Josh Howard and the Dallas Mavericks (15-7) got off to a slow start, rallied in the second half, and then managed to hold on late against the Phoenix Suns (15-7). (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
After missing the last 13 games, recovering from injury on his surgically repaired left ankle, Josh Howard returned to the Mavericks' lineup and contributed in a big way. Howard scored 16 of his 20 points on the night in the second half, including nine is the pivotal fourth quarter for Dallas.
"We hit a spell there where he was the only offense we had going," Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle said. "He really kept us afloat. It shows you how important he is to our team and he just showed a lot of guts tonight, too. Because he was tired and you could tell he was a little sore."
Howard made his first appearance with 5:07 left in the first quarter, and immediately became a force on the defensive end. In his first five minutes on the floor, Howard drew two offensive fouls, snatched away two steals, and added an emphatic block on a Grant Hill lay-up attempt that caromed high off of the back-board. J-Ho finished with season highs in points (20), rebounds (6), steals (1), and blocks (1) with the aforementioned swat on Hill.
"I'm surprised he played so well for his first game back," Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire said. "He took his time, got healthy and it showed."
It didn't start well for J-Ho on the offensive end, as he missed his first seven shots from the field in an overall dismal shooting half for Dallas. The Mavericks missed numerous attempts close to the basket and, at one point during the second quarter, were shooting 28 percent as a team. Dallas rallied to end the half, raising their shooting percentage to 38 percent and were only down by one going into the locker room. Dirk Nowitzki led the way (what's new?) with 16 points and five rebounds in the first half and finished the game with 33 points, eight rebounds, and three assists to lead Dallas. The Mavericks raised their shooting percentage in every quarter as the game went on and finished the game shooting 44.7 percent.
The Phoenix Suns, on the other hand started off the game hot, shooting over 65 percent at one point during the first half; but saw their shooting percentage drop to 45 percent to end the first half and then 44.3 percent to end the game.
The Fourth Quarter:
Dallas went on a 9-2 run to end the third-quarter, gaining their largest lead (up to that point) at 77-70 to start the fourth. Dallas continued to cruise and had their largest lead of the night (82-72) with 9:34 left to play as the Mavericks continued their hot shooting. Later in the quarter, after a Jason Terry two-pointer put them ahead 96-89, Dallas had a commanding lead with only 1:25 left in regulation.
Phoenix refused to go quietly as Steve Nash scored eight points and dished out one of his team-high eight assists in the span of 1:08 on the game clock, giving the Suns a chance with three seconds left down 102-101. Jason Terry then missed his first free-throw and intentionally missed the second, forcing the Suns to attempt a desperation half-court three from Amare Stoudemire because they were out of time-outs. Nash led Phoenix with 27 points and shot 60 percent from the field, including 3-3 from behind the arc.
The Suns have now lost four of their past five games by an average of nearly 19 points a game (18.75) and have seen their high-octane offense average only 98.6 per over this span.
JJB Gets the Start:
For the first time this season, Jose Juan Barea started at the two-guard position. Barea responded to his promotion, scoring eight points in the first 3:42 of the first quarter and finished tying as season high in points (16) while also dishing out six assists in 30 minutes on the floor.
Not my first choice to get the start (1st choice -Rodrigue Beaubois. 2nd - Terry.) but he did play well and took advantage of Nash on the defensive end. He also gave this team a spark offensively that they desperately needed especially after consecutive losses in which they averaged 81 points per game.
What's Next:
The Dallas Mavericks played well tonight considering this is one of the few times this season the team has been at near full strength (Quinton Ross is expected to return Friday night). Dallas played aggressively and with a sense of desperation; which are two things that were needed after poor offensive performances their last two games. This is going to continue to be an adjustment period but when this team gets some cohesion, watch out because this lineup is stacked from Nowitzki down to the last guy on the bench.
Dallas travels to Miami, Friday night (Dec.11), to play Dwyane Wade and the Heat. Miami is 2-2 in their last four games, and 11-9 on the season. The Heat are 6-5 at home.
Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. and can be seen locally on Fox Sports Southwest.
News and Notes:
- Dallas is now 3-1 with Josh Howard in the lineup, and 12-6 without him.
- With his 33 points, Dirk Nowitzki has led Dallas in scoring in 18 of 22 games (81 percent of the time). Jason Terry is the only other Mav to lead the team in scoring this season and Dallas is 2-2 in those games
- The "Fave Five" was back on the floor together for the first time in a while, and outscored the Suns 18-15 in 8:10 of game action. This including 6:31 of the final 7:46 of the game in which the lineup of Nowitzki, Marion, Howard, Terry, and Kidd outscored Phoenix 14-12.
- Phoenix is now 3-2 this season when Steve Nash leads the team in scoring.
- The Dallas crowd seemed very lackluster tonight considering this game was against the Phoenix Suns. Seems weird especially since these are two teams with great records this season.
(Portions of this article were taken from The Associated Press)
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