The Mavericks extend their winning streak to 10, as they took over in the second half behind another big night from Dirk Nowitzki. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)Behind 31 points from Dirk Nowitzki and a career-high 22 points from rookie Rodrigue Beaubois, the Dallas Mavericks (42-21) have gotten to 10 straight wins.
It wasn't easy, though. For only the second time this season Rick Carlisle was ejected as he protested a couple of blatant non-calls on Nowitzki drives to the basket. Add to that the fact that Brendan Haywood left the game after playing only seven minutes with tightness in his lower bacak and Dallas was in for a fight.
The Mavs didn't have their first lead over the Sacramento Kings (21-41) until Beaubois made a lay-up to make it 50-48 with 1:32 left in the first half. Even then, the Kings went on a 5-2 run to end the half, taking a one-point lead into the locker room. Beno Udrih led the Kings with 17 points in the half, making 6-8 shots and all three from long range.
Dallas came out on fire in the third quarter. After Udrih tied the game at 58 with 9:22 left in the third, the Mavs used a 27-14 push from that point on - including a 9-1 run to end the quarter. Overall, the Mavericks outscored the Kings 33-19 in the third, while making 11 of 19 shots.
After the Mavericks had got up to as much as a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Kings came back, getting to within a basket with 1:36 to go in regulation. Dallas didn't allow Sacramento to score again as Caron Butler forced two steals and Jason Kidd and Nowitzki combined to make six free-throws to give the Mavs the victory.
"Out of 48 minutes, we had probably 43 or 44 that were good enough to win," said Kings coach (and former Mavs assistant coach) Paul Westphal. "The biggest difference is that we turned the ball over 17 times [leading to 24 points for Dallas]."
Rookie phenom Tyreke Evans scored 11 of his 20 points in the final period, but Nowitzki outdid him, scoring 15 of his game-high 31. The former MVP also chipped in 12 rebounds for his second double-double in the past three games.
Roddy B's All Growns Up
You had to love the Swingers reference midway through the second quarter and setup by Jeff "Skin" Wade, on the Mavericks telecast, after Beaubois had cut to the basket for yet another lay-up. Roddy B had his 15th and 16th points of the second quarter and was only a basket away from a new career high.
"Our Roddy's all growns up," said Mark Followill after Skin brought up the classic scene in Swingers.
That he has.
Beaubois curled to the basket for an alley-oop on the first play of the third quarter, giving himself a new career-high at 18 points. The rookie wasn't done yet, however, as he tacked on a 21-foot jumper in the third and yet another lay-up in the fourth. When all was said and done Roddy B had 22 points in 24 minutes and shot 9 of 14 from the field and 3-6 on three's.
"We really wanted to win this one because of [Terry] being out," said Beaubois, the 25th pick of the draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder before the native of Guadeloupe was traded to Dallas. "I really tried to be aggressive. We needed everyone to push themselves."
With Jason Terry 10-14 days after facial surgery Friday, it's important the Beaubois plays well in the new available minutes.
"Roddy did a great job for us being that energy plug that [Terry] usually is and hitting some big shots," said Nowitzki.
Referees Hold Their Whistles Throughout First Half...On One Side Of The Court
At one point late in the second quarter, Mavs fans had to be asking themselves just what it takes to get a foul call.
Dirk Nowitzki was beat up all over the place with his arm being hit, head getting hit and even being knocked the the floor at one point in the second quarter. It was no wonder Carlisle got ejected as the Mavs shot a season-low one free-throw in the first half.
It took Beaubois being violently knocked to the ground by 7' 1 Spencer Hawes, with 1:59 left in the first half, to get the lone free-shot. On the other hand, Sacramento had 10 free-throws in the first half. Disparages like that in the free-throw department lead to players exacting their own justice on the court. Luckily for the NBA it didn't happen tonight but guys that are getting beat-up around the basket without a whistle, at some point, are going to break.
Free-throw attempts evened out towards the end (Kings 15-21 - Mavericks 17-18), but you can't swallow your whistles on one side of the court for an entire first half. This is true especially considering that the Mavs (notably Nowitzki) were making a conscious effort to get the the basket beginning in the second quarter.
Whats Next
Dallas travels to Chicago to take on the Bulls Saturday night, on the second night of a back-to-back.
Chicago comes into Saturday's game at 31-30 on the season, but have lost three straight games - two of which that were at home. Overall the Bulls record at home this season is a tidy 19-11, with wins over the likes of Atlanta, Orlando and San Antonio.
This is the first meeting between the two teams this season and first of two meetings in the next 11 days. Chicago will likely be without starting center Joakim Noah, who averages 11 points and 11 rebounds per game.
Dallas may also be missing Brendan Haywood and definitely Erick Dampier.
Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. and can be seen locally on Fox Sports Southwest.
News and Notes:
- Dirk Nowitzki has missed three of the 140 fourth quarter free throws he has taken this season. Damn!
- The Mavericks added to their total of wins after trailing at halftime, Dallas leads the NBA in that category with 17 this season.
- Jason Kidd had a double-double by midway through the third quarter and finished with 17 points and 12 assists. Kidd now has 21 double-doubles this season - fifth among point guards and 27th overall in the NBA.
(Portions of this article were taken from The Associated Press)
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