right now." Danny Fortson: "Kevin Garnett is a phenomenal player and he was on tonight. Our division alone is tough. You've got to be ready to play." Fortson on the 2 road losses: "Everybody's down on themselves because this is a tough stretch for us." Minnesota Timberwolves 114 Dallas Mavericks 114 at Minnesota (December 18) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Minnesota 29 30 25 30 - 114 .565 .273 .525 .794 Dallas 24 26 32 27 - 109 .508 .318 .459 .828 Halftime: Minnesota 59-50 3rd Q: Minnesota 84-82 Technicals: Dallas defensive 3 seconds 10:01 3rd, Gary Trent 5:10 3rd Refs: Derek Richardson, George Toliver, Ron Garretson Attendance: 17,794 (cap 19,006) Did not play due to injury: Mark Madsen (lower back spasms), Michael Finley (sprained right big toe), Shawn Bradley (back spasms) Minnesota Timberwolves REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Trenton Hassell 34 5-8 0-0 4-4 14 3-9 2 1 4 2 0 Gary Trent 37 7-7 0-0 4-6 18 6-12 3 3 4 0 0 Kevin Garnett 41 13-26 1-1 8-9 35 2-10 10 2 3 2 2 Latrell Sprewell 42 4-12 0-2 0-0 8 0-3 8 4 3 2 0 Sam Cassell 38 8-17 2-7 8-11 26 1-5 6 3 3 1 0 Ervin Johnson 4 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0-1 0 0 1 0 0 Fred Hoiberg 22 1-3 0-1 0-0 2 0-0 1 1 3 1 0 Keith McLeod 12 1-4 0-0 3-4 5 0-1 3 0 2 0 0 Oliver Miller 10 2-2 0-0 0-0 4 0-1 1 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 42-80 3-11 27-34 114 12-42 34 14 23 8 2 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Dirk Nowitzki 41 4-13 1-6 6-7 15 1-7 1 2 4 0 0 Antoine Walker 36 4-10 0-4 0-0 8 1-6 6 3 4 0 2 Danny Fortson 18 3-7 0-0 0-0 6 8-9 0 1 4 0 0 Josh Howard 40 3-8 0-0 8-10 14 2-6 1 1 2 2 0 Steve Nash 37 9-16 4-7 5-5 27 0-1 9 3 3 1 0 Antawn Jamison 36 9-16 1-1 3-4 22 2-7 2 1 4 2 0 Tony Delk 13 1-6 1-4 0-0 3 0-2 2 1 2 0 0 Marquis Daniels 14 5-7 0-0 2-3 12 1-3 0 0 1 1 0 Eduardo Najera 5 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 0-1 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 48 39-85 7-22 24-29 109 15-42 21 12 25 6 2 LA Clippers at Dallas (December 20) Dallas was again without Michael Finley and Shawn Bradley and they were also without coach Don Nelson, who was home with the flu. Dallas scored the first 5 points of the game, but the game stayed close as there were 6 ties and 6 lead changes in the quarter. Dallas led 32-31 in a non-defensive quarter. Danny Fortson had an impressive 9 rebounds (5 offensive) in the first 8 minutes of the game, but also picked up 3 fouls and sat the rest of the half. Corey Maggette had 13 points. The game remained close in the 2nd quarter with Dallas' largest lead just 5 points. Dallas led 50-48 with 4:25 remaining and the Clippers scored the next 9 points to go up 57-50 with 2:50 to go. The Clippers led 61-54 at the half. Antawn Jamison had 15 points in the 2nd quarter. The Clippers shot 49% FG and Dallas shot 42% FG. The Clippers opened the 3rd quarter with a 7-2 mini-run to take their first double-digit lead at 68-56 with 10:50 left. A 3-pointer and jumper by Quinten Richardson gave the Clippers a commanding 77-60 lead with 8:30 to go and Dallas was left trying to dig themselves out of a big hole. After a 3-pointer by Glen Rice put the Clippers up 80-62 with 7:50 left, Dallas went on a 20-4 run to pull within 76-82 with 3:15 left. But the Mavs could get no closer and the Clippers led 91-82 after 3. The 4th quarter started out really ugly for both teams as there were only 7 combined points scored, 8 shots missed (3 made), 3 free throws missed (none made), and 3 turnovers in the first 3 1/2 minutes of the quarter. The teams finally started playing basketball again and the Clippers' lead fluctuated between 9 and 11 points over the next 3 minutes. The Clippers led 103-92 with 5:35 to go and Dallas scored the next 7 points to pull within 99-103 with 4:15 left. But the Clippers scored the next 3 points as Dallas turned the ball over twice. 2 free throws by Dirk Nowitzki pulled Dallas within 101-106 with 2:40 to go, but Elton Brand connected on 2 buckets (and Dallas again turned the ball over in between) and it was a 9 point lead with 1:45 left. Nowitzki hit 2 more free throws, Richardson was called for the offensive foul, and Nash missed with 1:20 remaining. The Clippers hit 5-6 FT down the stretch to seal the win. The Clippers won 115-105. Once again Dallas shot themselves in the foot at the free throw line. You miss 11 free throws and you really hurt your chances of winning. This time it wasn't the main reason for the loss, but it didn't help in a game where Dallas struggled. Dallas shot 18-29 FT and the Clippers shot 20-26 FT. The main reason Dallas lost was that the Clippers simply played harder and wanted it more. After being out-rebounded 17-10 including 9-2 offensive in the 1st quarter, the Clippers out-rebounded Dallas 45-29 including 18-12 offensive the last 3 quarters. The Clippers shot 47.3% (44-93) FG and Dallas shot 43.3% (39-90) FG. Dallas did commit 2 fewer turnovers than the Clippers, but the Clippers did a better job capitalizing on Dallas' mistakes. The Clippers converted Dallas' 15 turnovers into 23 points while Dallas converted the Clippers' 17 turnovers in to just 17 points. Elton Brand had an awesome game with a 20-20. He had 22 points including 10-17 FG, 20 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 blocks. Corey Maggette was the high man with 26 points, 13 of which came in the 1st quarter. Quentin Richardson struggled some, but put up enough shots to get 25 points (9-27 FG). He also had 13 rebounds including 7 offensive. The Clippers didn't get much from their other 2 starters (2 points - but Chris Kaman only played 4 minutes), but they got 40 points off the bench. Bobby Simmons had 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists. Doug Overton had 11 points including 5-6 FG. Glen Rice had 9 points and Chris Wilcox had 8 points and 5 rebounds. Steve Nash and Antawn Jamison were again not enough to get the win as Dirk Nowitzki and Antoine Walker continued to not be as effective as the team needs them to be. Nash had 20 points and 11 assists and Jamison had 26 points on 12-17 FG (missed all 3 free throws he attempted - was shooting 78.7% FT prior to this game) and 9 rebounds including 6 offensive. Having 23 points looks like a good number, until you see that Dirk Nowitzki shot 6-23 FG including 0-7 3-pointers. Ouch. He also shot 11-14 FT and had 9 rebounds. Walker had a quiet 13 points on 5-11 FG and 1-4 FT, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Danny Fortson only had 1 more rebound (and 7 more minutes) after collecting 9 in the 1st quarter. Josh Howard had 11 points and 6 rebounds before fouling out near the end of the game. The 4 other players that played combined for just 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in 35 minutes. Quotes Mike Dunleavy: "It was a great win for us. They are a great team at home and very efficient, averaging 108 points per game. Our guys responded well to a bad game last night, but we came back, worked hard and defended well." Dunleavy: "I thought our guys did a good job of playing 48 minutes of hard basketball." Dunleavy on being 2-0 vs Dallas: "Sometimes it comes down to matchups. They can play small, move the ball, and score tons of points on people. We have the ability to play small with them and yet be big. Brand can play 4 or 5 and come up with a 20 rebounds night. We have Bobby Simmons that can match up against Antoine Walker." Quentin Richardson: "Yeah, I'm kind of upset that we didn't come up with the win last night because that would have made it a 6 game winning streak. We just need to keep going out there and keep playing and winning." Richardson on rebounding in the 2nd half: "Coach told us at halftime that they were beating us up on the boards and we needed to focus on that a little more. Everybody kind of keyed in and said we had to go in there and rebound and can't get beat at that." Donn Nelson: "It was a tough night for the Mavs. We fought hard down the stretch, but didn't come up with enough plays. That's a good young team we played tonight. They gave us all we could handle for 4 quarters. They have a formidable front line and Brand gave us all kinds of problems in the post in the 1st half. We countered with some matchups in the 2nd half that seemed to get the ball out of his hands. Between Maggette, Brand, Richardson, and their young guys, we couldn't come up with the answer tonight." Nelson: "They beat us to some loose balls. The physicality of the game was a factor. Brand was a factor. Wilcox came into the game and gave them a lift." Nelson: "Listen, everybody has injuries. That's just a part of our game. We have a couple of our key guys out and a couple hobbled. We're banged up, not just as a team but as a coaching staff. You have to drive through that stuff. You can't use that as excuses, because nobody feels sorry for you in this league." Nelson: "We're still in the gelling process here. There's no question that this thing is going to take some time. ... We're still working through the kinks on the timing and the rhythm." Dirk Nowitzki: "I know it's going to take me some time to find a rhythm again. So far, I haven't found it yet." Steve Nash: "We've hid behind our home court in a lot of ways. We've had enough energy and a homecourt advantage to build up a lot of wins." Antoine Walker: "We didn't do the little things tonight to win the game." Antawn Jamison: "The mindset I took is, these guys beat us in LA and this is a payback game. These guys came in here like we beat them. The crazy thing is, they played last night and had even more energy than we did. That's unacceptable." Jamison: "I think a lot of guys really have a chip on their shoulders now and know that the talent we have in this room, something like this should never happen. The thing that really hurts is that we have 2 or 3 days to really let this soak in and that's really going to be the hard thing about it. We've got 2 tough games in a row before we come back home and the most important thing for us is to stay focused. Even though it's the holiday season, we really have to get these wins and especially on the road against some quality teams. This is an important stretch for us right now and we just have to find a way to get the job done." Jamison: "You just have to keep your poise. Sometimes tonight we didn't do that, including myself. Sometimes it's hard when you feel like everything is going against you, but you've just got to find a way to mentally be tough and handle those situations because those situations are going to occur. You're going to have nights when things aren't going your way." Jamison: "We are a veteran team. We have a lot of class guys out there on the court and we've just got to find a way to get it done and tonight we didn't do that. Josh Howard: "I don't think we came out with enough energy. The Clippers came in and played harder than we did. We tried to fight them but we couldn't get over the hump at the end." Los Angeles Clippers 115, Dallas Mavericks 105 at Dallas (December 20) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% LA Clippers 31 30 30 24 - 115 .507 .350 .473 .769 Dallas 32 22 28 23 - 105 .448 .391 .433 .621 Halftime: LA Clippers 61-54 3rd Q: LA Clippers 91-82 Technicals: Donn Nelson 6:40 4th Refs: Bill Kennedy, Mike Callahan, Ted Bernhardt Attendance: 20,058 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Melvin Ely (flu), Michael Finley (sprained right big toe), Shawn Bradley (back spasms) Los Angeles Clippers REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Elton Brand 38 10-17 0-0 2-4 22 6-20 6 4 4 1 3 Corey Maggette 37 9-18 2-4 6-6 26 1-2 3 2 1 3 0 Chris Kaman 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-2 0 0 2 0 1 Quentin Richardson 37 9-27 3-10 4-4 25 7-13 3 3 5 1 1 Marko Jaric 24 1-4 0-1 0-0 2 1-3 1 1 3 1 1 Chris Wilcox 21 4-6 0-0 0-2 8 3-5 1 2 3 0 0 Doug Overton 24 5-6 1-1 0-0 11 0-2 1 1 2 1 1 Glen Rice 24 3-7 1-4 2-2 9 0-3 3 1 3 1 0 Bobby Simmons 31 3-8 0-0 6-8 12 2-5 7 3 5 1 1 Totals 48 44-93 7-20 20-26 115 20-55 25 17 28 9 8 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Antoine Walker 38 5-11 2-5 1-4 13 1-8 6 2 4 1 3 Dirk Nowitzki 45 6-23 0-7 11-14 23 4-9 1 5 1 1 1 Danny Fortson 15 1-4 0-0 1-1 3 5-10 0 0 4 1 0 Josh Howard 33 4-10 1-1 2-4 11 3-6 2 1 6 2 2 Steve Nash 39 8-18 3-7 1-1 20 1-2 11 2 0 0 0 Eduardo Najera 14 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 1-2 0 1 2 0 0 Travis Best 10 1-2 0-0 2-2 4 0-0 2 2 1 0 0 Antawn Jamison 35 12-17 2-2 0-3 26 6-9 1 2 5 0 2 Tony Delk 7 1-2 1-1 0-0 3 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 Marquis Daniels 4 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 39-90 9-23 18-29 105 21-46 23 15 24 5 8 To all who celebrate it, have a wonderful Christmas! patricia