It's All-Star balloting time and it's long overdue for Dirk to be a starter. The Mavs on this year's ballot are Dirk Nowitzki (forward), Josh Howard (forward), Jason Terry (guard), Jerry Stackhouse (guard), and Erick Dampier (center). You can vote online once a day at http://www.nba.com/allstar2007/asb/eng/ballot.html?from=sweeps or at the arenas with paper ballots as many as you can fill out (until they run out). Get out and vote for Dirk! Prior to the Clippers game, Dallas activated Devean George and placed Josh Howard on IL with a sprained left ankle. Dallas at LA Clippers (November 8) Dallas started out playing well and early on it was either a tie game or Dallas holding a small lead. The game was tied at 13-13 with 5:55 remaining and Dallas scored the next 14 points to go up 27-13 with 2:35 left. A 3-pointer and jumper by Shawn Livingston did pull the Clippers within 9 points, but a layup by Erick Dampier with 30 seconds to go capped the quarter scoring. Dallas led 32-21 after 1. Jason Terry had 14 points. Dallas scored the first 3 points of the 2nd quarter on free throws, but the Clippers then scored the next 3 points on free throws. Dallas led 39-26 with 7:05 remaining, but a layup by Sam Cassell (the Clippers' first field goal of the quarter) kicked off 8 unanswered Clipper points to pull them within 39-34 with 4:05 to go. A 3-pointer by Greg Buckner and dunk by Erick Dampier gave Dallas a 10 point lead with 2:15 left, but Dallas' lead would get no larger. Livingston had a layup near the quarter's end. Dallas led 50-43 at the half. The teams traded buckets early in the 3rd quarter and Dallas led 56-49 with 9:35 remaining. The Clippers then went on a 17-3 monster run to go up 66-59 with 4:30 left as Dallas shot 1-9 FG during the run. A 3-pointer by Cuttino Mobley gave the Clippers an 8 point lead with 2:40 left, but Anthony Johnson answered with a 3-pointer. The Clippers led 73-66 after 3. Mobley had 11 points in the 3rd quarter. A bucket by Corey Maggette gave the Clippers a 79-70 lead with 9:10 to go, but Dallas scored the next 5 points. The Clippers led 83-79 with 6:05 remaining and then went on a 14-4 run to take a commanding 97-83 lead with 2 minutes to go. The Clippers scored the last 6 points of the game. The Clippers won 103-85. Well, at least the game wasn't as bad as the final score indicated. It again wasn't a great performance by the Mavs. But a lot of the problems in this game were simply due to the Clippers hitting tough shots and Dallas getting a lot of good looks but their shots going in-and-out. Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley had strong outings for the Clippers, despite some good defense on them. A number of times, Cassell would postup with a defender tight on him and Cassell would still hit a shot. Mobley was unconscious and you knew it was going to be a tough outing for the Mavs when he got the ball late in the 2nd quarter with the shot clock running out and heaved it from 35 feet and nailed the rainbow. But Dallas again looked tired as the game went on. They started the game strong, but had a poor 2nd half. The Clippers out-scored Dallas 60-35 in the 2nd half. For the game, Dallas shot 39% (32-82) FG including 6-23 3-pointers and the Clippers shot 48.2% (40-83) FG including 2-8 3-pointers. Dallas shot 15-20 FT and the Clippers shot 21-28 FT. The Clippers out-rebounded Dallas 48-38 including 12-9 offensive. 0-4 is the worst start in team history. As mentioned above, Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley had solid outings for the Clippers. Cassell had 21 points, 9 assists, and 4 rebounds. Mobley had 28 points including 10-15 FG, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals. Elton Brand continued his quiet start to the season (which he doesn't mind as his team is winning), but did have a double-double. Brand had 13 points and 12 rebounds. In his 6th man role, Corey Maggette also had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Shawn Livingston had 10 points. Chris Kaman really struggled in the game, including missing some easy shots later in the game. He had just 4 points on 2-9 FG and 2 rebounds in 11 minutes - his minutes were limited due to his performance. For the first time this season, Dirk Nowitzki was not the high scorer. Jason Terry led the way with 23 points. Nowitzki had a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. He struggled with his shot and only shot 7-20 FG, but he did have 4 assists. Jerry Stackhouse (starting for the injured Josh Howard) was the only other Mav in double-digits with 12 points. He also had 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Devin Harris shot just 2-7 FG for part of his 6 points, but he did have 5 assists and 3 steals. Erick Dampier had 7 points and 7 rebounds. Dallas only got 13 points from the 5 reserves that played. Anthony Johnson had 9 points and 3 rebounds and DeSagana Diop had 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Austin Croshere (0-3 FG), Devean George (0-3 FG), and Maurice Ager (0-1 FG) did not score. Quotes Mike Dunleavy: "This is one of the best, maybe the best win we have had here in 3 years. We knew coming in that the Mavericks at 0-3 would come in with great energy and pride and throw everything at us. We took it. That 1st quarter, they came out at us really strong. We absorbed it and defensively we made a few adjustments and changes, but then after that to not let them get 20 points in a quarter thereafter, we had a number of guys who did a great job." Dunleavy: "I went with the small lineup in the 2nd half because they gave us the best defense on the floor and I wanted to see where they took us. Sam Cassell came out offensively and started going after them in the paint, and we gained some momentum that way." Dunleavy on defense: "It's what we hang our hat on. We think that we can defend people. In the 2nd half I decided to go with a straight defensive matchup. Some of the matchups we had on the offensive end with Sam and EB [Brand] and then we started going to Cat [Mobley], who was already playing well for us." Dunleavy on Mobley: "I think overall it was his best game here, period. On both ends of the floor he was great. Cat is a good defender, we've known that. Defensively I though he saved our season last year with Corey [Maggette] out. By playing him at the small forward, he played other small forwards so well. Nowitzki is a great player and nobody is going to stop him, but Mobley did a lot of really good things defensively." Elton Brand: "Tonight was one of our best games. Especially because of the defense. We pride ourselves on defense and that's how we had such a great record last year. It's coming together and we're getting better and better. We still have a lot to improve on." Brand: "We've got so many offensive threats, so when it's your turn you've got to heat up - just like Cat [Mobley] did tonight. Cat and James Singleton did a great job on Dirk Nowitzki when it counted. We boxed out and rebounded, came out with some intensity in the 2nd half, and that really helped." Brand: "Cat got hot, I posted up, guys were rotating, and I think our defensive matchups really helped. We sent guys at Dirk Nowitzki, some guys at Jason Terry, and we just played with intensity. We knew their backs were against the wall and they were going to come out with a lot of heart, and they did." Brand on Dallas: "I can't analyze their team. It's only one game that we saw them. But at 0-4, those guys have a lot of pride and we know they are going to make a surge at some point during the season. They are still a talented ball club regardless of their record." Sam Cassell: "I think we did an excellent job on Nowitzki. We crowded him, forced him to take quick shots and put a monkey wrench in his rhythm." Cuttino Mobley: "We did well on the defensive end and it helped our offense. They came out in that 1st quarter bombing and moving around. But in the 2nd quarter, we played Clipper basketball. We played together, got some deflections, and got a lot more in the 2nd half. We made them take tough shots, then we rebounded the ball and ran it." Mobley on the Clippers: "This team is a powerful team. We're moving the ball around, everybody's touching it, and it's hard to guard. They can double me, they double Sam [Cassell] and somebody else is open. It's just about making the play. We made plays tonight." Mobley on defending Nowitzki: "He's tall. He's the best 7-footer in the league when it comes to guard skills besides KG [Garnett]. You just have to crowd him as much as possible and make him handle the ball." Johnson: "Tonight was a classic tale of 2 halves for us. We came out with a lot of energy to start the game. [We] scored 50 points in the 1st half. We just couldn't get anything going in the 2nd half." Johnson on Dallas starting 0-4: "We are disappointed. It is a tough start for us. We are not playing good defense for long stretches of the game and we are not playing good offense. We are just playing in waves. When you play good offense and good defense in waves you are not going to be very good. We are playing 26 minutes of a 48 minute game and that is not very good basketball." Johnson: "We tried a lot of different things, we just couldn't get anything out of our offense, when we tried to get the ball inside. It was just a tough night for us. Hopefully we can be more effective as the season goes on." Jerry Stackhouse: "We've got to stop the bleeding. I thought we came out with a pretty good mindset to start the game, we just didn't keep it up. They came out and made a lot of plays and shots in the 2nd half. We struggled, we played a lot of 1-on-1 and didn't really get the ball moving like we did in the 1st half and it caught up with us." Stackhouse: "We started out with our small guards on Mobley and Cassell, and those guys like to postup regardless of who they're playing. So I think they tried to go at those matchups early and got themselves going. And then the basket seemed pretty big for those guys tonight. We played a lot of 1-on-1 and didn't really get the ball moving like we did in the 1st half, and it caught up with us." Stackhouse on Cassell and Mobley: "Those guys made shots. I mean we put small guards on them and they like to postup. They got those matchups early and they did it big tonight." Los Angeles Clippers 103, Dallas Mavericks 85 at LA (November 8) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% LA Clippers 21 22 30 30 - 103 .507 .250 .482 .750 Dallas 32 18 16 19 - 85 .441 .261 .390 .750 Halftime: Dallas 50-43 3rd Q: LA Clippers 73-66 Technicals: Mike Dunleavy 10:24 2nd, Dirk Nowitzki 4:05 2nd Refs: Tony Brothers, Ken Mauer, Mark Ayotte Attendance: 18,538 (cap 19,060) IL: LAC - Aaron Williams, Zeljko Rebraca Dal - Josh Howard, DJ Mbenga, Pops Mensah-Bonsu Los Angeles Clippers REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Cuttino Mobley 38 10-15 2-3 6-7 28 1-7 3 0 0 4 1 Sam Cassell 37 8-15 0-2 5-6 21 0-4 9 1 4 1 0 Elton Brand 35 5-13 0-0 3-7 13 3-12 2 1 2 1 0 Quinton Ross 33 4-5 0-0 0-0 8 3-4 1 1 2 0 1 Chris Kaman 11 2-9 0-0 0-0 4 1-2 0 2 3 0 0 Shaun Livingston 31 4-7 0-0 2-2 10 0-1 3 0 2 2 2 Corey Maggette 31 5-13 0-1 2-2 12 2-12 1 3 1 0 0 Tim Thomas 15 2-5 0-2 0-0 4 1-3 1 1 3 0 0 James Singleton 6 0-1 0-0 2-2 2 1-3 0 0 1 0 1 Paul Davis 2 0-0 0-0 1-2 1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 40-83 2-8 21-28 103 12-48 20 10 18 8 5 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Jason Terry 40 9-18 2-7 3-4 23 1-4 1 1 1 1 0 Devin Harris 29 2-7 0-0 2-2 6 0-0 5 2 4 3 0 Dirk Nowitzki 43 7-20 0-4 5-7 19 1-12 4 3 2 0 2 Jerry Stackhouse 37 5-12 2-4 0-0 12 1-4 3 1 1 1 0 Erick Dampier 28 3-6 0-0 1-3 7 3-7 0 2 4 0 1 Greg Buckner 22 2-4 1-2 0-0 5 0-2 1 0 5 0 0 Anthony Johnson 19 3-7 1-1 2-2 9 1-3 1 1 2 0 0 DeSagana Diop 11 1-1 0-0 2-2 4 2-3 0 3 3 0 3 Austin Croshere 5 0-3 0-2 0-0 0 0-2 0 1 1 0 0 Devean George 4 0-3 0-3 0-0 0 0-1 0 0 1 0 0 Maurice Ager 2 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 32-82 6-23 15-20 85 9-38 15 14 24 5 6 Dallas at Phoenix (November 9) The Suns were without Raja Bell due to bruised ribs (and Dallas was without Josh Howard). It was the 2nd night of a back-to-back stretch for both teams. The game started strong with both teams scoring on their first 2 possessions. Dallas led 4-3 with 11:15 left and Phoenix went on a 16-6 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Steve Nash, to go up 19-10 with 7:40 to go. Dallas then scored the next 12 points to go up 22-19 with 4:20 remaining. After a bucket by Kurt Thomas, Dallas continued to rally and scored 8 straight points to take a 30-21 lead with 2 minutes to go. Dallas led 34-26 after 1. Dirk Nowitzki had 12 points. Dallas scored the first 2 points of the 2nd quarter, but Phoenix then went on a 17-4 run, including 8 points by Leandro Barbosa, to go up 43-40 with 6:45 remaining. Jason Terry then converted a 3-point play to kick off a 14-2 Dallas run to give Dallas a 54-45 lead with 2:40 left. A 3-pointer by Barbosa ended the run and kicked off 3 straight 3-pointers by the Suns (with Dallas scoring 2 points in between) and an alley-oop from Nash to Shawn Marion pulled Phoenix within 56-58 with 35 seconds to go. Dallas led 60-56 at the half. Nowitzki had 25 points and Barbosa had 19 points in the half. A 3-pointer by Marion and layup by Boris Diaw tied the game at 65-65 with 9:45 remaining and the game stayed close. A stretch from 7:15 left to 5:30 left was very entertaining as each team hit jumpers on their possession without the shot clock running down. Dallas led 82-81 with 5 minutes to go and the Mavs scored the next 8 points to go up 90-81 with 1:50 remaining. Dallas led 93-85 after 3. Terry had 13 points and Jerry Stackhouse had 11 points in the 3rd quarter. An alley-oop from Anthony Johnson to Erick Dampier gave Dallas a 10 point lead 15 seconds in to the 4th quarter. After Barbosa hit 2 free throws and the teams traded turnovers, Terry had the ball on the break and was fouled hard with no-call and Johnson picked up a technical complaining about the bad no-call - it was the first in a number of bad calls and non-calls (against both teams) that marred the 4th quarter. The 3 free throws (Barbosa's and the technical) kicked off 10 straight points by the Suns to tie the game at 95-95 with 9:15 remaining. Phoenix scored 4 straight points to take a 2 point lead, but Dallas then scored the next 4 points to go back up at 101-99 with 6:45 left and the game stayed really tight over the next several minutes. A jumper by Nash tied the game at 112-112 with 1:30 to go. Devean George missed, but Stackhouse got the rebound and was fouled and hit both free throws with 1:10 left. Nash missed at the other end. Terry called a timeout as he was trapped near midcourt. After the timeout, Terry hit a jumper to give Dallas a 116-112 lead with 32 seconds remaining. Amare Stoudemire was called for a questionable moving pick 6 seconds later and Terry was intentionally fouled (yeah, they called the moving picks a lot early in the game, but it had been a while since they called one and Nowitzki had gotten away with similar ones in the quarter). Terry hit 1-2 FT and Phoenix called timeout. Barbosa missed and Johnson was intentionally fouled and he hit both free throws. James Jones missed and Phoenix didn't foul and let Dallas run the clock out. Dallas won 119-112. Hey! A win! It was a tightly contested and entertaining game, even though defense was seldom seen. There were 6 lead changes and 3 ties in the 4th quarter alone. But Phoenix missed their last 3 shots and were called for an offensive foul over the last minute and a half of the game as Dallas scored the last 7 points to get the win. The high octane offense was seen in that the fewest points either team scored in a quarter was 26 points. And the shooting percentage for the game was nearly identical for the teams. Dallas shot 54.8% (40-73) FG including 6-13 3-pointers and Phoenix shot 54.7% (41-75) FG including 11-21 3-pointers. With those numbers, obviously the free throw shooting was the difference in the game. Dallas shot 37-33 FT (including 3-4 FT on intentional fouls) and Phoenix shot 19-22 FT (but the fouls called on the teams were near identical with Dallas being called for 28 fouls and Phoenix for 29 fouls). The Suns had a low total of rebounds. Dallas out-rebounded Phoenix 37-21 including 14-7 offensive. Even with the high score, the assist numbers were not that high. Dallas had just 14 assists and Phoenix had 21 assists. Dallas' record now stands at 1-4. It was a 3-prong offense for Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki was the high man with 35 points on 11-19 FG and 12-12 FT. He also had 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 turnovers. Jason Terry had 30 points on 9-15 FG, 4-6 3-pointers, and 8-11 FT. And Jerry Stackhouse had 23 points including 10-16 FG. Devin Harris was the 4th Mav in double-digits with 10 points on 3-4 FG and 4-4 FT (only 1 assist, though). He did foul out (on a very questionable call) with 3 minutes left in the game. [And is there a player in the league that gets less respect from the refs? He gets hammered often on drives without calls and then at the other end he will get called for the slightest of things.] For the centers (who did get to play in this game), Erick Dampier had 8 points and 7 rebounds and DeSagana Diop had 2 points (1-1 FG) and 4 rebounds. Anthony Johnson was the high assist man for the Mavs with 6 assists. He also had 8 points including 2-7 FG and 5 rebounds. Though his numbers didn't show much, Devean George got praise from coach Avery Johnson as Johnson said the Mavs wouldn't have won this game without George. George had 3 points on 0-4 FG and 3-4 FT and 5 rebounds. Greg Buckner had 1 steal, 1 turnover, and 1 foul for his only stats in 16 minutes. Maurice Ager had 1 foul for his only stat in 3 1/2 minutes. Phoenix also had 3 players with 20+ points. Leandro Barbosa had 30 points including 9-15 FG and 5-8 3-pointers and 4 assists. Shawn Marion had 21 points including 9-16 FG, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. And Steve Nash had 20 points including 3-4 3-pointers and 9 assists, but he also had 10 turnovers. Amare Stoudemire's performance was up-and-down. He had 16 points and 8 rebounds. Boris Diaw had 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. Jalen Rose had 9 points off the bench in his first home game with Phoenix. Quotes Avery Johnson: "Tonight we're just happy to get a win. We weren't concerned with how many more points we scored than them, how we got the win - we just needed a win. We just needed to feel how it feels to get a win. Defense wasn't great tonight because you're playing against a terrific offensive team, but it was good at the end of the 4th quarter when you need it to be good. Now we have some stuff on film where we can see where we can get some stops." Johnson: "It was like a playoff atmosphere. I know it's too early in the season to be talking about that kind of stuff, but it was 2 heavyweight teams." Dirk Nowitzki: "I wanted to be aggressive and establish myself, especially early." Jason Terry: "This team still believes. We believe in ourselves and our system. We talk about it all the time. We've got a couple of new guys, different rotations. It just takes some time. I'm not saying we're there yet, but this was definitely a big victory and a good sign for us." Terry: "I guess that's what it took was to come back here and play against a team that was kind of struggling like we were. The monkey's definitely off our back now." Terry: "Every game we've been in thus far has been a playoff atmosphere, except for the one where we got blown out. It's just going to be like that. Now that we know what to expect, going down 0-4, we know it's going to be a fight every night." Terry: "We talk about 'finish' all year long, man. Finish, finish, finish." Jerry Stackhouse: "We just came out with a solid 48 minutes tonight. We put together about 30 minutes last night, but we sustained tonight. They're a tough team to play. They have a lot of shooters, guys that can space the floor and do a lot of different things. I just thought we competed. It wasn't great, the defensive numbers weren't pretty, but we got what we needed to win the game." Mike D'Antoni: "That's it. We're done playing around, we're done messing around, and we're going to play guys that are going to play hard." D'Antoni: "It should have been a playoff game for us. It was for them, but not for us, and it should have been, which is inexcusable. We're going to figure out what is wrong and we are going to fix it." D'Antoni: "I thought the 1st half we just came out soft. Up until now, we've come out soft. 2nd half we had played with energy, not always good, but I thought that would be enough. I think we learned our lesson. Hopefully we know what is wrong. I guarantee the next game we will have some passion and every game out." D'Antoni on Phoenix's defense: "We were as soft as cupcakes." D'Antoni on Rose: "He had some bright spots. He is going to help us a lot. He can play, he's a veteran and he is going to be a good playmaker out there. We just have to be more consistent." Amare Stoudemire: "The calls are definitely not going our way, but you have to fight through it. It's only 6 games into the season, so we just have to gel together as a team and make sure we stay together. It's a long season and we definitely have a long way to go but we are heading in the right direction." Stoudemire on his health: "I felt good. My legs are under me. Still strong and still energetic. My health felt great." Shawn Marion: "It's frustrating but we have to keep going after it until we get the chemistry right where we need. We have to stick with it. We are showing great signs out there in moments, but other then that at times we aren't." Marion on the problems: "It is a little bit of everything. You can't just put it on one thing. It is a little bit of chemistry, a little bit of defense. We just have to find a way to get it going." Dallas Mavericks 119, Phoenix Suns 112 at Phoenix (November 9) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 34 26 33 26 - 119 .567 .462 .548 .892 Phoenix 26 30 29 27 - 112 .556 .524 .547 .864 Halftime: Dallas 60-56 3rd Q: Dallas 93-85 Technicals: Phoenix defensive 3 seconds 2:10 2st, Anthony Johnson 10:52 4th Refs: Dick Bavetta, Ron Olesiak, Derrick Stafford Attendance: 18,422 (sellout) IL: Dal - Josh Howard, DJ Mbenga, Pops Mensah-Bonsu Pho - Raja Bell, Sean Marks Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Jason Terry 38 9-15 4-6 8-11 30 2-3 2 1 3 2 0 Devin Harris 21 3-4 0-0 4-4 10 1-3 1 3 6 2 0 Dirk Nowitzki 43 11-19 1-2 12-12 35 0-7 4 4 3 1 0 Jerry Stackhouse 39 10-16 1-3 2-2 23 1-3 1 2 0 3 1 Erick Dampier 17 4-7 0-0 0-0 8 4-7 0 3 3 1 1 Anthony Johnson 25 2-7 0-1 4-4 8 1-5 6 0 4 1 0 Devean George 20 0-4 0-1 3-4 3 2-5 0 2 3 1 0 DeSagana Diop 18 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 3-4 0 2 4 1 1 Greg Buckner 16 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 Maurice Ager 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 48 40-73 6-13 33-37 119 14-37 14 19 28 13 3 Phoenix Suns REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Leandro Barbosa 42 9-15 5-8 7-7 30 0-1 4 2 5 0 1 Steve Nash 37 8-18 3-4 1-1 20 0-1 9 10 5 2 0 Shawn Marion 42 9-16 2-6 1-2 21 3-6 1 1 4 3 0 Boris Diaw 35 4-7 0-0 5-6 13 2-4 5 2 3 0 0 Amare Stoudemire 35 6-9 0-0 4-4 16 2-8 1 2 5 2 0 Jalen Rose 24 4-6 1-2 0-0 9 0-2 1 0 3 0 0 James Jones 14 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0-3 0 0 1 0 0 Marcus Banks 7 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 1 2 0 0 Kurt Thomas 4 1-1 0-0 1-2 3 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 48 41-75 11-21 19-22 112 7-25 21 18 29 7 1 Dallas at Portland (November 12) The Mavs held small leads early on and scored 10 straight points, capped by a dunk by Dirk Nowitzki, to take an 18-4 lead with 4:35 remaining as Portland first missed 3 shots and then committed 4 consecutive turnovers. 14 points would be the largest lead of the quarter, but Dallas' lead would remain in double-digits. Dallas led 24-13 after 1. Portland only shot 31% FG. Nowitzki had 10 points. Nowitzki opened the 2nd quarter with a 3-pointer, but 14 points would still be Dallas' largest lead. Dallas led 34-22 with 8:20 to go and Portland went on a 13-2 run to pull within 35-36 with 3:30 remaining. But Nowitzki hit 1-2 FT and Greg Buckner hit a 3-pointer and layup to give Dallas a 42-35 lead with 1:40 left. Portland scored the last 4 points of the quarter. Dallas led 44-41 at the half. Dallas had 7 turnovers in the 2nd quarter. Dallas shot 1-3 FT and Portland shot 12-12 FT in the half. Portland scored the first 5 points of the 3rd quarter to take their first lead of the game at 46-44 with 11 minutes to go. A 3-pointer by Jason Terry gave Dallas back the lead and kicked of 9 unanswered Dallas points to put the Mavs up 53-46 with 8:35 left. A 3-pointer by Nowitzki gave Dallas a 63-51 lead with 5:40 remaining and Dallas' lead hovered between 9 and 12 points until the quarter's end. Anthony Johnson knocked the ball away as Dan Dickau attempted to make a pass, Dickau and Jerry Stackhouse dove after the loose ball, Stackhouse was able to get the ball and pass to Johnson, who got the fast break dunk as the quarter ended. Dallas led 77-64 after 3. A bucket by Buckner gave Dallas their largest lead at 83-68 with 9:30 remaining. But a 3-pointer by Juan Dixon kicked off a 17-3 run to pull Portland within 85-86 with 2:20 to go as Dallas shot just 1-8 FG and committed 3 turnovers during the run. Terry ended the run with a 3-point play and Stackhouse got a layup to put Dallas up 91-85 with 1:35 left. Zach Randolph got a layup, but Terry nailed a 3-pointer in the corner as the shot clock was running out and coach Nate McMillan got hit with a technical (not sure what specific thing he was complaining about). Nowitzki hit the technical free throw to give Dallas a 95-87 lead with 1:05 remaining. Dallas shot 6-6 FT and had a dunk the one time Portland did not intentionally foul the rest of the way. Dallas won 103-96. Though still not great, it was a good win for the Mavs. It would have been nice if they could have continued the strong 1st quarter performance and coasted to an easy win, but the Mavs don't know how to do things easy yet and are still plagued with mental lapses during the games. So how bad has Dallas' defense been so far in the first 6 games? Portland's 96 points and 46.1% FG were both opponents lows. But at least Dallas has got their shooting touch back in the past 2 games. In this game, Dallas shot 55.1% (38-69) FG including 7-17 3-pointers and Portland shot 46.1% (35-76) FG including 5-15 3-pointers. Dallas shot 20-23 FT and Portland shot 21-22 FT. Dallas had a slight rebounding edge in out-rebounding Portland 32-30 (while Portland had the slight offensive rebounding edge at 12-9). Dallas did have 21 assists and Portland had 17 assists. It was again a 3-prong offensive attack. Dirk Nowitzki had a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Jason Terry, as usual enjoying his return to the northwest, had 24 points including 9-14 FG and 4-6 3-pointers. Jerry Stackhouse had 16 points and an impressive 9 assists. Stack was active and aggressive throughout the game. No other Mav was in double-digits. Devin Harris had 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. Erick Dampier had 8 points on 4-5 FG and 8 rebounds. Greg Buckner had a nice performance off the bench with 9 points and 3 rebounds in 24 minutes. Anthony Johnson had 6 points and 2 assists in 17 minutes. DeSagana Diop had 4 points on 2-3 FG and 4 rebounds. Devean George had 2 points in 10 minutes and Maurice Ager missed 2 shots in 3 minutes. The Mavs' defense focused on Zach Randolph and sent a double-team at him often. He really struggled with Dallas' defense early in the game as he missed 4 shots and had 3 (consecutive) turnovers in the 1st quarter. He did put up enough shots to get points, though, and had 20 points including 8-22 FG and 9 rebounds, but also had 5 turnovers. Jarrett Jack also had 20 points. He shot 4-10 FG and 12-12 FT and also had 10 assists and 4 steals. Juan Dixon had 13 points. LaMarcus Aldridge saw his first action as an NBA player and looked very nice in the 4th quarter. He finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds including 6 offensive in 19 minutes. Portland was playing without Brandon Roy and Joel Przybilla. Quotes Avery Johnson: "We got off to a really good start. One of the points of emphasis tonight was obviously Zach Randolph. We tried to give him some different looks early in the game and fortunately they were pretty effective and fortunately he missed some shots. We had a little cushion early in the game but we didn't have a really good 2nd quarter. Very disappointing 2nd quarter - 7 turnovers in one quarter is not very good." Johnson: "They had a pretty 2nd half and we were able to hold them off at the end. Jarrett Jack hurt us with 12-12 from the free throw line, but I thought the key tonight was doing our best to contain Zach Randolph. Our offense was pretty good. 55% form the field, I will take that any night. But the big key to that was Stackhouse passing the ball tonight with a big 9 assists for us. Good team effort." Dirk Nowitzki: "There's always ups and downs. We just need to be a little more consistent. I think that comes when you play longer together. As long as the year is, hopefully we'll get more consistent." Nowitzki on Aldridge: "I like him. He's very active, he's very long and skilled. He can put the ball on the floor and he's athletic. I think he's definitely a great talent." Jason Terry: "I thought we played pretty good defense all night long. They made a run. They're a good young team. We just had to buckle down and make buckets at the offensive end. We came out in the 3rd quarter and did a great job of getting to the line." Terry: "It feels good when you win. We have to play our way with our system. We have to do it on a consistent basis." Terry: "It always feels good when you win. Now we understand we have to play our system. We've been harping on that for 2 years." Terry: "We're still not out of the hole yet. We have to keep working. We got a long way to go but we like the direction we're headed." Jerry Stackhouse: "We're getting there. We want it to snowball in the right direction. This was a good start on this road trip. We got to feel good about it, but we also have to think about our next challenge back home." Stackhouse on hustle plays: "We just want to be able to leave it all out there. You don't want to look back and we wind up losing the game by 1 point and you say, 'I had the opportunity to get down for a loose ball and didn't because I felt that we could get it later in the game.' That's the mentality that we want to have as a group. We're getting there." Erick Dampier: "We have new guys on this team. We're trying to get a feel for each other. It feels great to get a win tonight. Dirk shot the ball well. Stack played well. We need those things to win every night." Dampier: "We have 6 new guys. As we continue to play and practice together, we'll get better. We have go to figure out how different guys can contribute. We're going to get better and out team chemistry is going to get better." Dampier on the defense on Randolph: "We tried to give him different looks." Nate McMillan: "They showed us why they were the Western Conference champions. They pressed us on the ball and we played in too much of a rush in the 1st quarter. We didn't do a good job of being calm and patient. One of our problems is we are just not getting off to good starts. We might get away with that some times like we did against New Orleans but we aren't going to be able to do that against a team like Dallas." McMillan: "I thought we were sharp on the defensive end and did a lot of good things in containing a high scoring team like Dallas. But we weren't nearly so sharp on the offensive end. We could have used a 2nd guard who could handle the ball. We certainly missed Roy, but we have to move on." McMillan: "We had to play in a rush throughout the game. I never thought we had control in this game." McMillan: "Zach Randolph had some problems tonight with the double-team. Sometimes Dallas came at him quick and other times the double-team didn't come that quick. We tell him - and all of our post players - to be calm, to be clear, and to be consistent. I think the next stage for Zach is to learn how to play against double-teams." McMillan: "We were all pleased with how LaMarcus Aldridge played. He played with a lot of energy and a lot of bounce to him. It was nice to see him out there. He had to free lance a bit because because he's never practiced with us this fall in a 5-on-5. But he knows how to play. He has really good instincts and a lot of length. He's going to help us as we mature as a team. I left him in there tonight in the 1st quarter. If you're doing good things in there, I'll let you play." Zach Randolph on Aldridge: "He looked good for the first game. He rebounded and hit some tough shots. It helped me a lot. I need somebody to take the pressure off. I had to get the ball out of my hands. This game we got off to a slow start. You can't do that against good teams." Jarrett Jack: "There was confusion on the double-teams. Our reads were a little off. We're looking at the first game in the road trip. Minnesota is up first. They think we stole one from them, so we've just got to be ready." Jack on Aldridge: "I'm happy he came out. He did really, really well. He didn't back down at all playing against Dirk." LaMarcus Aldridge: "With me sitting out, it helped me do better. I was surprised. I didn't think I'd be in there during crunch time. The first time I went in, I shook off my butterflies. The crowd motivated me and gave me confidence. As I play more, I'll get the plays down better. I thought I was going to struggle, but did well. I plan to build on it every game." Dallas Mavericks 103, Portland Trailblazers 96 at Portland (November 12) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 24 20 33 26 - 103 .596 .412 .551 .870 Portland 13 28 23 32 - 96 .492 .333 .461 .955 Halftime: Dallas 44-41 3rd Q: Dallas 77-64 Technicals: Dallas defensive 3 seconds 11:05 2nd, Dallas defensive 3 seconds 2:37 3rd, Devean George 8:10 4th, Nate McMillan 1:07 4th Refs: Tim Donaghy, Bernie Fryer, Gary Zielinski Attendance: 15,005 (cap 19,980) Did not play due to injury: Brandon Roy (heel injury) IL: Dallas - Josh Howard, DJ Mbenga, Pops Mensah-Bonsu Portland - Raef LaFrentz, Darius Miles, Joel Przybilla Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Jason Terry 36 9-14 4-6 2-3 24 0-1 2 2 2 1 0 Devin Harris 31 2-3 0-0 4-4 8 1-3 4 2 3 0 0 Dirk Nowitzki 40 8-16 2-3 8-9 26 1-10 3 0 2 0 1 Jerry Stackhouse 33 6-14 0-3 4-4 16 0-2 9 3 1 3 0 Erick Dampier 28 4-5 0-0 0-1 8 3-8 0 3 5 0 1 Greg Buckner 24 4-6 1-2 0-0 9 2-3 0 0 2 0 0 DeSagana Diop 19 2-3 0-0 0-0 4 2-4 1 0 3 0 1 Anthony Johnson 17 3-5 0-1 0-0 6 0-1 2 2 4 1 0 Devean George 10 0-1 0-1 2-2 2 0-0 0 2 0 0 0 Maurice Ager 3 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 2 1 0 Totals 48 38-69 7-17 20-23 103 9-32 21 14 24 6 3 Portland Trailblazers REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Jarrett Jack 38 4-10 0-2 12-12 20 1-3 10 3 5 4 0 Martell Webster 18 3-7 2-5 0-0 8 0-1 0 2 3 0 0 Zach Randolph 38 8-22 1-1 3-4 20 3-9 1 5 3 1 0 Ime Udoka 24 3-6 0-2 2-2 8 0-2 2 0 2 0 0 Jamaal Magloire 20 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 0-1 0 0 3 0 1 Juan Dixon 34 5-10 2-5 1-1 13 1-3 1 3 3 1 0 Travis Outlaw 26 3-6 0-0 3-3 9 0-1 0 0 1 1 0 LaMarcus Aldridge 19 5-9 0-0 0-0 10 6-8 0 0 2 0 0 Stephen Graham 13 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 0-1 1 0 0 0 0 Dan Dickau 10 2-2 0-0 0-0 4 1-1 2 2 2 0 0 Totals 48 35-76 5-15 21-22 96 12-30 17 15 24 7 1 patricia