Dallas at Denver (November 7) For the first time, Dallas went with the same starting lineup for consecutive games as Jason Terry again started at 2-guard. It was also Denver's first game with the newly acquired Chauncey Billups. Dallas held a 2-point lead early on and a 3-pointer by Billups kicked off 7 straight points by Denver to give the Nuggets a 9-4 lead with 8:20 remaining. Denver led 12-7 with 6:20 left and Dallas scored the next 10 points to take 17-12 lead with 4 minutes to go. Dallas led 23-19 with 1:50 left and Denver rattled off the next 7 points to take a 3-point lead with 25 seconds remaining. Brandon Bass got a putback as the quarter ended. Denver led 26-25 after 1. Neither team scored over the first 1:30 of the 2nd quarter before Linas Kleiza hit a jumper. Bass scored the next 5 points to give Dallas a 2-point lead, but dunks by Nene started and ended a Denver 8-0 run to give them a 36-30 lead with 7:35 left. Denver led 38-32 with 6:20 to go and it was Dallas' turn for a run as the Mavs scored 10 straight points to go up 42-38 with 4:10 remaining. Denver closed the quarter with a 6-2 mini-run. Dallas led 49-48 at the half. Despite the many runs, it was a close half with neither team leading by more then 6 points. Consecutive 3-pointers gave Dallas a 55-50 lead with 10:35 left. A 3-pointer by Billups tied the game at 57-57 with 9:20 remaining and the game stayed close over the next 4 minutes with the teams trading leads. The game was tied at 65-65 with 5:30 to go and Denver went on a 12-2 run to take the first double-digit lead of the game at 77-67 with 1:35 remaining as Dallas shot 1-7 FG and had 2 turnovers during the run. Jason Kidd scored 5 straight points to end the run and a layup by Kleiza capped the quarter scoring. Denver led 79-72 after 3. Denver scored the first 3 points of the 4th quarter to again take a 10-point lead, but a 3-pointer by Kidd kicked off 13-2 run, with Gerald Green providing a spark and scoring the last 8 points of the run, to give Dallas a 85-84 lead with 8:50 to go. J.R. Smith converted a 3-point play to end the run and the game would stay close the rest of the way with neither team leading by more than 4 points. 2 free throws by Carmelo Anthony gave Denver a 103-100 lead with 1:30 remaining. Billups had a nice steal, but Anthony missed a shot with a minute left. Nowitzki missed a shot. Billups missed a shot with 26 seconds to go and Kidd pushed the ball and went in for a layup and was fouled with 21 seconds remaining. But he missed the free throw that would have tied the game. Billups was intentionally fouled and he hit 1-2 FT to give Denver a 104-102 lead. After a timeout to move the ball to the frontcourt, Green inbounded the ball to Bass, but Nene stole the ball and Anthony was intentionally fouled and he hit both free throws. Nowitzki missed a quick 3, but Terry ran down the long rebound and Terry's 3-point attempt was good with 1.1 seconds left. After a timeout to move the ball into the frontcourt, Anthony faked a move to cause Bass to lean the wrong way and then caught the inbounds pass and some time was wasted before the intentional foul was given - replay was used to determine that there was just .4 seconds left on the clock. Anthony hit both free throws to make it a 3-point game. Dallas used a timeout to move the ball to the frontcourt and inbounded the ball to Green in the corner, but his long twist and heave bounced off the rim (plus I don't think he got it off in time). Denver won 108-105. Although the game stayed close most of the way, it really wasn't that great of a game as neither team shot well. Dallas fell in to the trap of jacking up too many 3-pointers (35 attempts) - though the made 3-pointers were what was keeping them in the game. Denver shot just 38.6% (34-88) FG including 3-12 3-pointers and Dallas shot 40.6% (39-96) FG including 13-35 3-pointers. Denver did have a massive edge in free throws (including 6 attempts from intentional fouls), but when you're shooting as many jumpers as Dallas did in this game, you aren't going to get to the line much. Denver shot 37-40 FT while Dallas shot just 14-16 FT. Dallas did have an edge on the boards (with lots of boards to get) in out-rebounding Denver 50-45 including 17-14 offensive. Dallas' turnovers were high with 17 while Denver had 11 turnovers. I have to question the coaching move as to why Gerald Green was inbounding the ball (and then to inbound it to Brandon Bass) with 17 seconds left in a tight game. No knock on Green as he had a great game, but he is an inexperienced player and I'd think you'd want a more experienced player inbounding the ball at that point (like Jason Kidd). Dallas was hurt by the fact that Josh Howard couldn't play at the end of the game (one of the reasons Green was on the court). Howard aggravated an injured wrist during the 4th and tried to keep playing, but it got so bad that he wasn't even using his left hand at all (rebounding one-handed, not looking to shoot, not wanting the ball to be passed to him) and he had to be pulled. Although he did not shot well, Chauncey Billups had a nice Denver debut and was a key factor in the win with a 3-pointer and a steal at critical moments. Billups had 15 points including 5-17 FG, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in 30 minutes. Carmelo Anthony was the high man with 28 points including 14-14 FT, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Nene had a nice outing with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Kenyon Martin had just 8 points including 2-7 FG. He also had 7 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. Dahntay Jones started but had just 4 points including 1-5 FG and 4 rebounds. Denver had nice bench play with J.R. Smith providing 15 points and 5 rebounds and Linas Kleiza having 14 points. Anthony Carter had 2 points on 1-5 FG, but also had 7 assists. Jason Kidd had his best game of the season and once again was just shy of a triple-double. He had 22 points including 6-12 3-pointers, 19 rebounds, 9 assists, and even 2 blocks, but also had 5 turnovers. Dirk Nowitzki had a double-double with 23 points including 8-20 FG and 10 rebounds. His problems with his wrist showed in this game as Josh Howard had 11 points including just 4-15 FG (and missing a number of inside shots) to go with 5 rebounds and 3 turnovers. Jason Terry was the 3rd Mav with 20+ points. He had 20 points and 7 assists. The Mavs got almost nothing from their centers (which is why Brandon Bass was in at the end of the game). Erick Dampier didn't attempt a shot and had just 2 rebounds to go with 4 fouls in 10 minutes. DeSagana Diop had 2 points on 1-3 FG and 7 rebounds including 5 offensive in 21 minutes. Bass had a nice outing until the end with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds, but had the key turnover at the end of the and wasn't able to foul immediately after an inbounds that cost Dallas a better shot at tying the game at the buzzer. Gerald Green only played 15 minutes but scored 13 points. He provided the spark that got Dallas back into the game in the 4th quarter and was rewarded with playing the entire 4th. Jerry Stackkhouse remains MIA with just 2 points on 1-8 FG and 0-4 3-pointers in 14 minutes. He did have 4 rebounds including 3 offensive. Antoine Wright played just 9 minutes and had a missed field goal and 1 foul for his only stats. Quotes George Karl on Billups: "I'm sure he'll have many special nights for us. I think it's fun to have an ally in Chauncey." Karl on Billups: "He didn't have a special offensive night, but he made some big defensive plays. But I wish he'd made that free throw [with 17.5 seconds left]." Carmelo Anthony on Billups: "I think he came in tonight and gave us the leadership from a point guard's standpoint." Chauncey Billups on Anthony: "Melo, of course, is pretty much unstoppable. We've got a lot of weapons. I think if we can lock in and get everyone on the same page we can be dangerous." Billups on his 1st half: "The altitude had me winded. I had some good looks, I just didn't knock them down. I hadn't played since last Friday, so I just have to get my rhythm. I didn't play that well in the 2nd half either. I don't care how great I play, I just want to win." Rick Carlisle: "We were bad defensively - and when we are poor defensively, our offense tends to struggle. It was a big time game and you can't have lapses." Carlisle: "I thought the 1st quarter, once again, we were back on our heels again. We committed 10 fouls [in the quarter] and they were in the bonus almost immediately." Dirk Nowitzki on Howard's wrist: "Hopefully his wrist will be okay. "He's one guy that can really drive and get to the free throw line and is a great defensive talent." Jason Kidd: "I missed a free throw [that would have tied the game], we turned the ball in some key situations when we got a stop. This was a lesson learned. We put ourselves in position, but we've got to win these close games." Gerald Green: "I've been told to stay ready to play, all the time. I was ready. I just try to provide energy and take what the game gives me." Denver Nuggets 108, Dallas Mavericks 105 at Denver (November 7) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Denver 26 22 31 29 - 108 .408 .250 .386 .925 Dallas 25 24 23 33 - 105 .426 .371 .406 .875 Halftime: Dallas 49-48 3rd Q: Denver 79-72 Technicals: Denver defensive 3 seconds 6:35 1st, Denver defensive 3 seconds 6:11 1st, Denver defensive 3 seconds 8:01 3rd Refs: Jim Clark, Mark Wunderlich, Tommy Nunez Attendance: 19,175 (sellout) IL: Denver - Steven Hunter, Sonny Weems, Antonio McDyess Dallas - Devean George, Shawne Williams Denver Nuggets REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Carmelo Anthony 33 7-18 0-1 14-14 28 4-8 6 3 4 0 0 Kenyon Martin 35 2-7 0-0 4-4 8 0-7 1 2 3 4 2 Nene Hilario 36 8-12 0-1 3-4 19 4-7 1 0 2 2 2 Dahntay Jones 22 1-5 0-0 2-2 4 1-4 0 0 3 0 0 Chauncey Billups 30 5-17 2-5 3-4 15 1-4 3 2 1 3 0 J.R. Smith 27 5-13 0-1 5-5 15 1-5 1 1 1 0 0 Chris Anderson 18 0-1 0-1 3-4 3 2-6 0 0 2 0 1 Linas Kleiza 15 5-10 1-2 3-3 14 0-2 0 1 0 0 0 Anthony Carter 24 1-5 0-1 0-0 2 1-2 7 2 1 1 0 Totals 48 34-88 3-12 37-40 108 14-45 19 11 17 10 5 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Josh Howard 27 4-15 1-2 2-2 11 2-5 1 3 4 1 0 Dirk Nowitzki 39 8-20 2-4 5-6 23 0-10 3 0 3 0 2 Erick Dampier 10 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-2 0 1 4 0 1 Jason Terry 39 7-16 2-8 4-4 20 2-2 7 1 1 2 1 Jason Kidd 40 8-14 6-12 0-1 22 1-10 9 5 5 1 2 DeSagana Diop 21 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 5-7 1 2 3 1 0 Brandon Bass 25 5-10 0-0 2-2 12 4-10 1 4 2 0 2 James Singleton 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Jerry Stackhouse 14 1-8 0-4 0-0 2 3-4 2 1 1 0 0 Antoine Wright 9 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 J.J. Barea 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 Gerald Green 15 5-9 2-5 1-1 13 0-0 0 0 4 1 0 Totals 48 39-96 13-35 14-16 105 17-50 24 17 29 6 8 Dallas at LA Clippers (November 9) Josh Howard missed the game due to a sprained left wrist and (obviously) Dallas again went with a different starting lineup. After his strong 4th quarter play against Denver, Gerald Green got the starting nod (with Jason Terry again starting at 2-guard). The Clippers came into the game without a victory (0-6). The game stayed close the entire 1st quarter with neither team able to mount much of a rally and both teams held small leads with none larger than 3 points until the last minute of the quarter. The Clippers scored 6 straight points to take a 25-21 lead with minute left, but Jason Kidd nailed a running 3-pointer at the quarter buzzer. The Clippers led 25-24 after 1. The Clippers scored the first 5 points of the 2nd quarter, but Brandon Bass answered with 4 straight points. A 3-pointer by Eric Gordon gave the Clippers a 37-29 lead with 7:45 remaining, but Green answered with a 3-pointer. The Clippers would continue to hold a single-digit lead over the rest of the quarter, but none larger than 6 points. Dirk Nowitzki scored 7 straight Dallas points (with 4 Clippers points in between) to pull Dallas within 43-44 with 1:50 to go. The Clippers led 47-45 at the half. After Baron Davis opened the 3rd quarter with a layup, Nowitzki scored 4 more points to tie the game at 49-49 with 10:20 left (capping a stretch of over 5 minutes where Nowitzki scored all 13 of Dallas' points). The Clippers led 53-52 with 9:15 left and they went on a 12-2 run to take the first double-digit lead of the game at 65-54 with 5:25 to go. Dallas then used an 11-3 run, with J.J. Barea providing a needed spark in scoring the last 5 points of the run, to pull within 65-68 with 2:30 remaining. The Clippers led 73-69 after 3. Consecutive buckets by Mike Taylor gave the Clippers a 79-71 lead with 9:50 to go, but Jason Terry finally hit a shot (started 0-11 FG) and hit 2 more (with a breakaway dunk by Jerry Stackhouse sandwiched between the last 2) and Dallas rattled off 8 straight points to tie the game at 79-79 with 8:30 left. But that was all she wrote as Dallas missed their next 5 shots and the Clippers scored on 5 of their next 6 possessions (including 4 points on one possession as Kidd was called for a very questionable flagrant foul [I wouldn't be surprised if the the flagrant fine and points were overturned by the league]) and the Clippers took a 92-79 lead with 5:20 left. Nowitzki tried to keep Dallas around himself with a jumper and 3-pointer, but he could get the Mavs no closer than 10 points. A 3-pointer by Gordon gave the Clippers their largest lead at 101-86 with 1:40 left. The Clippers won 103-92. It was yet again another ugly outing for Dallas, especially in the 4th quarter. Dallas' defense was poor in the 4th and their offense was worse. The Clippers out-scored Dallas 28-17 over the first 10:15 of the 4th (where they took a 15 point lead). The Mavs are obviously struggling and hopefully this loss was the wake-up call they need (but life doesn't get easier with the 5-0 Lakers in town tonight). Basically, with they way they played, they didn't deserve to win this game or the Denver game - and the Clippers were more than happy to face a team struggling and get that first win on the board. For the game, the Clippers shot 48.7% (38-78) including 9-20 3-pointers and Dallas shot just 41.4% (36-87) FG including 3-18 3-pointers [they did tone down the 3-point jacks after attempting 35 against Denver]. The Clippers shot 18-23 FT and Dallas shot 17-23 FT. Dallas out-rebound the Clippers 44-41 including 11-6 offensive. Dallas, a team that claims it wants to run, had just 9 fastbreak points. Baron Davis had a double-double with 22 points and 10 assists. Despite being plagued by foul trouble that limited him to just 5 minutes in the 1st half, Al Thornton had 17 points on 6-7 FG and 5-6 FT in 21 minutes - didn't do much besides score with 1 rebound and 0 assists. Marcus Camby had 9 points and 14 rebounds and Chris Kaman had 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Cuttino Mobley chipped in 11 points. Rookie Eric Gordon had 11 points including 3-4 3-pointers. Paul Davis had 10 points as the Clippers had 6 players in double-digit scoring. Ricky Davis remains an idiot as he picked up a technical foul for shoving Dirk Nowitzki to the floor, glaring at him, and talking trash while Nowitzki ignored him (Davis was pulled after the incident). Dirk Nowitzki tried to carry the team himself, but got almost no help. He had 33 points on 12-26 FG, 1-7 3-pointers, and 8-9 FT and also had 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Gerald Green had a nice outing in his first Mavs start with a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds. Jerry Stackhouse (finally making an appearance) was the only other Mav in double-digits with 10 points. Jason Terry shot a miserable 3-15 FG (with his only makes coming in a short stretch in the 4th quarter). He had 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Jason Kidd had 7 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals. Erick Dampier had 9 points and 7 rebounds and DeSagana Diop missed all 3 of his shots and had 4 rebounds. Brandon Bass had 4 points including 1-6 FG and just 1 rebound in 13 minutes. J.J. Barea provided a spark in the 3rd quarter that helped Dallas comeback from an 11 point deficit with 6 points in attacking the basket. James Singleton didn't attempt a shot in 5 minutes (as Rick Carlisle was trying to find something that would work in this game). Shawne Williams saw his first action of the season and hit his only shot and had 1 rebound in 3 minutes. Antoine Wright did not play, coach's decision. Quotes Mike Dunleavy: "It's obviously great to get the first win. I thought that we had a lot of good play off our bench. We played with good intensity, but we still made a lot of mistakes that I would like to see us improve upon by the next game." Dunleavy: "Any time you haven't won anything, you've got a monkey on your back that has grown into a gorilla. So it's nice to get that off and now we need to start a streak going the other way." Dunleavy: "A lot of our turnovers were not forced or were not a result of traps or double-team defense. They were just bad decisions on our part." Dunleavy: "I think our bench intensity was different tonight. Mike Taylor came in and gave us a nice big lift and Eric Gordon did a really good job offensively. The contributions off our bench were definitely big positives tonight." Baron Davis on starting 0-6: "It's pretty much the same feeling - a feeling of frustration. We let a couple of games get away that we had control of. But once you get that first one, it just takes the monkey of your back and you realize that you know how to win." BDavis: "We've always been confident. We've all been patient with each other and we've just been trying to work through things. This was a great effort we put together on the defensive end. We just really paid attention for 48 minutes. We're still a work in progress and a team that's trying to form an identity." BDavis on the timeout after Dallas tied the game 79-79: "We had just turned the ball over 3 times in a row, so we needed a break. We just wanted to settle down and get back our focus." BDavis: "Sometimes when you have a team with a lot of new players who are trying to work together, it's on the coach as well as the point guard to manage the flow of the game. And the more time this team spends together and the more games we get under our belt, I think coach Dunleavy and myself will definitely be more and more on the same page." BDavis on Thornton: "He did a great job of keeping his head and his focus into the game. He got some free throws and hit some big shots for us. He's a big time performer. He's a scorer and he has a scorer's mentality." BDavis on Terry: "A lot of the shots he just missed. He doesn't normally miss those shots. But we were fortunate to get a hand in his face every time and have a man connected to him." Chris Kaman: "I think our chemistry is definitely working out. We went out and made some runs and we played well defensively. We just played strong the whole game." Kaman: "I don't want to take anything away from Dallas, but I don't think they're on the same level as the Lakers or the Jazz. Right now they have the potential, but they're just not there yet. I talked to Dirk yesterday and he was saying they're not playing together. They're not playing the right way. And we've had the same problem." Al Thornton on the 0-6 start: "I've never lost this much at anything at the very start. I just want to stay home and watch the game over and over. I turn the phone off. My girlfriend can't get a hold of me. I'm going to talk to her a little bit more now." Thornton: "We made some mistakes, but our intensity level remained high. This was one of our most positive games this year - and we needed it." Thornton: "It felt really good to come in and play today. I tried to be a good factor both defensively and offensively coming off the bench." Paul Davis on Dallas: "Like us, they're trying to get everything into the flow. At times they're pushing the ball on the fastbreak great. But at times they seemed out of whack." Rick Carlisle: "I'm not going to make any excuses about, 'Hey, I don't know these guys' or anything like that. We've got a veteran team here. We expect all these guys to go out and play and play well. We're behind where we want to be." Carlisle: "It's a continuing theme. Dig a hole, battle hard, get tied, sometimes get a lead, and then they went on a run." Dirk Nowitzki: "If you don't compete hard - it's not about Xs and Os - you can run whatever play you want. You can have all the schemes you want defensively. We've just got to push ourselves to play harder. I don't know what it is. I don't know what's going on. We don't leave it all out there, and that's what you've got to do, especially in the tough Western Conference. There are no teams you just walk over and just get the win, especially the way things are going right now for us. We've got to be the team to hit first and play hard, scramble more, be feistier, make things happen that way." Nowitzki: "I've got to find a way to do more, get the troops ready to play. That's obviously partially my fault. We've got to find a way to get everybody involved." Nowitzki: "We've got to compete. That's on the players, on every single one of us. We've got to cut harder. We've got to defend harder. We've got to rebound harder. I just think we're coasting too much right now. We're not good enough to coast - as you saw." Jason Kidd: "We just could not get stops. We couldn't get any stops. And then we did we didn't run, and that is one of our strengths. If we can not get out and run, that puts a lot of pressure on our defense." Kidd: "We just couldn't get stops and we couldn't make any shots at the other end. Even when we're not scoring, we've got to find ways to stop our opponents or we're not going to win any games. It's hard to win when you give up that many points." Kidd on the 4th quarters: "The opponents are making shots and so we have to find out how we are going to make some stops. When we are not scoring, we have got to find ways to stop our opponents or we are not going to win any games." Gerald Green: "They made a run. In the 1st half we were a little shaky. I thought we played way better in the 2nd half, but they made a run. This is the NBA, 0-6 or 6-0 everybody can play." Los Angeles Clippers 103, Dallas Mavericks 92 at LA (November 9) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% LA Clippers 25 22 26 30 - 103 .500 .450 .487 .783 Dallas 24 21 24 23 - 92 .478 .167 .418 .739 Halftime: LA Clippers 47-45 3rd Q: LA Clippers 73-69 Technicals: Dallas defensive 3 seconds 6:21 1st, Dallas defensive 3 seconds 3:13 3rd, Ricky Davis 0:52 3rd Flagrant Fouls: Jason Kidd (level 1) 5:35 4th Refs: Sean Corbin, David Jones, Eli Roe Attendance: 17,505 (19,060) IL: LA Clippers - DeAndre Jordan, Tim Thomas Dallas - Josh Howard, Devean George Los Angeles Clippers REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Al Thornton 21 6-7 0-0 5-6 17 0-1 0 1 5 1 0 Marcus Camby 31 4-8 0-0 1-1 9 2-14 2 1 2 1 2 Chris Kaman 32 4-6 0-0 2-3 10 1-9 2 4 3 1 3 Cuttino Mobley 33 3-8 2-3 3-5 11 0-2 1 1 2 0 0 Baron Davis 37 8-19 3-9 3-4 22 0-4 10 3 3 0 0 Ricky Davis_ 20 2-8 1-3 0-0 5 0-4 2 3 2 0 0 Paul Davis- 18 3-6 0-0 4-4 10 2-3 2 1 1 0 1 Eric Gordon 30 4-8 3-4 0-0 11 0-1 2 1 0 2 0 Jason Hart 5 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 1 2 2 0 0 Brian Skinner 8 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 Mike Taylor 5 2-4 0-1 0-0 4 0-1 1 1 1 0 0 Totals 48 38-78 9-20 18-23 103 6-41 23 18 21 5 6 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Gerald Green 35 5-12 1-4 2-3 13 2-12 2 3 4 0 0 Dirk Nowitzki 38 12-26 1-7 8-9 33 2-7 3 2 3 2 0 Erick Dampier 23 4-6 0-0 1-2 9 3-7 0 1 2 0 0 Jason Terry 37 3-15 0-1 2-2 8 2-7 3 1 2 0 0 Jason Kidd 35 3-5 1-3 0-0 7 0-3 9 2 4 3 0 James Singleton 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 0 1 1 1 0 Jerry Stackhouse 24 5-9 0-1 0-0 10 0-0 3 1 1 2 0 DeSagana Diop 18 0-3 0-0 0-0 0 1-4 0 0 1 2 2 Brandon Bass 13 1-6 0-0 2-2 4 0-1 0 0 1 1 0 Shawne Williams 3 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 1-1 0 0 0 0 0 J.J. Barea 9 2-4 0-2 2-5 6 0-1 1 1 0 0 0 Totals 48 36-87 3-18 17-23 92 11-44 21 13 19 11 2 patricia