After struggling through three quarters, Dirk Nowitzki erupted with a huge fourth quarter to prevent Dallas from blowing a double-digit lead for the second straight game. (AP Photo/Michael Fuentes)Even after failing to hit the broad side of a barn for three quarters, superstars like the Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki know how to rev it up into another gear with the game on the line.
He proved as much again Wednesday night as, coming into the fourth quarter, Nowitzki had made only 2 of 9 shots from the field before stepping up huge for the Dallas Mavericks (20-5) with 12 points on 5 of 7 shooting to lead his team to victory over the Portland Trail Blazers (12-14).
"We had a chance there at the end. Dirk made two really tough shots, that's what he does," Blazers' forward (and Dallas-native) Lamarcus Aldridge said. "We did our best to make the shots tough, but he still made them."
Aldridge matched Nowitzki stride for stride in the fourth quarter, scoring 20 of his career-high 35 points in the contest, but it wasn't enough as Dallas held strong after blowing 17-point lead in the third quarter.
Portland tied the game at 91-91 on an Aldridge dunk and then again at 93-93 with 2:06 left in the fourth on another Aldridge two-pointer in the paint; but Dallas pulled away with a 10-5 run to end the game - led by six from Nowitzki.
The Blazers seemed contest playing Nowitzki man-to-man down the stretch, after playing a lot of zone through three quarters, and it cost them in the end as the Big German refused to let his team lose.
"The guys stepped up down the stretch," said Jason Kidd, who had a well-rounded 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists on the night. "We got some stops and Dirk had some real big plays down the stretch."
This marks the fifth time in eight December contests that Dallas has taken it's proverbial foot off the gas pedal and allowed a team to come back and tie the game after trailing by double-digits. The Milwaukee Bucks trailed by 20 before coming back to end the Mavs' 12-game winning streak Monday night.
"Right now that had kind of been the trend," Kidd said. "We get up by 20 and then all the sudden we find ourselves up only or three points, so we need to figure that out and understand as a team that once we have a team down we have to keep them down."
Kidd's quote here says a lot: this game is a continuation of a disturbing trend for Dallas; however, winning their 20th (out of 25) game this season on the back of Nowitzki for the second-best start in franchise history is the good here that easily outweighs the bad. It's still early in the season, and the Mavericks seem to have identified the problem, which is certainly a step in the right direction.
Is it a fixable problem, or a team-wide lack of killer-instinct?
If fixable, will it be handled by the postseason?
Time will only tell.
What's Next
The Phoenix Suns visit the AAC Friday night for the first meeting between the two teams this season. The Suns are a disappointing 12-12 on the year (5-7 on the road) and have lost three of their last four games after winning three straight to start the month of December.
Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. central time, can be seen nationally on ESPN (locally on KTXA 21) and I'll be there to be your eyes and ears behind the scenes to give you the in-depth story following the game.
News and Notes:
- Caron Butler was the catalyst for the Mavericks run in the third quarter, scoring 11 of his team-high 23 points in the third alone. This has been a good trend for Butler and the Mavs as it takes some of the offensive pressure of Nowitzki leading into crunch time.
(Portions of this article were contributed by the Mavericks P.R. staff)
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