The NBA named Jason Terry and LeBron James (Cle) as Players of the Week. Terry averaged 18.3 points including 72.1% (31-43) FG and 9-13 3-pointers and 6 assists as Dallas went 4-0. James averaged 24.7 points including 55.9% FG, 10.3 rebounds, and 8.7 assists as Cleveland went 2-1. Denver at Dallas (January 23) Denver was in Dallas for an early afternoon game [which Dallas often struggles with - I guess it is usually their nap time] and the Nuggets welcomed back star Carmelo Anthony, who had missed their last game with a sprained ankle. Dallas scored 8 straight points to go up 12-5 with 6 minutes to go, but Denver responded with a 13-1 run to go up 18-13 with 3 minutes left. Dallas lost Josh Howard due to back spasms with 5 minutes remaining and Denver lost Marcus Camby due to a sprained ankle with 2:40 left. Dallas scored the last 7 points of the quarter to go up 22-20 after 1. Denver scored the first 10 points of the 2nd quarter to go up 30-22 with 8:40 remaining. The teams traded buckets and Dallas then scored the next 9 points to go up 33-32 with 5:35 left. The teams traded buckets and then Dallas held a small lead the rest of the quarter. Dirk Nowitzki converted a 3-point play with 7 seconds remaining to give Dallas a 47-43 lead at halftime. Dallas shot 44% FG and Denver shot 42% FG in the half. Twice Denver was able to tie the game in the first 6 minutes of the 3rd quarter, but both times they were unable to take the lead. Dallas went on a 10-2 run to go up 67-59 with 2:45 to go, but Denver answered by scoring the next 7 points to pull within 66-67 with 1:40 remaining. Denver hit 4 straight free throws to close the quarter to go up 72-71 after 3. Denver led 80-75 with 8:15 to go and Dallas scored the next 6 points to tie the game at 80-80 with 6:20 remaining. Nowitzki hit a jumper, Jason Terry found Jerry Stackhouse for the dunk as Denver was lax in getting back, and Nowitzki hit another jumper to give Dallas an 88-83 lead with 3:30 to go. But DerMarr Johnson hit a jumper and Earl Boykins snuck inside for 2 up close [grumble] to pull Denver within 87-88 with 2:20 left. Nowitzki continued to work and drove and got the bucket and was fouled. He hit the extra to give Dallas a 4 point lead with 2 minutes to go. Denver missed but Francisco Elson was fouled on the rebound [both teams in the penalty] and he hit 1 of 2 free throws. Nowitzki missed with 1:10 left and Boykins drained the quick 3-pointer in the corner to tie the game at 91-91 with 1:03 to go. Dallas called timeout and again put the ball in Nowitzki's hands and he again drove, but Elson got there in time and was out of the circle and Nowitzki was called for the charge. Denver set up their play and Kenyon Martin got a layup to give Denver a 93-91 lead with 27 seconds remaining. Nowitzki again drove and this time he got the bucket and the foul. He converted the 3-point play to put Dallas up by 1 point with 17 seconds left. Denver called a timeout. The Nuggets had trouble getting a good look and the ball eventually was swung to Rodney White, who did get a good look, but his long jumper was an airball and Stackhouse grabbed the rebounded and was fouled. He hit the first, but missed the 2nd and Denver called timeout with 2.9 seconds to go. Boykins got the ball and stepped in as Michael Finley came running at him, but his jumper missed as the game ended and Dallas breathed a sigh of relief. Dallas won 95-93. It definitely wasn't a pretty game by Dallas, but it was exciting - too exciting. Neither team was ever in control of the game and the largest lead by both teams was just 8 points. Dallas shot 46.2% (36-78) FG and 4-11 3-pointers and Denver shot 42.4% (36-85) FG and 3-14 3-pointers. Dallas shot 19-27 FT and Denver shot 18-23 FT. Dallas out-rebounded Denver 50-42 - and had 3 players in double-digit rebounds. Denver was clean with the ball in only turning it over 9 times while Dallas turned it over 18 times. No question who the hero of this game was. Dirk Nowitzki picked the team up and carried them on his back to the win. In the last 5 minutes of the game, Nowitzki scored 10 of Dallas' 13 points. He was aggressive in going to the basket and Denver could not stop him. The only negative his that his free throw shooting touch left him. He had hit 43 straight free throws before missing 1 early in the 3rd quarter and only shot 8-13 FT in the game, including missing 2 when the game was tied with 5:30 left. Nowitzki had a game high 35 points and had 11 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks, but did turnover the ball 5 times. All of Jason Terry's 15 points came in the 1st half (though he only attempted 2 shots in the 2nd half). He had 5 assists and 4 rebounds in playing all but 2 minutes. Michael Finley chipped in 17 points. Jerry Stackhouse struggled with his shot, but contributed with his rebounding and passing. He had 11 points including 3-13 FG, 12 rebounds including 5 offensive, and 5 assists. Erick Dampier had 9 points and 14 rebounds including 7 offensive. Alan Henderson was the only other Mav to play more than 10 minutes and he had 6 points and 7 rebounds including 4 offensive. With Marcus Camby's injury and Nene missing the game due to a suspension, Kenyon Martin played all but 40 seconds of the game. He had 19 points and 11 rebounds. 9 of Carmelo Anthony's 14 points came in the 1st quarter. He also had 5 rebounds. Although he struggled with his shot, Andre Miller nearly had a triple-double with 16 points including 5-14 FG, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists. Dallas focused on Earl Boykins when the little bugger was in there with both defenders covering Boykins on pick-and-rolls. He missed all 5 shots he attempted through 3 quarters, but shot 3-4 FG in the 4th quarter. He finished with 11 points and 6 assists. Francisco Elson had 10 points and 7 rebounds including 4 offensive. Quotes Avery Johnson: "I tip my hat off to our guys. Mike did a good job on Earl Boykins. It was just a great overall effort from our guys in these games." Johnson: "This is something new for this team, especially at home - to have close games like this." Johnson: "You have to tip your hat to Stack. He didn't have it going with his shot, but he found a way to help us and was a key to the game." Dirk Nowitzki: "It was a dogfight. We were just a little lucky at the end. I think we executed down the stretch the way we need to to win the game." Nowitzki on his 4th quarter: "I was just trying to be aggressive. Kenyon was all over my case and really trying to make me put it on the ground and make something happen off the dribble by taking my shot away. That's what I tried to do. They called the charge once. I just kept attacking him and it ended up working out pretty well." Nowitzki: "I am a little disappointed in my free throw shooting. I was really on a roll for the last couple games. You miss 1, then you miss 2, then you start thinking about it a little bit and the basket gets a little smaller." Nowitzki on free throws: "We were never great as a team getting to the line. But teams are trying to body me more, and they force me to drive now. We have to do it." Michael Finley: "If we could come out and just be more consistent with [the offense], games could be won earlier. We seemed to play better defense when our backs were against the wall." Finley: "Avery has been preaching that you have to turn bad nights into good nights, and this was one of those games that we could have easily lost but found a way to win." Finley on Nowitzki: "Dirk is a special player. A couple games a year you stand back and think how good it is that he's your teammate. This is one of those games. He did what it takes to win." Jason Terry on Nowitzki: "Thank God we've got Dirk on our team. I don't know how he did it." Terry: "I shot 3 3s? It doesn't seem like it. I'm just taking open shots." Alan Henderson: "We were a little sluggish early, but the clock still winds down the same way, so you've got to get through it." Michael Cooper: "If we play like we do today, in any other situation, we get the same shot, we probably walk away with a win. Our goal is to try to get to the playoffs. Right now, it might sound silly for me to be saying that, but we've got a lot of season left and anything can happen." Cooper on Boykins: "Earl is always a game-changer, whether he's shooting the ball or dribbling the basketball. He created some things for us. He had some good looks. You can't fault anyone. We just didn't make the play when they needed to be made." Cooper: "Injuries just really make it hard to do positive things. Had Marcus Camby been out there 20, 25 minutes, you never know." Carmelo Anthony: "My ankle felt good. Dampier kicked it early in the game. Regardless of how strong it is or what shape it's in, it's always going to be on your mind. Injuries are always going to be on your mind. I try not to think about it too much." Anthony: "I always want the ball in my hands at the end of the game, but it didn't happen. We have to move on." Marcus Camby on his ankle: "I didn't think it was all that serious. I don't need any crutches or anything, so that's a good sign." Earl Boykins: "It's difficult because down the stretch we made mental mistakes that hurt us. It's one thing to lose a game because you missed shots. But we made mental mistakes down the stretch." Boykins on his last shot: "I thought the shot was good before I even shot it. It was in-and-out. It just didn't happen." Boykins: "The last shot was a simple pindown for me. Get the ball at the top." Rodney White on his last shot: "I got a good look at it and put it on line. I think I aimed it more than I shot it. That's my shot. My shot felt good today. I just rushed it a little bit." White on his last shot: "Good look. On line. I can make that shot 9 out of 10 times. I'm beating myself up for it. That's a shot I can hit." Dallas Mavericks 95, Denver Nuggets 93 at Dallas (January 23) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 22 25 24 24 - 95 .478 .364 .462 .704 Denver 20 23 29 21 - 93 .465 .214 .424 .783 Halftime: Dallas 47-43 3rd Q: Denver 72-71 Technicals: Denver defensive 3 seconds 1:09 2nd, Dallas defensive 3 seconds 9:51 3rd, Denver defensive 3 seconds 2:00 3rd Refs: Anthony Jordan, Bill Kennedy, Ron Garretson Attendance: 19,744 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Nene (suspended) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Josh Howard 7 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Dirk Nowitzki 44 13-25 1-2 8-13 35 1-11 2 5 3 3 3 Erick Dampier 27 3-6 0-0 3-4 9 7-14 0 4 2 0 1 Michael Finley 45 7-16 0-3 3-4 17 1-2 1 1 2 1 0 Jason Terry 46 6-9 3-3 0-0 15 0-4 5 3 3 1 0 Jerry Stackhouse 38 3-13 0-3 5-6 11 5-12 5 2 3 0 0 Alan Henderson 21 3-5 0-0 0-0 6 4-7 0 0 1 0 2 Devin Harris 8 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 1 2 4 0 0 Shawn Bradley 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Darrell Armstrong 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 36-78 4-11 19-27 95 18-50 14 18 18 5 6 Denver Nuggets REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Kenyon Martin 47 8-20 0-0 3-5 19 4-11 2 1 4 1 0 Carmelo Anthony 37 6-13 1-2 1-1 14 2-5 1 3 3 0 0 Marcus Camby 10 2-4 0-0 0-0 4 0-4 0 1 0 2 1 Greg Buckner 18 3-5 0-2 0-0 6 0-2 1 0 4 0 0 Andre Miller 39 5-14 0-1 6-7 16 3-8 10 1 1 2 0 Bryon Russell 14 1-4 0-1 0-0 2 1-3 1 2 3 0 0 Francisco Elson 24 3-6 0-0 4-6 10 4-7 0 0 4 0 0 Earl Boykins 28 3-9 1-3 4-4 11 0-0 6 1 0 3 0 DerMarr Johnson 8 2-5 1-4 0-0 5 1-1 0 0 2 1 0 Nikoloz Tskitishvili 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Rodney White 11 3-5 0-1 0-0 6 0-1 1 0 2 0 0 Totals 48 36-85 3-14 18-23 93 15-42 22 9 23 9 1 Dallas at LA Clippers (January 24) Dallas was without Josh Howard and Jason Terry was playing with an upset stomach. The Clippers were without Corey Maggette and Marko Jaric was fresh from IR. It was Dallas' 4th game in 5 days and it show as the Mavs were sluggish and a step slow on defense the entire game. Dallas scored 7 straight points to go up 15-9 with 5:30 remaining, but the Clippers answered with an 8-2 run to tie the game at 17-17 with 3:15 left. Dallas hit 4 straight free throws to end the quarter. The game was tied at 23-23 after 1. Jerry Stackhouse had 10 points and Bobby Simmons had 9 points. The Clippers scored the first 10 points of the 2nd quarter, capped by consecutive 3-pointers by Jaric, to go up 33-23 with 10 minutes to go. Dirk Nowitzki finally put Dallas on the board during the quarter with a jumper with 9 minutes left and Dallas then scored the next 4 points to pull within 29-33 with 7 minutes remaining, but were unable to get any closer. The Clippers led 46-38 with a minute left and closed the quarter strong in scoring 7 straight points to go up 53-38 at the half. The Clippers out-scored Dallas 30-15 in the 2nd quarter. The Clippers shot 52.5% FG and Dallas shot 34% FG in the half. Dallas opened the 3rd quarter strong a 10-2 run, capped by consecutive 3-pointers, to pull within 48-55 with 9:10 left. The Clippers called timeout and regrouped and scored the next 4 points and Dallas would get no closer than 9 points the rest of the quarter. The Clippers led 71-59 after 3. Chris Kaman got a layup and Rick Brunson drained a 3-pointer to open the 4th quarter and put the Clippers up 76-59 with 10:50 remaining. Alan Henderson hit 2 free throws and Michael Finley finally woke up and hit a jumper and 3-pointer to pull within 66-76 with 8:35 left. But the Clippers went on a 9-2 run, with 6 points by Elton Brand, to go up by 17 again at 85-68 with 5:20 left. Dallas would get no closer than 13 points before throwing in the towel with 2 minutes left. The Clippers won 97-87. It was an ugly game for Dallas on both ends of the court. No player ever got it fully going for Dallas on offense and their defense was inadequate. Dallas shot a mere 39% (32-82) FG including 6-23 3-pointers and the Clippers shot 48.1% (37-77) FG including 6-12 3-pointers. Dallas got nothing from the bench as a bench player did not score until 1:25 left in the game [granted 6th man Jerry Stackhouse started due to Josh Howard's injury]. Dallas was even on the boards with 44 rebounds for both teams, but that won't cut it when you are shooting poorly and your opponent is not. The loss snapped Dallas' 5 game winning streak. Wednesday's game at Portland is the halfway point of the season for Dallas. Elton Brand was solid with 10 of his 23 points coming in the 4th quarter. He shot 9-16 FG and 5-6 FT and had 12 rebounds and 3 steals. Bobby Simmons had 21 points and 5 rebounds. Rick Brunson only hit 3-pointers, but he hit 4 of them (4-11 FG, 4-7 3-pointers) for 12 points to go with his 6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 steals. Quinton Ross had 12 points and 6 rebounds and Marko Jaric had 9 points in his return from IR. Chris Kaman had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Outside of garbage time, Dirk Nowitzki was the only Mav to shoot 50% FG. He had 22 points on 9-17 FG and 2-5 FT [as he again struggled at the line] and 11 rebounds. Jerry Stackhouse had 18 points including 7-16 FG and 6 rebounds. The other 3 starters combined to shoot just 12-35 FG. Michael Finley missed his first 8 shots before finally hitting a bucket with 9:45 left in the 4th quarter. He did shot 4-6 FG and had 9 points in the 4th, but the Mavs needed more than 1 quarter of performance out of him this night. Jason Terry's hot shooting went cold as he had 10 points on 4-12 FG and 2-7 3-pointers to go with his 8 assists. Erick Dampier had 13 points including 4-10 FG and 14 rebounds including 7 offensive. Quotes Mike Dunleavy: "Coming into the game, I talked to our guys about playing them for a full 48. Last game we played them well for about 35 minutes and then after that, we lost our focus for a little bit, or maybe we wore down, I'm not sure. But they took it to us in the 4th quarter. This time around though, our guys came out and played a strong 1st half. In the 2nd half, we knew they would make a run in the beginning of the 2nd half but we got ourselves back into it and our guys did a good job of maintaining and executing the things we wanted to do, but particularly the defense has been overall pretty good." Dunleavy: "There's nothing special. We were just doing what we were supposed to be doing - trying to contest shots, trying to support guys where they needed support. We did a nice job of it. Our guys played a lot of good individual defense because they have a lot of good 1-on-1 players and we did a pretty good job of contesting shots. Offensively, we pushed the ball pretty good and we made some good plays." Dunleavy on Jaric: "Marko came in and did a very nice job for us. His activeness on the ball, both on the floor offensively and defensively, and of course hitting those couple of shots, gave us a little spread and gave us some cushion to get away from them." Dunleavy on Nowitzki: "Last time we played them, he had 28 on us, which is about his average. I don't mind. He's a great, great player. I don't mind him getting his average as long as we make him work for it. Our guys did a good job of that. We didn't give him too many easy baskets. We learned a little bit from the first time we played them. I felt good about the way we played." Elton Brand: "We lost Corey Maggette, but we got Marko back tonight. You can't say enough about our defensive effort tonight. We passed the ball, stepped up defensively and sank our shots. Dallas is a great shooting team and they have their record for a reason. We knew that they would make a run at us during the 2nd half, but we just focused on executing our plays. That's what Coach Dunleavy talks about everyday - execution, execution, execution. All we needed to do was keep the ball moving so that we could get open looks for ourselves." Brand: "They were double-teaming in the post, especially on that left block, so we whipped it around. Rick Brunson hit 4 of the 6 3s and Marko Jaric hit the other 2. That's what we need out of those guys." Brand: "They started off with a zone. They were collapsing and double-teaming me, especially in the post. But Bobby hit some nice shots and Rick hit some big shots. Everyone contributed." Brand: "They started off with a zone and they were collapsing and gave us a lot of double-teams, so I just shared the rock. The guys hit open shots, and when that happened, it opened it up for me and Chris Kaman to try to move around the paint." Brand: "Toward the end, [Dunleavy] said we're going to run certain plays and keep running them. So I either kept making buckets or getting fouled." Brand: "I really wanted to win this game - especially with the tough losses that we've had. I felt I could have done more late in the game to win those, so I wanted to do something tonight. We know we're good and we know we can play, so it was good to get this one against a quality opponent." Brand: "We had lost to San Antonio by 1 point, New Orleans was a heartbreaker, and we thought we had Dallas at their home court. We were very confident coming into tonight's game and tonight we hit our shots, made our free throws, and we didn't have any lapses in the end." Marko Jaric: "Tonight I wanted to give some energy to the team, and I know that I did well in that respect. We ran the floor really well tonight, and that is the most important thing for us right now, getting into an offensive rhythm." Jaric: "I just tried to put a little energy into the team, but my stamina wasn't very good. I practiced individually the last 7 days, but we never had time to practice 5-on-5 because we had a tough schedule. So, basically, I came straight into the game after being out a month and a half." Rick Brunson on keeping the lead: "That just shows our maturity as a team. In the past we would sometimes give up the lead, but we didn't cave in this time. They made a run at us in the 3rd quarter, but we held them back and kept the lead with us coming away with the win tonight." Avery Johnson: "Tonight wasn't our night. You've got to tip your hat to the Clippers. They played like a team that was desperate to win a game coming off a bad road trip where they lost 3 games. They played well tonight though. Rick Brunson and Quentin Ross hit some big shots for them. Elton Brand hit a big shot for them when we were making a run and had cut their lead to 7 points." Johnson: "[It was] a very disappointing loss for us." Johnson: "The Clippers deserved to win this game. Mike Dunleavy did a great job with them tonight. Elton Brand stepped up and was physical. Marko Jaric gave them some energy. At the same time he was giving them energy, we missed Josh Howard and his energy." Johnson: "We're not that good to take anybody lightly. We're not on that level yet. We've got to play every night. There are no easy wins for our basketball team. This is our 4th game in 4 1/2 days. This is the first back-to-back game where you play in Texas and then you come out to California for a game the next night." Jerry Stackhouse: "We didn't have a good overall effort team wise. Defensively we just made mistakes allowing for them to get open and they took advantage. They were a hot shooting team tonight. They moved the ball to open guys and made their shots all night. As the game went on and they got a little bit of a lead their confidence just started to grow." Stackhouse: "With a team like that you have to try to knock them back on their heels. When they got a little bit of a lead you could just see their confidence just start to show. Once you've built up that kind of energy it becomes hard to stop." Stackhouse: "We didn't come in here and take the Clippers lightly. They made shots. Guys came in like Marko Jaric and hit a couple 3s in the 1st half. Those are shots that beat you. You take your chances, but they were just stroking the ball well." Stackhouse: "Defensively we made mistakes that allowed them to get open and they took advantage of it. We had some breakdowns defensively and they moved the ball around and hit the open guy." Los Angeles Clippers 97, Dallas Mavericks 87 at Los Angeles (January 24) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% LA Clippers 23 30 18 26 - 97 .477 .500 .481 .810 Dallas 23 15 21 28 - 87 .441 .261 .390 .810 Halftime: LA Clippers 53-38 3rd Q: LA Clippers 71-59 Technicals: none Refs: Ed F. Rush, Jess Kersey, Matt Boland Attendance: 16,642 (cap: 19,060) Did not play due to injury: Corey Maggette (sore left foot), Kerry Kittles (strained right groin), Josh Howard (back spasms) Los Angeles Clippers REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Rick Brunson 44 4-11 4-7 0-0 12 0-6 9 4 0 4 0 Quinton Ross 32 5-11 0-0 2-2 12 2-6 4 1 3 0 0 Bobby Simmons 41 8-16 0-0 5-5 21 1-5 2 1 3 1 0 Elton Brand 40 9-16 0-0 5-6 23 4-12 3 2 5 3 1 Chris Kaman 35 6-10 0-0 1-2 13 4-12 3 3 4 1 2 Marko Jaric 23 3-7 2-5 1-2 9 0-0 4 2 1 1 1 Mikki Moore 16 2-6 0-0 3-4 7 0-2 1 2 2 0 1 Zeljko Rebraca 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 0 0 1 0 0 Darrick Martin 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 37-77 6-12 17-21 97 11-44 26 16 19 10 5 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Michael Finley 42 4-13 1-5 2-2 11 1-3 1 2 1 3 0 Jason Terry 35 4-12 2-7 0-0 10 0-1 8 3 0 1 0 Dirk Nowitzki 43 9-17 2-4 2-5 22 1-11 4 5 4 0 3 Jerry Stackhouse 42 7-16 0-3 4-4 18 1-6 1 1 4 1 0 Erick Dampier 30 4-10 0-1 5-6 13 7-14 1 2 3 0 2 Alan Henderson 19 0-3 0-0 2-2 2 1-2 0 1 2 1 0 Darrell Armstrong 11 0-3 0-2 0-0 0 1-2 4 0 1 2 0 Devin Harris 9 1-3 1-1 0-0 3 0-1 2 0 1 0 0 Shawn Bradley 4 0-0 0-0 2-2 2 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 Calvin Booth 3 2-3 0-0 0-0 4 1-2 0 0 2 1 0 DJ Mbenga 2 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 1-1 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 32-82 6-23 17-21 87 14-44 21 16 18 9 5 patricia