With San Antonio's win over Portland on Tuesday, the Spurs clinched the Southwest Division title, thus locking Dallas into the #4 spot in the playoffs for the Western Conference. Who Dallas will face in the #5 spot is still to be determined and will be Sacramento, Houston, or Denver. The regular season ends next Wednesday and the playoffs start the following Saturday, April 23 (Dallas will play either Saturday or Sunday, to be determined). Dallas at Seattle Dallas was again facing a team getting key players fresh back from injury. Rashard Lewis (missed last 8 games), Antonio Daniels (last 3), and Danny Fortson (last 2) played in the game. The game was important for Seattle as they need one win to clinch the Northwest division title (and the #3 seed) and they had been struggling lately in losing their previous 5 games. A 3-pointer by Luke Ridnour gave Seattle a 7-2 lead with 9:55 remaining, but Dallas then went on a 14-2 run, including 7 points by Dirk Nowitzki, to go up 16-9 with 5:20 to go. Seattle pulled within 14-16 on a 3-pointer by ADaniels with 3:10 left, but Dallas then scored the next 7 points, capped by a 3-pointer by Keith Van Horn, to take a 23-14 lead with 1:20 remaining. Dallas led 25-17 after 1. Dallas shot 50% FG and Seattle shot 27% FG. A 3-pointer by Van Horn gave Dallas their largest lead at 35-23 with 9 minutes to go, but Seattle then went on an 11-2 run, capped by a dunk by Lewis on the break, to pull within 34-37 with 5 minutes remaining. Dallas led 42-36 with 2:50 left and Seattle went on a 9-2 run to go up 45-44 with 35 seconds to go. 2 free throws by Nowitzki capped the quarter scoring and gave Dallas a 46-45 lead at the half. Seattle shot 59% FG and Dallas shot 42% FG in the 2nd quarter. Dallas opened the 3rd quarter by scoring the first 10 points to go up 56-45 with 9:25 to go as Seattle missed their first 5 shots. Seattle slowly chipped away at Dallas' lead and a 3-pointer by Damien Wilkins tied the game at 70-70 with 15 seconds left. Jerry Stackhouse hit a long jumper with a couple of seconds remaining to give Dallas a 72-70 lead after 3. Jerome James had 10 points in the 3rd quarter. A free throw by Devin Harris was the only point scored in the first 1 1/2 minutes of the 4th quarter. Seattle then scored the next 5 points to go up 75-73 with 8:10 left. Dallas answered by scoring the next 7 points to retake the lead at 80-75 with 6:45 to go. 4 straight points by Seattle pulled the Sonics within 81-82 with 4:30 remaining, but the defender gave him space so Jason Terry simply rose and drained the 3-pointer with 4:10 left to give Dallas a 4 point lead. Seattle then went on a 6-2 mini-run to tie the game at 87-87 with 1:30 remaining. Nowitzki was fouled and hit both free throws with 1:15 to go. Ray Allen was fouled, but surprisingly missed the first free throw (he's an 89% FT shooter). He did hit the 2nd to pull Seattle within 88-89 with a little under a minute left. Nowitzki set a screen and, as the defenders stayed focused on Nowitzki, Terry drove baseline and pulled up and drained the short baseliner with 45 seconds remaining. ADaniels missed a jumper with 39 seconds left and Stackhouse snagged the rebound. Dallas ran some time off the clock and Nowitzki hit a 16-footer to give Dallas an 93-88 lead with 17 seconds left. After Allen missed a 3-pointer, Nowitzki was intentionally fouled and he hit both free throws. A layup by ADaniels capped the scoring. Dallas won 95-90. It wasn't an easy win, but it was a good win as Seattle played well and Dallas needed a challenge even more than an easy win. Dallas was able to execute down the stretch and Seattle was not. Dallas is a perfect 20-0 this season when they shot 50% or better. In this game, Dallas shot 51.4% (36-70) FG including 6-17 3-pointers. Seattle shot 40.7% (33-81) FG including 7-25 3-pointers. Dallas did struggle from the line, making their night a little harder, in missing 12 free throws. Dallas shot 17-29 FT and Seattle shot 17-22 FT. Both teams were called for 27 fouls. Dallas did not do a good job on the boards, especially giving up way too many offensive rebounds. Seattle out-rebounded Dallas 45-30 including 16-7 offensive. The teams meet again next Tuesday in Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki played well and had his shot falling. He had a game high 31 points on 11-16 FG [after starting 1-4 FG] and 9-10 FT. 12 of his points came in the 4th quarter. Nowitzki also had 7 rebounds. Jason Terry had 15 points and 8 assists. Michael Finley struggled mightily and, as a result, he sat all but the first minute of the 4th quarter. He missed all 6 shots he attempted for no points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, and 4 fouls in 23 minutes. Josh Howard also struggled with his shot, but his good defense kept him on the court [it didn't make the quotes below, but Avery Johnson did praise Howard's defense in this game]. Howard had 5 points including 1-7 FG and 5 rebounds. Erick Dampier hit all his shots from the field and missed all his shots from the line. Despite his free throws, he did play well with 10 points on 5-5 FG and 0-3 FT and 9 rebounds including 4 offensive. Jerry Stackhouse had 14 points including 3-3 3-pointers, 2 rebounds and 3 assists in 26 minutes off the bench. Keith Van Horn also gave bench help with 12 points, but he only had 1 rebound and no assists in 24 minutes. Ray Allen struggled with his shot, but put up enough shots to get 19 points. He shot 7-20 FG and 3-4 FT and had 6 rebounds including 3 offensive and 3 assists. Rashard Lewis had 12 points and 4 rebounds in his return to action. He was 4-6 for 2-pointers, but only 1-7 for 3-pointers. Jerome James had all of his points and all but 1 of his rebounds in the 3rd quarter as he sparked Seattle's comeback in that quarter. He finished with 10 points and 6 rebounds. Antonio Daniels enjoyed his return to action with 17 points and 4 assists in 26 minutes. Damien Wilkins had 10 points. Quotes Avery Johnson: "Obviously, this was a good win for us. It was really a playoff atmosphere out there tonight. They were scrambling and trying to get a win. They bring Lewis back tonight, who gave them a lot of energy. He didn't play his best game but just his presence out there gave us a lot of problems. Daniels comes out and gets 17 off the bench on us. We really couldn't solve him for a stretch. We had really good defense in the 4th quarter, I thought our guys battled. We went big and put Dirk at 3. I thought that gave them some problems. That just shows another gear that we can go to with the flexibility of this team." Johnson: "More than anything tonight, I'm really pleased with Jerry Stackhouse. I thought he had a big 2nd half, offensively and defensively. We're going to need that come playoff time." Johnson: "I was pleased with our defense in the 4th quarter and more than anything, I was really pleased with the way Jerry Stackhouse played. He gave us a tough rebound at the end, something we couldn't get most of the night." Johnson: "We were really trying to stay on Allen and Lewis and just try to make some of the other guys beat us. You just kind of play the percentages." Johnson on it being a playoff atmosphere: "The intensity. Every possession counted especially down the stretch. Reggie Evans was all over the place. He really sparked those guys. He was playing like it was his last game. I really like the way he battled out there. I like guys like that, they just play hungry and he really gave us some problems." Dirk Nowitzki: "Obviously we would have liked an easier win, but they played well and came back on us. We did the things we need to do down the stretch to win the game." Nowitzki: "The last few minutes are the most important ones. We did all the things we needed to win down the stretch. We got some stops, we finally got some rebounds, we drove the ball and got to the line, and made some big shots." Jerry Stackhouse: "We put a lot of pressure on them. We knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy. They had one of their best players back on the floor tonight. We got off to an early lead so that was good. We knew that they were going to make a run, which they did, we were going to keep our momentum throughout the game." Stackhouse on defending Seattle: "We like that. We like that on D. Josh did a great job on Ray. We just contested his shot. He's a volume shooter, he's going to take a lot of shots and at the same time you just have to make him work. We made him work and he didn't have a good shooting night." Stackhouse: "I loved it. I told the guys at the start of the 4th quarter that this is what playoff basketball is all about. It's important to be in tight games and learn how to win them." Jason Terry: "It was a big win for us. More importantly at this time of the season, we're not playing the scoreboard, we're not particularly playing our opponents - we are worrying about ourselves and how we come out. We have been doing a great job every night of getting a consistent defensive effort and that's the key for this team." Terry: "Offense comes and goes but we have so many weapons on this team. Throughout stretches in the game somebody is going to step up, make shots. Our big thing is defense. We live and die with defense. I know that people think Dallas Mavericks and they are thinking run-and-gun, but not with Avery at the helm. He's really preaching defense and everybody has bought into that." Nate McMillan: "We'd be right there but then we'd come up with an empty trip. We were right there. We had enough stops. Offensively we didn't do a good job of setting screens. That made a difference. Even on the last play. We didn't get a hit on Terry and he was able to stay on the ball. We just didn't do a good job of executing." McMillan: "We just got to make plays down the stretch. We've been there before and we've got to get stops, and we've got to get baskets. And that team did that tonight. That team came up with stops and made buckets." McMillan: "We were able to go back to our old ways. Give Rashard some drops in the post. Space the floor. We had a lineup out there that we were pretty comfortable with, with Rashard being at the 4. Jerome, AD, Ray, and Damien was able to knock down some shots." McMillan on Lewis' minutes: "I was told right before the game that I could play him 30 as opposed to 20-25. So we tried to get him early in the 3rd. He looked like he was winded and I thought at the end he was moving a little slow getting to his spots offensively. But that's to be expected coming back after being off for so long." McMillan: "I thought [Antonio Daniels] looked pretty good tonight. The rotation was a little deeper with those guys being back. Rashard's touch was off early but he was able to knock down some shots. It was good to get those guys back." McMillan on Jerome James: "He delivered. He got us back in the game." McMillan on if they talk about winning the division title: "The thing is to get a win. We haven't had a win in 6 games. Just to win a ballgame. That is the focus. What do we need to do to win a basketball game? If we win that next game it will be a division title." McMillan: "Everyone knows the division is right there if we win, and a lot of people can rest and calm down. But we also needed to get back to who we are. We needed to get confidence back, get into a rhythm, into our rotations so guys know who they'll be running with." Antonio Daniels "Stackhouse hit a tough shot and then Nowitzki hit a tough shot. Not much you can do about it. They hit 2 turnaround 15- to 20-footers. If you've got your hand up that's all you can ask for." Daniels: "They hit some tough shots. Dirk hit a tough turnaround jump shop with a hand up (in his face). Then I missed a shot with 30 seconds left, so we didn't hit the shots when we needed to." Daniels "We had good looks throughout the course of the game. We just didn't knock them down. That's a tough game to swallow. For the 2nd time we've played those guys and felt we had them but they hit some shots." Daniels: "I felt like we showed a lot of heart. We just have to win. We can't be looking over our shoulder back at Denver." Danny Fortson: "We showed some heart. The ball just didn't bounce the right way. At least we played hard. That's more than half the battle, just playing hard." Fortson: "There's a lot of tension. The gorilla is getting heavier and heavier. They are a good team too. We need to focus in and just get a win. Once we get a win we'll be okay. They played hard. That's a good Dallas team out there. We just didn't get it done." Fortson on the loss: "It sucks, it hurts, but at least you can see we're coming along. Not like before when it just felt terrible and hopeless." Nick Collison: "It's definitely easier to play with all of our players. So that was encouraging, I guess, to have those guys back, and they looked pretty strong. But there's not really a lot of moral victories at this point." Damien Wilkins: "Dirk is a tough matchup because you're talking about someone who's 7 feet tall and can shoot like a guard. He got a good look with a hand in his face and knocked it down." Dallas Mavericks 95, Seattle Sonics 90 at Seattle (April 13) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 25 21 26 23 - 95 .566 .353 .514 .586 Seattle 17 28 25 20 - 90 .464 .280 .407 .773 Halftime: Dallas 46-45 3rd Q: Dallas 72-70 Technicals: Nate McMillan 11:40 4th Refs: Joey Crawford, Michael Smith, Matt Boland Attendance: 16,502 (cap 17,072) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Jason Terry 36 7-14 1-2 0-2 15 0-3 8 3 2 1 0 Michael Finley 23 0-6 0-4 0-0 0 0-1 2 0 4 0 0 Dirk Nowitzki 36 11-16 0-1 9-10 31 0-7 2 2 4 1 0 Josh Howard 28 1-7 0-1 3-3 5 2-5 1 0 5 1 1 Erick Dampier 34 5-5 0-0 0-3 10 4-9 0 3 5 1 1 Jerry Stackhouse 26 5-8 3-3 1-3 14 0-2 3 0 2 0 0 Keith Van_Horn 24 4-8 2-4 2-4 12 0-1 0 0 1 1 0 Devin Harris 15 2-4 0-1 1-2 5 0-0 2 0 2 1 0 Alan Henderson 9 1-2 0-1 0-0 2 1-1 0 0 0 1 0 Marquis Daniels 8 0-0 0-0 1-2 1 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 Shawn Bradley 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 0 1 1 0 0 Totals 48 36-70 6-17 17-29 95 7-30 18 9 27 7 2 Seattle Sonics REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Ray Allen 39 7-20 2-6 3-4 19 3-6 3 1 3 0 0 Luke Ridnour 31 2-9 1-5 0-0 5 0-5 4 1 1 0 0 Rashard Lewis 36 5-13 1-7 1-2 12 0-4 2 0 2 1 1 Reggie Evans 23 1-3 0-0 4-6 6 8-13 2 1 4 0 0 Jerome James 20 5-9 0-0 0-0 10 2-6 0 2 5 0 1 Antonio Daniels 26 5-13 1-4 6-6 17 0-1 4 0 2 0 0 Damien Wilkins 20 4-6 2-2 0-0 10 0-1 0 1 2 0 0 Nick Collison 17 2-4 0-1 0-0 4 1-2 1 0 4 0 1 Danny Fortson 16 1-2 0-0 3-4 5 2-7 0 3 2 0 0 Ronald Murray 9 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 2 1 2 1 0 Vitaly Potapenko 3 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 33-81 7-25 17-22 90 16-45 18 11 27 2 3 patricia