Shawn Marion returned from injury and scored 21 points, most of them at the basket. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)These are the type of victories that have seemed to be too few-and-far-between this season for the Dallas Mavericks (54-27). Dallas trailed only once all-game to the Los Angeles Clippers (28-53), 4 to 2, nearly two minutes into the first quarter. The Mavs quickly scored 12-straight points and never looked back on the way to their fourth consecutive victory.
"I don't like being comfortable," Coach Rick Carlisle said, doing his damnedest downplaying the win. "I like the results. We have done positive things. Wednesday is going to be key to where we are, though."
The lead ballooned to as many as 37 points in the fourth quarter (106-69) and the closest the Clippers got in the second half was 13 points. Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 25 points on 9-13 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds in only 23 minutes of game action. No Mavericks' player logged more than 29 minutes (Jason Kidd) for the game. Dallas finished shooting 54.2 percent from the field overall, with 37 assists on 45 made baskets. The Mavs dished out nine assists on their first nine made buckets of the game as ball-movement was at a premium all-game long.
"Sometimes after an emotional win, you seem to let down, but we didn't," Nowitzki said. "We really came out firing in the first quarter."
Chris Kaman led an injury-depleted Clippers team with 17 points, while Steve Novak and Craig Smith scored 15 points a piece off the bench, combining to make 12 of 17 field goals. L.A. was missing starters Drew Gooden (knee inflammation), Baron Davis (sprained right wrist), and Eric Gordon (leg) all due to injury. Dallas has refused to let-up against the last two opponents, regardless of injuries or just how terrible the team may be - that is a good sign.
With the win, Dallas is now guaranteed at least the third seed in the Western Conference and will take-on either Wednesday's opponent, the San Antonio Spurs, or the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder early in the evening, locking the Thunder into the dreaded eighth seed. If the Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns in Phoenix Tuesday night, Dallas will be the number two seed. If the Nuggets fall, Dallas must either win Wednesday at home against the Spurs or Utah will have to lose at home against the Suns on Wednesday.
Kidd and Marion Team-Up For Highlight Reel Dunk
The first half ended with a bang as Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion decided to go all Harlem-Globetrotters on the Clippers. Kidd's takeaway on a terrible Kaman pass into the back-court (thanks to some pressure from Kidd) led to a breakaway for Dallas and with Steve Blake shadowing him down the court, Kidd decided to get fancy.
The 15-year vet lobbed the ball off the backboard just perfectly so that it bounced directly into Marion's hands for the ferocious two-hand flush. Kidd finished the game with 12 points and 12 assists and Marion was huge with 21 points, playing his first game in over a week due to that strained oblique.
"It isn't 100 percent, but it's getting better," Marion said. "We want to focus on that home-court advantage and going into the playoffs strong."
Marion's return proved how much better the Mavericks can be, especially at full-strength.
What's Next:
The San Antonio Spurs come to the AAC Wednesday night for the final regular-season game of the season for both teams.
Expect a full-preview in the next two days along with the implications of the match-up, if there are any. Also expect an in-depth breakdown of the game as I will be in attendance with my trusty press-pass.
News and Notes:
- Dirk Nowitzki hasn't missed a free-throw since March 29, a run of 70 straight makes.
- The Mavericks swept the season-series with the Clippers 3-0, having won six straight and 15 of the last 18 against that other L.A. basketball team.
- Caron Butler sat out the game due to a hip issue, but the injury does not appear to be serious or threaten his availability in the playoffs.
- With 27 wins and 14 losses on the road this season, the Mavericks finished the season guaranteed to have the most road wins in the NBA. Cleveland and Boston can tie Dallas as they each have one more road game this season.
(Portions of this article were taken from The Associated Press)
No comments:
Post a Comment