After a rare ejection of Dirk Nowitzki, the onus was on Jason Kidd (above) as he led a huge fourth quarter for the Mavericks. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)On his 37th birthday, Jason Kidd proved he still has a lot left in the tank.
Kidd scored a season-high 26 points on 10-21 shooting, 6-11 from three, for his highest scoring game since the last game of the 2007-2008 season. The veteran point guard scored 13 of those points in the pivotal fourth quarter, in which the Dallas Mavericks (47-24) outscored the Los Angeles Clippers (26-45) 30-19.
"Since Dirk was gone, I thought I would play Dirk today," said Kidd, who also chipped in 12 assists and six rebounds on the night. "I had some great looks early on that went in and out. Earlier in my career, I would've stopped shooting because I missed a couple. But I thought the team needed some scoring so I stepped up."
After allowing yet another huge run to the opposition (this time 23-6) to begin the third quarter, Dallas used a 28-5 run from the 2:55 mark in the third quarter to 5:37 remaining in the fourth. Defense was key as the Clippers made only 5-22 field goals in the final quarter, something the Mavs have lacked the last two weeks. Overall, the Clippers shot only 37.9 percent from the field for the game and 28 percent on threes while Dallas shot 46.7 percent as a team and 40 percent from deep.
"We're pretty good when we do that," said Kidd. "We might make or miss on the other end, but when we get stops that definitely helps us. We haven't been getting stops as of late. After that little 13-game streak we had, we stopped doing that."
A major difference in tonight's game was the Mavs willingness to run, especially after Nowitzki was ejected. When this team gets out on the break and puts pressure on the opposition, everything seems to come together. Even on the defensive end, Dallas had three steals in the fourth quarter alone when the pace was picked up. For the game, they had nine steals and seven blocked shots and L.A. committed 12 turnovers that led to 21 points for the home team. Pair that with the fact that the Mavs turned the ball over only eight times themselves.
Brendan Haywood led the charge off the bench as Dallas used a four-guard, one center lineup for the majority of the fourth quarter. The big man had 12 points (4-5 shooting), 10 rebounds and four big blocks for his fifth double-double in a Mavs uniform and 19th overall.
After playing only 16 minutes in the last three games combined (and scoring 2o points in that span), Rodrigue Beaubois was also apart of the small-ball style lineup and scored 10 points in 15 minutes. His insertion was huge as he gave the Mavs and the crowd a much needed pick-me-up, especially on that alley-oop to begin the fourth quarter. It's getting harder and harder for Rick Carlisle to justify keeping this kid on the bench.
Another crazy game for Dallas, hopefully they have learned that they are at there best on the run and not in a half-court set. Isn't that a no-brainer, especially with Jason Kidd leading the offense?
Carlisle Not Happy About Nowitzki's Ejection
After Dirk Nowitzki thought he was fouled (when in reality he completely flopped, just sayin') he let the official have it and got his ass thrown out of the game. As you can probably imagine, Mavs coach Rick Carlise was none too happy talking about it after the game.
"That was a bad decision by Dirk," said Carlisle. "It put the team in a terrible situation and he knows it was wrong. If you get a technical, you get one and make your point and you let it go. He is too important to us."
At the time of his ejection, Nowitzki was 8-11 from the field and had 18 points in 19 minutes. It's obvious that Nowitzki's frustrations with his team's play are starting to boil over. It was only the third time he's been ejected in his 11-year career.
Butler's Struggles Continue
Caron Butler's play has dipped considerably as of late. In the last three games, Butler has made only 10 of his 36 shot attempts (28 percent) and scored a total 25 points. This after scoring his Mavericks-high 27 points in a 113-107 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Mar. 17.
Butler did have six rebounds and two steals but to go 2-9 from the floor and score only four points when Nowitzki goes out is unacceptable. This is a guy who is supposed to be Robin to Dirk's Batman and that simply hasn't been the case recently.
Gooden Shines In Return
Drew Gooden, in his return to Dallas after being traded before the All-Star Game to the Washington Wizards and subsequently to the Clipps, had season-highs in both scoring (26) and rebounding (20). Just as when he played for the Mavericks, Gooden's ferocity and hard-work paid dividends around the basket.
"I still feel like they're family," said Gooden. "This game meant a lot to me."
Gooden's post play and toughness are definitely missed here in Dallas.
What's Next
Dallas gets a day-off before traveling to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers on Thursday night.
Portland is currently eighth in the Western Conference at 42-29 and have won five of their last six and eight of their last 10 games overall. The Trail Blazers are 23-13 at home and have won four straight in the Rose Garden.
Dallas has lost both meetings this season against the Blazers, both at home, 85-81 on Dec. 22 2009 and in OT 114-112 on Jan.30.
Tip-off is at 9:30 p.m. and you are forced to watch it on TNT.
News and Notes:
- With the Clippers shooting only 37.9 percent from the field, Dallas held an opponent under 40 percent shooting for the first time since Mar. 1, against the Charlotte Bobcats (10 games).
- Erick Dampier started for the first time since returning from injury and Stone-Hands was back to form. Damp scored three points and grabbed six rebounds and 1-5 shooting and his plus/minus was -15 which was the Mavericks' worst. To be fair, he did have two blocks on the night but there is no reason he should be starting over Haywood.
- With the victory and the Denver Nuggets loss to the New York Knicks (I guess other team's lose to N.Y. too) Dallas is now tied for second-place in the Western Conference standings.
(Portions of this article were taken from The Associated Press)
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