Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks took care of business against the surging Grizzlies Saturday afternoon in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Ask and you shall receive. Dirk Nowitzki wondered aloud whether or not his teammates could step up in the fourth quarter and his question was answered, as the Big German didn't have to score in the fourth for Dallas to win this one. Seven Mavericks (including Nowitzki) scored in double figures and Jason Terry led the team with 23 points.
"That's the way this team is built," said Terry. "That hasn't been there for us this season, but we know in the near future its going to be there and be consistent."
The Mavericks (21-10) used their offensive prowess in the first half to stay in the game as the Memphis Grizzlies (13-16) were treating the Dallas paint like a lay-up line. In fact, 34 of the Grizzlies first 44 points were scored in the paint and Memphis finished with 60 for the game. Zach Randolph had a double-double by halftime and the Mavericks were forced to regroup.
Dallas started the second-half aggressively swarming Randolph every time he touched the ball. Even before he made his first move, Randolph had to deal with two Mavericks' defenders and it paid off as he cooled down considerably in the second half. After scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the first half alone, Randolph was held to only six points and four rebounds in the second half.
"We stopped doing what we were doing and that got us the lead," said Randolph. "We needed to attack the basket more."
Both Erick Dampier (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Jason Kidd (10 points, 10 assists) recorded double-doubles and combined for five blocks and three steals, leading the Mavericks' defensive charge. Memphis, the sixth best field goal shooting team in the NBA at 47.9 percent, finished the game shooting 44.3 percent.
Two Robins Are Better Than One
Josh Howard and Jason Terry combined to score 20 of the Mavericks 27 fourth quarter points. It wasn't very efficient, Terry missed his first five shots in the fourth and he and J-Ho combined to go 5-14 from the floor in the quarter, but it got the job done.
"Josh was aggressive, making plays there in the fourth and Jet was on fire there late, so it was fun to watch," said Nowitzki.
The Amazing Nowitzki
In two games since returning from his brief one game absence, Dirk Nowitzki is 20-29 (69 percent) from the floor. In this, arguably his best offensive season, Nowitzki hasn't had two better back-to-back shooting games. Dirk finished the game with 20 points, four rebounds and three assists.
What's Next
Dallas did what they had to do against a Memphis team that is playing at a high-level and came into this game winners of three straight. The Mavericks finished their home-stand a predestrian 2-2 and now go on the road for four straight games.
The Mavericks take on the team that ended their season last year, the Denver Nuggets, tomorrow night in Denver. The Nuggets and Mavericks are neck-in-neck in the Western Conference standings, with Dallas a half-game ahead in second.
Denver has lost three of its last four games, and are coming off a loss against the Portland Trail Blazers 107-96. Unfortunately for Dallas, that was on the road. At home, the Nuggets are 13-1 which is the NBA's best home record. Denver is also second in the NBA in scoring (107.5) and boast the league's top scorer in Carmelo Anthony (30.4), so it will be a test defensively for Dallas.
Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. and can be seen locally on Fox Sports Southwest.
News and Notes:
- Drew Gooden was a late scratch just before game-time due to back spasms. He is considered day-to-day.
- With 10 points and 10 assists, Jason Kidd recorded his eighth double-double of the season and fourth in December.
- Erick Dampier had his seventh double-double this season and Dallas is 6-1 in those contests. Damp recorded only six all of last season (4-2).
(Portions of this article were taken from The Assoicated Press)
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