Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on March 21, 2013 under Interviews | 
The Dallas Mavericks started their six-game homestand with another disturbing loss, this time at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets. Brooklyn closed the game on a 22-8 run en route to a 113-96 victory. The game was tied at 51 at halftime before Brook Lopez and Deron Williams took control of the game. The two combined to score 46 of the team’s 62 points in the second half. As a team, the Dallas Mavericks scored 45 points in the second half. Lopez finished with a season-high 38 points, matching the 38 he scored last season in the American Airlines Center. Williams tallied 31 points and a team-high six assists in 41 minutes. Reggie Evans pulled down a game-high 22 rebounds to go along with four rebounds in 32 minutes. It was his sixth game with 20-plus rebounds this season.
Dallas was “led” by Dirk Nowitzki with 16 points, but he once again had a game where he was unable to hoist up a shot in a quarter (third quarter) and only took 10 shots. In the team’s last two losses, Dirk has only had 10 shots. He’s averaged 10.3 field goal attempts over his last three games. After going 12-0 to start his career, Dallas has lost their last two games when Dirk shoots at least 80 percent from the field (minimum 10 field goal attempts). Mike James had the most field goal attempts for the Mavericks with 14.
Some notes before the quotes:
- Dirk Nowitzki recorded his 9,000th career rebound at the 11:26 mark of the fourth quarter against the Nets on Wednesday. He became the 46th player in NBA history with at least 9,000 boards. Nowitzki also became one of only 10 players in NBA history with at least 24,000 points and 9,000 rebounds (joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal, Moses Malone, Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kevin Garnett and Patrick Ewing).
- Mike James went 4-of-8 from beyond the arc and scored 12 points in 27 minutes against the Nets. He added a season-high-tying seven assists (also had 7 at Milwaukee Mar. 12). James is averaging 9.6 points and 4.3 assists over his last 11 games. He has shot 49 percent (25-of-51) from deep in that span.
- Dallas suffered only their third loss of the season when they shot at least 50 percent from the field (16-3 record).
- The Mavericks allowed 52 points in the paint to the Nets. They have now allowed 102 points in the paint in their last two games.
- Dallas is now 3-15 when an opponent scores at least 110 points against them.
- The team announced that guard Roddy Beaubois had surgery to repair his left second metacarpal fracture. The surgery was performed by Dr. T.O. Souryal and Dr. Scott Oishi at Texas Sports Medicine. No timetable has been set for his return.
Here is the quoteboard for Dallas’ loss to Brooklyn.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on March 18, 2013 under Interviews |
In a game that was up for grabs, the Dallas Mavericks once again couldn’t find a way to close the game out as they suffered a 107-101 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Clearly, Dallas got the getting while the getting was good. The Mavericks are 1-11 against the Thunder since beating Oklahoma City in the 2011 Western Conference finals, including last season’s sweep in the first round of the playoffs. Dallas has lost their last 10 games against their northern I-35 rivals.
Oklahoma City’s stars shined brightly against Dallas. Russell Westbrook totaled a game-high 35 points to go along with six rebounds, a game-high six assists and two steals in 37 minutes. Kevin Durant scored 19 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter. He added nine boards and two blocks in 39 minutes.
Dirk Nowitzki made his first eight shots of the game (including his first three 3-point field goal attempts) and recorded 23 points and seven rebounds in 34 minutes against the Thunder. He scored 20-plus points for the seventh time in his last 13 games (10th time this season). Nowitzki finished 8-of-10 (.800) from the field. With the loss, the Mavericks moved to 12-1 all-time when Nowitzki shoots at least 80 percent from the field (minimum 10 field goal attempts). The story of the game will be the fact that Dirk didn’t take a single shot from the field in the entire fourth quarter. His last field goal attempt came with 2:25 left in the third quarter. He wasn’t calling for the ball on every possession, the Thunder tried to blanket him and no one on the Mavericks really could deliver him the ball.
The injury bug once again landed on Roddy Beaubois. After a nice string of games leading up to the game against the Thunder, Beaubois exited the game after fracturing the second metacarpal in his left hand during the second quarter. He is out indefinitely. If the injury is a season-ending one, with free agency looming, this could be the last time Roddy wears a Dallas uniform.
Some notes before the quotes:
- Mike James recorded a season-high 14 points to go along with three rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes (previous high: 13 points vs. Milwaukee Mar. 12). He went 2-of-3 from 3-point range and has now made at least one trey in each of his last nine games. James has shot 18-of-39 (.462) from 3-point range over his last nine games. He is averaging 9.4 points and 4.1 assists in that span.
- With a steal (his 955th career) at the 7:23 mark of the first quarter, Nowitzki passed Jason Kidd (954) for second place on the Mavericks’ all-time steals list. Nowitzki intercepted a pass thrown by Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and then finished with a dunk on the fast break (from O.J. Mayo). Derek Harper is Dallas’ all-time leader with 1,551 career thefts.
- Elton Brand made his 17th start of the season (847th career) against Oklahoma City on Sunday. It was his first start since Feb. 1 at Phoenix. The Mavericks’ starting lineup on Sunday featured Jae Crowder, Dirk Nowitzki, O.J. Mayo, Mike James and Brand. Dallas used its 21st starting lineup of the season against the Thunder.
Here is the quoteboard for Dallas’ loss to Oklahoma City.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on March 16, 2013 under Interviews |
The Roddy Beaubois saga continues. Beaubois tallied a team-high 18 points (6-10 FGs, 3-5 3FGs, 3-4 FTs) to go along with three rebounds and a team-high-tying five assists in 22 minutes off the bench against Cleveland on Friday. He led Dallas in scoring for the second time this season (19 points vs. San Antonio on Jan. 25). It was his third double-figure scoring effort of the season. Beaubois, who recorded seven points and three assists in 15 minutes at Milwaukee on Mar. 12, is averaging 12.5 points and 4.0 assists over his last two games. Roddy showed aggression on both ends of the floor in easily his best game of the year.
Dirk Nowitzki notched his third straight double-double (fifth of the season, 374thcareer) with 13 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals in 33 minutes against Cleveland. It was his third straight game with 11 boards. Nowitzki is now tied with Jason Kidd (954) for second place on the Mavericks’ all-time steals list. Nowitzki is averaging 17.6 points and 9.2 rebounds since the All-Star break.
Once again starting for the injured Shawn Marion, Jae Crowder scored only two points, but he pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds in the victory.
Some notes before the quotes:
- With his second rebound of the game (8,975th career) at the 9:20 mark of the first quarter, Dirk Nowitzki passed Larry Bird (8,974) for 46th place on the NBA’s all-time rebounding list. Nowitzki finished with 11 rebounds on the night and now has 8,984 boards for his career. Johnny Green ranks 45th all-time with 9,083 rebounds. Nowitzki needs 17 rebounds to become the 46th player in NBA history with at least 9,000 boards.
- Vince Carter made his 8,000th career field goal with a 3-pointer at the 1:33 mark of the fourth quarter. He became the 33rd player in NBA history with at least 8,000 career field goals. Carter ranks sixth among active players in field goals made.
- In his first home game off a 10-day contract, Chris Wright made his NBA regular-season debut in the fourth quarter and scored two points in one minute.
Here is the quoteboard for the Dallas victory over Cleveland.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on March 7, 2013 under Interviews |
The Dallas Mavericks were able to avenge their catastrophic 136-103 loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday with a 112-108 win at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday night. O.J. Mayo recorded his second double-double of the season (fourth career) with 13 points, six rebounds, a career-high 12 assists and zero turnovers in 33 minutes against Houston on Wednesday. His previous high assist total was 10 (at Golden State Mar. 30, 2009). Seven of Mayo’s 12 assists came in the first half, including five in the first quarter alone. The seven first-half assists were tied for the most assists he’s recorded in any half in his career (7 in first half at Golden State Mar. 30, 2009; 7 in second half vs. Golden State Feb. 9, 2013).
The clean sheet for Mayo in the turnover department marked the sixth game of the year where Mayo did not commit a turnover. The Mavericks are 5-1 in those games. The one loss came in the team’s last game against the Rockets on Sunday.
Shawn Marion went 10-of-16 from the field and recorded a team-high-tying 22 points to go along with three rebounds, four assists and two steals in 36 minutes against Houston. With the win, the Mavericks improved to 4-1 this season when Marion scores 20-plus points.
Dirk Nowitzki tallied 22 points, five rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes against Houston. He scored 20-plus points for the fifth time in his last seven games.
The Mavericks made a change to their starting lineup. They started Mike James in place of Darren Collison and Brandan Wright in place of Chris Kaman. It marked the team’s 19th different starting lineup of the year.
Some notes before the quotes:
- Mike James made his first start of the season (264th career) against Houston on Wednesday. It was his first start since Mar. 25, 2009 vs. Charlotte (with Washington). The Mavericks used their 19th different starting lineup of the year.
- Shawn Marion passed Rod Strickland (1,616) for 25th place on the NBA’s all-time steals list with a theft (his 1,617th career) at the 6:37 mark of the third quarter. Marion finished with two steals against Houston and now has 1,618 for his career. Eddie Jones ranks 24th all-time with 1,620 career steals.
- With a block at the 1:16 mark of the first quarter, Elton Brand passed Rockets head coach Kevin McHale (1,690) for 24th place on the NBA’s all-time blocks list. It was the 1,691st block of Brand’s career. Moses Malone ranks 23rd all-time with 1,733 career rejections.
Here is the quoteboard for the Mavericks’ win against the Rockets.
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Tags: Brandan Wright, Chris Kaman, Dallas Mavericks, Darren Collison, Dirk Nowitzki, Houston Rockets, Mike James, NBA, O.J Mayo, Rick Carlisle, Shawn Marion
Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on March 6, 2013 under Interviews |
The home-and-home series between the Dallas Mavericks (26-33) and the Houston Rockets (33-28) concludes with the showdown at the American Airlines Center. Houston has lost five consecutive trips to Dallas since an overtime win Dec. 18, 2009, a game Dirk Nowitzki left in the second quarter with an injury after scoring five points. Remember Carl Landry? A collision after a Dirk jumper let to Dirk having a gashed elbow and Landry with five cracked or knocked-out teeth. The Mavericks found pieces of two teeth imbedded in Nowitzki’s elbow and had to spend 30 minutes cleaning the cut.
Anyways, back to the point – Houston has lost five consecutive games in Dallas since 2009. That’s part of a key trend in this series since the start of 2005-06: Dallas is 22-2 when Nowitzki scores at least 15 points and 1-5 when he doesn’t, including two games he missed. Dallas simply has to run their offense through Dirk and force the action on the Rockets. With Houston taking the first game on Sunday in clobbering fashion, another loss by the Mavericks would destroy whatever hopes the team has left of making the playoffs.
Here are the notes for the game between the Mavericks and the Rockets.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on February 27, 2013 under Interviews |
Just when it appeared that it couldn’t get worse for the Mavericks, they found another way to lose the game. The turnover bug found its way to Dirk Nowitzki as he had two key turnovers in the final three minutes of the game. The Milwaukee Bucks were able to convert on both of the turnovers and secured a 95-90 victory over Dallas. The Mavericks had a total of 20 turnovers, leading to 19 points for the Bucks.
The Mavericks spoiled a rare 20/20 game for Dirk. He recorded his sixth career 20-point, 20-rebound game with 21 points to go along with a season-high 20 rebounds, three assists and two steals in 35 minutes against Milwaukee on Tuesday. It was his first 20/20 game since Apr. 3, 2003 vs. the L.A. Lakers (25 points and 22 rebounds). It was his seventh career game with 20-plus rebounds and his first since Dec. 27, 2007 (20 rebounds). Oddly enough, the Mavericks are now 3-3 in games where Dirk has scored at least 20 points and grabbed at least 20 rebounds in the same game.
Nowitzki, who had a season-high 30 points and a then season-high 13 rebounds against the Lakers in their previous game, recorded his second consecutive double-double (second of the season, 371stcareer). Nowitzki is averaging 25.3 points and 13.3 rebounds over his last three games. He is shooting 55.8 percent (29-of-52) from the field and 70 percent (7-of-10) from 3-point range in that span. Nowitzki is averaging 21.5 points and 10.7 rebounds over his last six games. He is shooting 53.4 percent (47-of-88) from the field and 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from deep in that span.
Monta Ellis spoiled Dirk’s night as he ending up having a game-high 22 points. He scored 11 of his 22 points in the final quarter. He also added a game-high nine assists and a season-high-tying six steals in 44 minutes. It was his fourth game with six thefts this season.
Some notes before the quotes:
- Nowitzki pulled down 11 first-half rebounds against the Bucks on Tuesday. It was tied for the second-most rebounds he’s recorded in the first half of a game in his career (he had 11 in the first half on two other occasions, and recorded 12 in the first half twice). The most rebounds Nowitzki recorded in any half in his career was 13 in the second half (twice).
- Elton Brand recorded his seventh double-double of the season (403rd career) with 12 points (6-8 FGs) and a season-high 14 rebounds (7 OR) in 25 minutes off the bench. His previous high rebounding game was 13 on two occasions. Brand is averaging 14.0 points and 8.5 rebounds over his last four games. He is shooting 57.1 percent (24-of-42) from the field in that span.
- Dallas went 1-of-17 from 3-point range.
Here is the quoteboard for the Mavericks’ loss to the Lakers.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on February 25, 2013 under Interviews |
Dirk Nowitzki is truly a once in a lifetime basketball player. He revolutionized the power forward position. In addition to that, he helped break the stigma or label that all European players were considered spot up shooters and soft. He’s also a once in a lifetime player because he makes himself so open to the media. Take the game against the Los Angeles Lakers. It was once again another game where the Mavericks were unable to execute down the stretch. It was a nationally televised game against one of the league’s most prominent teams. It had two of the league’s recent NBA champions dueling from the uncomfortable position of being outside the playoff picture. It had the feel of a playoff game.
The loss by the Mavericks really put them behind the 8-ball in their chase to make the playoffs. It was an opportunity lost as Dallas ultimately spoiled Dirk’s best game of the season. Whether they win big or lose in heartbreaking fashion, Dirk always steps up and lets the media talk to him (unless the media decides to call a truce and give the Tall Baller From the G a night off). For those who don’t know, players really only talk for one, two, maybe three minutes and then they’re done and they don’t have to talk after every game. Not Dirk. After the game against the Lakers, Dirk spoke to the main pool of media for just about five minutes. He answered questions about how he felt, how it was a frustrating loss and other items (some that don’t always make sense). Dirk finished his interview and got himself ready to leave the locker room. From time to time, select media members will stay and linger to gather more information.
This second round of discussion lasted for nearly seven minutes. Again, seven minutes doesn’t sound like a lot, but he’s being asked questions about a variety of topics and he answers every single one of them and doesn’t hold back. As he scratches his still-developing beard and plays with his wedding ring, Dirk looked into the future and opened up about how he might be hanging around the league longer than people expected. He talked about the CBA, Kobe Bryant and bear hugs.
Here is a special kind of Quoteboard. Enjoy Dirk.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on February 24, 2013 under Interviews |
It was a closely contested game, but the Los Angeles Lakers were able to prevail over the Dallas Mavericks with a 103-99 victory on Sunday afternoon. Kobe Bryant tallied a game-high 38 points (13-21 FGs, 4-5 3FGs, 8-10 FTs), including 14 in the fourth quarter, to go along with 12 rebounds and a game-high seven assists in 38 minutes. Kobe went a perfect 5-5 from the field in the fourth quarter. Bryant, who scored 40 points in his previous game vs. Portland, is averaging 39.0 points on 28-of-44 (.636) shooting over his last two games.
In comparison, Dirk Nowitzki stepped up to the challenge with his best game of the season. Dirk recorded his first double-double of the season (370th career) with a season-high 30 points (11-19 FGs, 4-4 3FGs, 4-5 FTs) and a season-best 13 rebounds in 39 minutes against the Lakers on Sunday. His previous high scoring game this year was 26 points at Portland Jan. 29, and his previous high rebounding total was 9 on three occasions. It was his 224th career 30-point game, first since Apr. 18, 2012, 35 vs. Houston. It was also his 107th career 30-point, 10-rebound game. Nowitzki has shot 21-of-36 (.583) from the field over his last two games and is averaging 27.5 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game in that span.
Some notes before the quotes:
- Dirk Nowitzki recorded 16 points and eight rebounds in 18 first-half minutes for Dallas. Kobe Bryant led Los Angeles with 16 points, five rebounds and six assists in 17 first-half minutes. The score was knotted at 54 at the half.
- The Mavericks outshot the Lakers 51.3 percent (20-of-39) to 41.5 percent (17-of-41) from the field in the first half. But Los Angeles went 8-of-16 (.500) from deep in the first half (compared to Dallas’ 3-of-6 clip) and the score was tied at 54 at the break.
- The Lakers were winless this season on the front end of road/road back-to-backs (0-6) before the victory over the Mavericks.
- The Lakers came in having the fifth-worst scoring bench in the league at 14.6 points per game. Their bench had 29 points against Dallas.
Here is the quoteboard for the Mavericks’ loss to the Lakers.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on February 21, 2013 under Interviews |
Dallas started the “second half” of the season on a good note as they recorded a 111-96 victory over the Orlando Magic. The Magic now are a whopping 3-26 since Dec. 20. The game was defined by one play. The Mavericks double digit lead in the first half quickly evaporated and they found themselves trailing by six points in the third quarter. Jameer Nelson stole the ball away from O.J. Mayo. Nelson passed the ball to J.J. Redick for a breakaway layup. Mayo hustled down the court and was able to pin the ball against the rim. He recovered the ball and delivered the high heat on a lob pass to Vince Carter for the slam dunk. The play triggered a 13-0 run. Dallas closed the game on a 21-8 run en route to the victory.
Some notes before the quotes:
- Vince Carter went 4-of-9 from beyond the arc against the Magic on Wednesday and recorded 14 points and a season-high eight assists in 26 minutes off the bench. It was his 10th game with four-plus 3-pointers this season. Carter had only one game with four-plus treys all of last year (5-7, at Phoenix 1/30/12). He has shot 14-of-23 (.609) from deep over his last three games. Carter has also hit at least one 3-pointer in each of his last 12 games. It’s tied for his longest such streak this season (he made at least one trey in 12 straight games from Nov. 17 through Dec. 12). Prior to this season, the last time Carter made at least one triple in 12 straight games was from Dec. 10, 2010 through Jan. 22, 2012, when they hit at least one 3-pointer in 16 consecutive games.
- Elton Brand went 5-for-6 from the field and 5-for-5 from the line before intermission and led all players with 15 points in 15 first-half minutes. It was the most points he scored in any half this season (previous high: 14 points in the first half vs. Minnesota Jan. 14). Brand finished with 17 points, five rebounds and two blocks in 25 minutes off the bench. The Mavericks improved to 3-1 this season when he scores 17-plus points in a game.
- Shawn Marion (17), Elton Brand (17), Vince Carter (14), O.J. Mayo (13), Dirk Nowitzki (12) and Mike James (season-high 12) all scored in double figures for Dallas in the win. The Mavericks improved to 11-5 this season when they have at least six players in double figures.
- The Mavericks recorded only nine turnovers against Orlando on Wednesday. The Mavericks have now recorded 12-or-fewer turnovers in each of their last five games.
- The 42 first-quarter points were the most by the Mavericks in any quarter this season (previous high: 40 points in second quarter vs. Washington Nov. 14). Prior to Wednesday’s game, the most points Dallas scored an opening quarter this year was 39 at Houston Dec. 8 (outscored Houston 39-24 in the first quarter). The Mavericks have now scored 30-plus points in the first quarter in three of their last four games.
Here is the quoteboard for Dallas’ victory over Orlando.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on February 14, 2013 under Interviews |
It turned out to be a historic night as the Dallas Mavericks recorded a 123-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings. Vince Carter made a season-high six 3-pointers against the Kings on Wednesday (he shot 6-of-9 from long range). His previous high triple total this season was five on two occasions. Carter’s fourth trey of the game at the 1:08 mark of the third quarter was the 1,600th 3-pointer of his career. He became the 11th player in NBA history with at least 1,600 career triples. His fifth trey at the 27.9-second mark of the third was his 100th three of the season.
With his sixth triple at the 2.9-second mark of the third quarter, he passed Larry Bird (21,791) for 29th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. The 3-point basket gave him 21,794 points for his career. Carter went 3-for-3 from deep to the end the third quarter and scored Dallas’ final nine points of the period. Carter scored 26 points against Sacramento and now has 21,796 career points. Gary Payton ranks 28th all-time with 21,813 career points.
Carter went 6-of-9 from beyond the arc en route to 26 points in 23 minutes. It was his sixth 20-point effort of the season (4-2 record). It was also his third game with 25-plus points and his ninth game with four-plus 3-pointers this season. Carter exploded in the third quarter as he scored 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting (5-of-9 from long range) in only 6:33 of action.
Some notes before the quotes:
- With an offensive rebound at the 10:51 mark of the second quarter, Dirk Nowitzki passed Mark Aguirre (1,259) for second place on the Mavericks’ all-time offensive rebounding list. James Donaldson is Dallas’ all-time leader with 1,296 offensive boards.
- The Mavericks recorded their 18th consecutive win against the Kings in Dallas. It’s the Mavericks’ longest ever home winning streak against one opponent.
- Darren Collison record 12 points and seven assists in 18 first-half minutes. His first assist of the second half (eighth of the game) was the 1,400th assist of his career. Collison finished with 18 points, four rebounds and nine assists in 29 minutes.
Here is the quoteboard for Dallas’ victory over Sacramento.
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