The NBA named Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade (Mia) as Players of the Month for December. Nowitzki averaged 27.2 points and 9 rebounds as Dallas went 9-4. Wade averaged 23 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 7.7 assists as Miami went 14-1. It was the 2nd time Nowitzki has been named Player of the Month (also in Nov 2002 as Nowitzki, Michael Finley, and Steve Nash were all named for the Western Conference PoM) and the 3rd time a Mav has been named Player of the Month (also Mark Aguirre in Jan 1984 [the NBA started naming a PoM for each conference in 01-02]). Dallas development coach Kelvin Upshaw suffered a torn right ACL during Monday's coaches (plus Bradley)-low minute players scrimmage [the coaches won]. LA Lakers at Dallas (January 5) It was the 2nd night of a back-to-back for the Lakers, but they didn't put up much of a fight the previous night in getting blown out by San Antonio. The game stayed close early on with both teams holding small leads. A 3-pointer by Chucky Atkins gave the Lakers a 14-9 lead with 6:40 remaining Consecutive 3-pointers by Jason Terry kicked off a monster 21-3 run to close the quarter, capped by a block and then fast break dunk by Josh Howard. All 13 of Terry's 1st quarter points came during the run. The Lakers only shot 1-12 FG during the run. Dallas led 30-17 after 1. Dallas shot 46% FG and the Lakers shot 27% FG. A 3-pointer by Terry gave Dallas a 38-24 lead with 9:15 to go, but Brian Cook hit a 3-pointer and then almost 2 minutes later (during which neither team scored) hit another 3-pointer to pull the Lakers within 30-38 with 7:15 minutes left. A 3-point play by Kobe Bryant pulled the Lakers within 39-46 with 4:35 to go, but Dallas then scored the next 9 points to go up 55-39 with 3:10 remaining. 4 straight points by the Lakers pulled them within 9 points with 2 seconds left, but Devin Harris nailed a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Dallas a 63-51 lead at the half. Kobe Bryant made up for his scoreless 1st quarter by scoring 16 points in the 2nd quarter. Dallas shot 56.5% FG and the Lakers shot 43% FG in the 2nd quarter, but Dallas also gave up 9 offensive rebounds. Howard scored the first 4 points of the 3rd quarter to give Dallas a 67-51 lead a minute in. Dallas' lead would remain in the mid-teens over the next 6 minutes. Dallas led 79-62 with 5:30 remaining and consecutive 3-pointers kicked off a 10-3 run for the Lakers as they pulled within 72-82 with 3 minutes to go. Dallas was able to keep their lead in double-digits, but were unable to build a lead larger than 15 points the rest of the quarter. Jumaine Jones got a putback at the quarter buzzer (the 6th offensive rebound of the quarter as Dallas continued not to grab the inside rebounds). Dallas led 93-83 after 3. Chris Mihm had 12 points in the 3rd quarter. Bryant sat for the only time in the game to open the 4th quarter, but he came back in 50 seconds into the quarter. Dirk Nowitzki scored the first 7 points of the 4th quarter, capped by a steal on Bryant and slam dunk 3-point play on the break, to give Dallas a 100-83 lead with 9:40 to go. The Lakers then went on an 11-4 run, including 3 3-pointers by Bryant (but those were his only points in the 4th quarter), to pull within 94-104 with 6:30 left. But Dallas refused to let the Lakers get closer than 10 points and Dallas led between 10 and 15 points the rest of the way. Dallas won 118-104. Dallas road their big 1st quarter to the finish (they only out-scored the Lakers by 1 point over the last 3 quarters). The Mavs were never able to really pull away, but the Lakers were also never able to get closer than 10 points in the 2nd half. Dallas shot the ball well in shooting 55.4% (46-83) FG including 6-17 3-pointers while the Lakers struggled in shooting 39.6% (36-91) FG including 11-34 3-pointers [34 attempts set the AAC record for most 3-pointers attempted]. With the big fella no longer in LA, Dallas out-scored the Lakers 50-34 in the paint. Both teams were fairly clean with the ball as Dallas had 8 turnovers while the Lakers had 11 turnovers. But both were also good at converting the turnovers into points as Dallas scored 20 points off of the 11 Lakers turnovers and the Lakers scored 15 points off of the 8 Dallas turnovers. It was a balanced affair for Dallas as 6 of the 8 players who played were in double-digits scoring. The surprise performance of the night came from Jason Terry who had 28 points on 9-10 FG, 5-5 3-pointers, and 5-6 FT, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and only 1 turnover in playing 32 minutes. And when he sat, Devin Harris came in and ran the show well. Harris had 11 points on 5-6 FG, 4 assists, and no turnovers in 15 minutes. Dirk Nowitzki had an erratic game as his shot wasn't flowing most of the night. He solved his shooting problems in the 4th quarter by continually taking the ball inside - 11 of his 15 4th quarter points came from free throws and points in the paint. He finished with 25 points on 8-22 FG and 9-11 FT, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 turnovers. Erick Dampier had a double-double with 13 points including 5-7 FG and 13 rebounds. He also had 4 blocks. Josh Howard had the defensive assignment on Kobe Bryant. He continued his string of good games with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Michael Finley chipped in 16 points on 8-13 FG. Jerry Stackhouse had 8 points on 4-10 FG and 2 rebounds in 22 minutes. Alan Henderson was the only other Mav who played. He had 2 points and 3 rebounds in 10 minutes. Marquis Daniels missed his 3rd straight game due to his sore ankle. Kobe Bryant struggled with his shot all night long, but that didn't stop him from jacking up a lot of shots. He did have a game high 32 points, but shot 12-30 FG, 4-11 3-pointers, and 4-6 FT. He had 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 turnovers in his 47:10 minutes on the court. Chucky Atkins also enjoyed jacking up shots, especially behind the arc, and had 14 points including 3-12 FG and 2-9 3-pointers to go with his 7 assists. 12 of Chris Mihm's 17 points came in the 3rd quarter. He also had 10 rebounds and 4 blocks. Jumaine Jones had a nice game off the bench with a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds including 6 offensive. Lamar Odom had 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists before fouling out with 4 minutes left in the game. Caron Butler had 8 points and 8 rebounds in 34 minutes. Brian Cook hit all 3 3-pointers he attempted for 9 points in 9 minutes. He also had 4 rebounds and 3 blocks. Quotes Don Nelson: "We had great play out of our point guards and I commend both of them. Dirk wasn't as sharp as we have seen him, but he ended up with some decent numbers. For the first time, I wanted to practice tomorrow and Avery wanted to give him the day off." [Nelson went with Johnson's view and gave the players today off.] Nelson on the balanced scoring: "I love it. We have been scoring a lot at home. 118 points is still a lot of points, no matter where you play. I thought Terry set the stage by making his shots when he had them. He got into areas where he was very effective and he only had 1 turnover. I put the rookie in and he was just as good. I think that is the first time that I have been pleased with both point guards in the same game. They both were strong tonight. There was a lot of encouraging things tonight." Nelson: "We got good play out of the 2 positions that are the most important in basketball: point guard and center. I thought we were pretty consistent. Damp rebounded and was a presence." Nelson on defending Bryant: "I want to do better, but I was satisfied. He's a very aggressive player right now. He's a hard cover. We had a couple breakdowns. Any time you make a mistake on a guy like that, he is going to score. We covered him down the stretch extremely well." Nelson on when Terry stands and holds the ball: "It's a bad habit and you have to keep reminding him. We are working with him and I think it is paying dividends. Avery was a great point guard for many years and he is a wonderful teacher." Dirk Nowitzki: "We're finding ways to win games we should win." Nowitzki on the balanced scoring: "That's our strength. We have a lot of scorers out there. Anyone can get it going on a given night." Nowitzki on Terry: "He is looking a lot better lately. He's making things happen for us to help us win. He's pushing the ball for us. I think he's just getting more comfortable and picking up the system." Michael Finley on beating the Lakers 3 straight times (only the 2nd time that has happended, the other being in 86-87): "Hopefully the times have changed. Over those years they've had a number of championships. Hopefully we can get a couple of those championships now." Jerry Stackhouse: "We're starting to put it together a little bit. We're working hard in practice, and it's starting to pay off in the games." Stackhouse on the team's high scoring: "With that said, there are still opportunities we're missing. With this team, you may see an 80 point half." Jason Terry: "I started getting in the lane and hitting guys, then they started to find me and I started attacking. That's the kind of rhythm we're looking for." Terry: "I just kept attacking. I started out getting in the lane, hitting guys in their rhythm. Then they found me on the other end and I knocked a couple down." Terry on Harris: "He came in and played well. He picked it up defensively. Offensively, we didn't lose a beat as far as tempo." Josh Howard on defending Bryant: "He's a great player and he still put up 32 points. I felt we did well, me and my team. That was big to jump out to an early lead, which we have been doing for the last week and a half. I had a lot of help from my teammates. That's one thing I credit it too, is my teammates helping me out because there were a lot of times that if they weren't helping me out, he would have beaten me." Howard on Bryant's offense in the 2nd and 3rd quarters: "His team was down and he needed to put up more shots. He got a lot of open shots off of 2nd chance rebounds." Devin Harris on he and Terry: "Jason had a really good game. We got the ball moving forward in the 1st half and really got it going. Jason was the hot shooter. I just came in and tried to keep get a few minutes off the bench and we were fortunate to play well tonight." Harris on his end of the 2nd quarter 3-pointer: "I was excited about that. It was my first one." Harris on Dallas' point guards: "They are the head of the team and when the point guards struggle, the team usually struggles. But we're coming around." Harris on Nelson pushing the point guards: "He has been pushing us really hard and it is only going to make us better. We haven't played great as of yet, but we have the best games ahead of us now. We are starting to really get a hold of the system and we are running with it." Harris on Nelson getting on the point guards: "He does. But Avery is even harder on us." Rudy Tomjanovich: "They just killed us offensively. Dirk Nowitzki is a great player. We tried long guys, shorter guys and he's got an answer for everything. He can shoot over people, he can spin around them, and we didn't expect Jason Terry to do that. We've got to get our defense back. Our percentage was like 5th in the league at 42% and now we've had 2 games where our defense has let us down. We've just got to do it or we're going to fall out of it." Tomjanovich: "Shooting 39% doesn't help you against a team like this. They shot 55% and that's by far our worst defensive give-up. We've got to put a tourniquet on it and we've got to get back in here and win some games." Tomjanovich: "I thought our mentality when things weren't going good offensively effected our defense. That's when we should run back harder. You've got to know how to channel your frustration when things aren't going right offensively. It's tough out on the road. We've played 2 really good teams that are very efficient and our mental toughness has to go up." Tomjanovich on the defense: "We're not getting it done. Tonight, they got whatever they wanted. Teams have been getting in the paint and getting easy shots on us. Sometimes it takes a couple of kicks in the butt to get you going." Tomjanovich on 34 3-pointers attempted: "Don't get frantic when things don't go right." Tomjanovich: "Our mental toughness has got to go up - not a notch, but several notches." Tomjanovich: "Is this who we are? I don't believe it. I think we can compete better than this. Are we that far away from those guys? [San Antonio and Dallas] are 2 good teams. In my heart, I don't believe that. I'm not willing to believe that." Kobe Bryant on the 1st quarter: "I was just missing some shots, missed my first 3 shots and finally got 1 to go down." Bryant: "Everybody was just coming being aggressive. If you have a lane to the basket take it, if you have an open shot take it, and we're just trying to keep everybody in the flow." Bryant: "We were playing pretty good defensively. The last 2 games have just been terrible. Teams have been able to get shots whenever they wanted to, get into the paint whenever they wanted to and the last 2 games have been particularly tough for us." Bryant: "That's terrible defense. We didn't get it done tonight. They got whatever they wanted and took us apart." Bryant: "Sometimes it takes a couple kicks to the butt to move forward. Hopefully we can learn from this." Bryant: "You don't necessarily have to win ballgames to progress. Sometimes you can take something from one of these games. Hopefully we'll learn something." Bryant on Nowitzki's steal in the 4th: "It was a good play. Great defensive play by him. It was quick hands. He made a dive for the ball and missed it, then gambled with his right hand and got his hand on the ball. It was a great strip." Bryant on Terry: "I love his game. I loved his game when he was in Atlanta. I'm happy for him that he's in this situation where he can play on a winning ballclub. He's just extremely confident." Lamar Odom: "We're not playing any team defense." Odom on defense: "That's why you're seeing bad basketball. We're not playing good basketball." Odom on his fouls: "That referee was taking it personally. I said something to him earlier in the game. That's a bad decision on my part to do that." Dallas Mavericks 118, Los Angeles Lakers 104 at Dallas (January 5) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 30 33 30 25 - 118 .606 .353 .554 .690 LA Lakers 17 34 32 21 - 104 .439 .324 .396 .778 Halftime: Dallas 63-51 3rd Q: Dallas 93-83 Technicals: none Refs: Mike Callahan, Derek Richardson, Bennie Adams Attendance: 20.393 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Marquis Daniels (sore left ankle) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Michael Finley 43 8-13 0-2 0-0 16 1-2 3 0 2 1 0 Jason Terry 32 9-10 5-5 5-6 28 2-6 5 1 4 2 0 Dirk Nowitzki 39 8-22 0-3 9-11 25 0-9 4 4 3 2 0 Josh Howard 38 6-13 0-3 3-4 15 0-6 4 0 5 2 1 Erick Dampier 41 5-7 0-0 3-5 13 3-13 1 3 5 0 4 Jerry Stackhouse 22 4-10 0-2 0-0 8 0-2 1 0 1 0 0 Devin Harris 15 5-6 1-2 0-1 11 0-1 4 0 3 1 0 Alan Henderson 10 1-2 0-0 0-2 2 2-3 0 0 1 0 1 Totals 48 46-83 6-17 20-29 118 8-42 22 8 24 8 6 Los Angeles Lakers REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Kobe Bryant 47 12-30 4-11 4-6 32 3-3 3 5 3 1 0 Chucky Atkins 36 3-12 2-9 6-6 14 0-2 7 1 3 1 0 Lamar Odom 36 5-12 0-2 4-6 14 2-6 5 1 6 0 0 Caron Butler 34 3-8 1-3 1-1 8 3-8 2 1 3 0 0 Chris Mihm 31 7-13 0-0 3-4 17 4-10 2 1 3 0 4 Jumaine Jones 25 3-8 1-5 3-4 10 6-13 2 0 0 1 0 Tierre Brown 12 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 0-1 2 1 1 0 0 Brian Cook 9 3-4 3-3 0-0 9 2-4 0 0 2 0 3 Stanislav Medvedenko 6 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 1 0 0 0 0 Brian Grant 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0 3 0 0 Totals 48 36-91 11-34 21-27 104 20-48 25 11 24 3 7 patricia