Dirk Nowitzki (41) went off for a season-high 42 points (15 in the fourth quarter), as the Mavericks botched a big lead early and had to come back from down double-digits in the third quarter to get the win over the Pistons. (AP Photo/LM Otero)Where would this Dallas Mavericks (9-4) team be without Dirk Nowitzki?
Fielding one of the worst scoring offenses in the NBA, the Mavericks had to rely on Nowitzki for the second time in the last three games to score nearly half of the team's total points. Number 41 was up the the challenge, yet again, dropping a season-high 42 points along with game-high 12 rebounds.
Nowitzki made 13 of 23 shots from the field (56.5 percent, including 3 of 3 from three-point range), compared to 17 of 55 (31 percent) for the rest of the team as Dallas shot a meager 38.5 percent from the floor on the night, yet still found a way to grind out a win against the Detroit Pistons (5-4).
"We can't really be happy about this win, but it's definitely a win," Nowitzki said.
"At this point we'll take the win and move on, especially in this tough week."
Nowitzki is referring to the current stretch of four games in five nights where Dallas, after tonight's game against Detroit, takes on the Oklahoma City Thunder (Wednesday), the 11-1 San Antonio Spurs (Friday) and the Miami Heat (Saturday).
Early on against the Pistons, it appeared as though Dallas was on the verge of being able to rest up for the upcoming rough stretch. The Mavericks jumped out to a 16-2 lead to start the game, holding Detroit without a point until the 7:22 mark and without a field goal for nearly half of the first quarter (6:07).
Things turned quickly, however, as the Pistons came back to take the lead in the second; holding Dallas to a season-low 14 points in the quarter to take a 42-38 lead going into half time.
"In the second quarter we just couldn’t make any shots," Nowitzki said.
Detroit kept it's momentum into the second half, achieving it's largest lead of the game at 60-48 with 3:24 left in the third quarter - then Nowitzki and Jason Terry took over.
Dirk and JET scored all eight points as the Mavericks went on an 8-1 run to end the quarter, cutting the deficit to five points (61-56) going into the final frame. The torch was then passed to Caron Butler, held scoreless since the first quarter, who took control to start the fourth. Butler scored seven straight for Dallas to start the quarter and his quick hands also forced two Detroit turnovers.
One key play saw Butler steal the ball, make an outlet pass up the court, and then hustle into the play to collect a rebound on a Shawn Marion miss - putting it right back up and in for two points.
"I thought a big key to the game was the way Caron started the fourth quarter," Mavericks' coach Rick Carlisle said. "His points to start the fourth quarter really got us going... he stayed in there and kept battling."
After a Terry three-pointer brought Dallas within one point with 7:39 left, Nowitzki took it from there, scoring nine straight points to give the Mavs a 75-70 lead.
Back-to-back jumpers by Terry later in the quarter (one on a Nowitzki screen that took care of two defenders, and the other on a solid Nowitzki pass out of a double team to Terry to beat the shot clock) kept Dallas ahead by five with less than two minutes to play.
The Pistons got to as close as 84-82 after Richard Hamilton made two free throws with a minute left, but two straight offensive rebounds led to four straight free throws from Nowitzki to seal the Mavericks 88-84 win.
"JET had some big baskets," Nowitzki said, "and Caron got us going in the fourth quarter with a couple of good drives."
When the dust settled; Nowitzki (15 points), Terry (9) and Butler (7) combined to score 31 of the Mavs 32 points in the fourth quarter.
"We want the ball in that situation. We thrive in that situation," Terry said. "Dirk and I have been playing together for seven years now, we have great chemistry. At the end of games, it’s no secret. All 20,000 in the arena plus the other team know what we're going to [on the offensive end]."
Despite getting out-shot (42.5 percent to 38.5 percent) and outrebounded (46-42), the Mavericks still managed to squeak out the win thanks to Nowitzki's huge game and some clutch play by Terry and Butler in the fourth quarter.
"We found a way to get it done," said Carlisle. "It’s not always going to be pretty."
What's Next
Dallas travels to Oklahoma City tomorrow night to take on Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder. OKC is 10-4 this season (5-3 at home) and come into Wednesday's game having won five straight games.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. central time.
News and Notes:
- Shawn Marion, who missed the early morning shoot around due to flu-like symptoms, played only 15 minutes and was 1 of 6 from the floor with four points and four rebounds.
- With 10 assists on the night, Jason Kidd now has six double-digit assists in 13 games this season. It's the first such occurrence since Nov. 10 (five games) and Kidd has fallen from second in the NBA in assists per game to fifth at 9.3 per game.
- After missing four straight free throws to start the game, the Pistons were called for a lane violation and Dirk Nowitzki got another chance at his second free throw with 1:45 left in the third quarter. Nowitzki made it, and the next 12 in a row, to total 13 straight (10 in the fourth quarter) to finish the game 13 of 16.
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