Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on February 12, 2013 under Interviews | 
The beards are going to be extremely itchy as the Dallas Mavericks suffered a heartbreaking 105-101 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. The loss put a wet blanket on the run the Mavericks were on as they had won three of their previous four games and three home games in a row. Josh Smith tallied a game-high 26 points to go along with a game-high 13 rebounds and six assists in 40 minutes for Atlanta in the win.
Dirk Nowitzki scored a team-high 24 points to go with seven rebounds, two steals and one block in 36 minutes. It his fourth game with 20-plus points this season, and his second-highest scoring game of the year (26 at Portland Jan. 29). One of Nowitzki’s team-high seven boards came on the offensive end. He is now tied with 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 game saw Atlanta start on a 10-0 run and lead the entire first half. The Mavericks continued to scratch and claw their way back into the game and even took their first lead of the game with just over 11 minutes to go in the game. With a chance to take the lead and less than a minute to go, O.J. Mayo raced down the floor in transition. As he was about to make his final approach to the rim, Devin Harris swatted the ball out of Mayo’s hands and caused a turnover. The Mavericks were still within 3 with less than 30 seconds to go and Mayo’s pass to a rolling Vince Carter went astray.
The Mavericks’ playoff chances took a major hit with the crippling loss to the Hawks. It also showed the late-game execution continues to haunt Dallas. According to TV play-by-play voice of the Mavericks Mark Followill, the loss to the Hawks dropped the Mavericks to 8-13 in games where the margin is within 3 points in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
Here are some notes before the quotes:
- Dirk went 3-of-4 from beyond the arc against Atlanta. His third trey of the game at the 6.4-second mark of the fourth quarter was the 1,300th triple of his career. He became the 29th player in NBA history with at least 1,300 triples (he’s shot 1,300-of-3,423, .380, from deep for his career).
- Brandan Wright 5-of-6 from the field and contributed 11 points off the bench. It was his 13th double-digit scoring game of the season.
- The Hawks outshot the Mavericks 50 percent (22-of-44) to 45.7 percent (21-of-46) from the field in the first half. Atlanta outscored Dallas 14-2 in transition and 28-18 in the paint in the first half. But the Mavericks outshot the Hawks 41.7 percent (5-of-12) to 16.7 percent (2-of-12) from beyond the arc before intermission and trailed by only one (49-48) at the break.
Here’s the quoteboard for Dallas’ loss to Atlanta.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on February 10, 2013 under Interviews |
The Dallas Mavericks hit the ground running and recorded a convincing 116-91 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Dallas took advantage of the fact that Golden State came in on the second night of a back-to-back and the fourth game in five nights. The Mavericks used an 11-0 run from the 5:32 mark of the first quarter through the 3:49 mark of the period to take a 20-10 lead. The Mavericks then led for the remainder of the contest. Darren Collison didn’t miss a shot in the first quarter. He went 4-for-4 from the field, 2-for-2 from beyond the arc and 3-for-3 from the line in the opening quarter. Collison led all players with 13 points in the first quarter. Collison finished with 18 points to go along with four rebounds and eight assists in 33 minutes.
Elton Brand posted his sixth double-double of the season (402nd career) with 11 points, a game-high-tying 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in 29 minutes off the bench against Golden State. It was his 10th double-digit rebounding effort of the season. Dallas improved to 7-3 when he pulls down 10-plus boards in a game.
The man of the night was Shawn Marion. The Matrix recorded his 12th double-double of the season (fourth in his last five games) with a season-high 26 points to go along with a game-high-tying 11 rebounds and two steals in 30 minutes against the Warriors. His previous high scoring game was 23 points, which he recorded at Oklahoma City on Feb. 4. Marion scored 20-plus points for the second time in his last three games (fourth time this season). It was his second 20-point, 10-rebound game of the year (195th career). He had 20 points and 10 boards at Orlando on Jan. 20. Prior to the game at Orlando, Marion hadn’t recorded a 20-point, 10-rebound game since Apr. 6, 2011 vs. Denver (21 points and 10 rebounds). Marion is averaging 18.8 points and 10.0 rebounds over his last five games.
Some notes before the quotes:
- With the first of two free throws at the 11:06 mark of the fourth quarter, Dirk Nowitzki passed Wilt Chamberlain (6,057) for 15th place on the NBA’s all-time free throws made list. It was the 6,058th free throw of Nowitzki’s career. He has shot 6,059-of-6,910 (.877) from the stripe for his career.
- Dallas topped 30 points in every quarter except for the second period (23 points).
- Dallas held Golden State to 36 points in the opening half (Dallas led 62-36 at the half), which marked a Mavericks’ opponent low for points in the first half this season (previous low: 39 in first half vs. Memphis Jan. 12).
- Dallas outscored Golden State 17-0 on the fast break in the first half and 29-8 in transition for the game.
Here is the quoteboard for the Dallas victory over Golden State.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on February 7, 2013 under Interviews |
The Dallas Mavericks started their do-or-die homestand with a solid 105-99 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. In his return to the team after sitting out one game due to illness, Vince Carter hit a 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left in the third quarter sparked an 18-4 run by the Mavericks that saw them turn a five-point deficit (82-77) into a nine-point advantage (95-86) with 4:41 to go in the game. He tallied 17 points in 25 minutes off the bench. Carter scored 17-plus points for the fifth time in his last eight games.
With the win, coach Rick Carlisle recorded his 500th career win against the Blazers on Wednesday. He improved to 500-353, .586, all-time in the regular season. He became the 28th coach in NBA history to reach the milestone. He is in his fifth season with Dallas and is now 219-142 (.607) all-time with the club. Carlisle, who recorded his 500th victory in his 853rd game, became the 11th-fastest coach in NBA history to reach 500 wins. He also became the 16th coach with 500 wins and an NBA title.
Quick notes before the quotes:
- Dallas handed Portland just its second loss of the season when leading after three (Portland moved to 17-2 when leading going into the fourth quarter). Dallas improved to 4-22 this season in games they trailed at the end of the third quarter.
- Dallas moved to 9-23 in games where they fell behind by at least 10 points.
- Dallas held Portland to 38 points in the second half after giving up 61 in the first half. They also held Damian Lillard to only four points in the second half after he went off for 15 points in the first half.
- The Mavericks outshot the Blazers 6-of-10 (.600) to 1-of-14 (.071) from beyond the arc in the second half. Portland shot 9-of-16 (.563) from deep in the first half, while Dallas went 4-of-10 (.400) from beyond the arc before intermission.
- O.J. Mayo totaled 20-plus points for the third time in his last four games (20th time this season). Dallas is now 13-7 this season when he scores at least 20 points. He led the Mavericks in scoring for the 23rd time this year.
- Shawn Marion recorded his 11th double-double of the season (415th career) and his third in his last four games with 13 points and a game-high-tying 10 rebounds in 31 minutes.
- Dirk is working on a beard (explanation is coming later). #GoatfaceDrillah
Here is the quoteboard for the Dallas victory over Portland.
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Tags: Dallas Mavericks, Damian Lillard, Darren Collison, Dirk Nowitzki, NBA, O.J Mayo, Portland Trail Blazers, Rick Carlisle, Shawn Marion, Terry Stotts, Vince Carter
Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on January 28, 2013 under Interviews |
The Dallas Mavericks did well on a momentous evening as they delivered a 110-95 beating to the Phoenix Suns. Shawn Marion appeared in his 1,000th career regular-season game against the Suns on Sunday. He became the 107th player in NBA history to reach the milestone. Marion played in 660 games with Phoenix from 1999-2008. Marion recorded a game-high-tying 18 points to go along with a game-high nine rebounds, five assists and one steal in 30 minutes against the team that brought him into the league.
With a jumper at the 5:38 mark of the third quarter, Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki passed Allen Iverson (24,368) for 18th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. The basket gave Nowitzki 13 points for the game (and 24,370 for his career). Next on the list for Dirk is Patrick Ewing. Ewing ranks 17thon the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 24,815 career points. Dirk tallied a game-high-tying 18 points to go along with seven rebounds in 30 minutes against Phoenix.
Elton Brand appeared in his 900th career regular-season game and recorded 12 points in 17 minutes off the bench. He scored in double figures for the sixth time in his last seven games (14thtime this season). Brand is averaging 12.1 points and 8.6 rebounds over his last seven games. Brand came off the bench because Bernard James made his first career start and managed two points and three rebounds in 11 minutes. The Mavericks used their 17th different starting lineup of the year in their 44th game of the season.
O.J. Mayo dished out a team-high six assists against Phoenix. His fourth assist of the game, at the 9:22 mark of the third quarter, was the 1,000th assist of his career. He finished the game with only eight points. Dallas now moves to 1-5 this season in games where he scored fewer than 10 points in a game.
Here is the quoteboard for the Dallas victory over Phoenix.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on January 26, 2013 under Interviews |
San Antonio hit the ground running and never looked back as they had a convincing 113-107 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. The Spurs are now on a seven-game winning streak. Spurs big man DeJuan Blair went 8-of-9 from the field in the opening half and led all scorers with 17 points in 11 first-half minutes. Blair finished with a season-high 22 points on the night. His previous high was 19 vs. Denver on Nov. 17, 2012. Tony Parker had a game-high 23 points and a game-high 10 assists.
Roddy Beaubois tallied a season-high 19 points to go along with three rebounds, two assists and a block in 16 minutes off the bench against the Spurs on Friday. His previous high was 11 points in season-opener at the L.A. Lakers Oct. 30. It was his highest scoring game since Mar. 13, 2012 vs. Washington (19 points). As ESPNDallas.com’s Tim MacMahon noted during the game, the 19 points Roddy had against the Spurs was more than he did during the month of December (15). Before the game against the Spurs, the last time Roddy was the outright leading scorer for Dallas was March 2, 2012 on the road against New Orleans. He had 25 in the loss to the Hornets.
Elton Brand started at center in place of Chris Kaman. It was his 14th start of the season, 844th career, but his first since Dec. 6, 2012 at Phoenix. It was also just his second start at the center position. The Mavericks used their 16th different starting lineup of the season in their 43rd game of the year. Brand totaled eight points to go along with a season-high-tying 13 rebounds in 25 minutes. He grabbed 13 boards for the second time in his last three games, 13 vs. Oklahoma City on Jan. 18. He also pulled down 10-plus boards for the third time in his last four games, seventh time this season. Brand failed to score in double figures for the first time in his last six games. He is averaging 12.2 points and 9.5 rebounds over the last six games.
Here is the quoteboard for the loss to the Spurs.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on January 19, 2013 under Interviews |
The Dallas Mavericks hit the halfway point of the season in a rough way as they moved to 1-8 in overtime games this season. Dallas suffered a 117-114 overtime loss to the Oklahoma City. The win gave the Thunder a league-best six-game winning streak. The loss put an end to the Mavericks’ season-best four-game winning streak. Kevin Durant scored a career-high 52 points, including nine points on 3-of-4 shooting, in the victory over the Mavericks.
Vince Carter tallied a team-high 29 points in 32 minutes. It was the most points he’s scored as a Maverick, previous high: 25 vs. New York Nov. 21, 2012. He led Dallas in scoring for the fifth time this season. It marked his fourth 20-point effort of the year. It was also his sixth game with at least four 3-pointers this season. Carter had only one game with four-plus triples last year.
Dirk Nowitzki started the game 1-of-11 from the field. He finished the game scoring 18 points on only 5-of-19 shooting from the floor. Darren Collison went 4-for-6 from the field before the break en route to 11 first-half points. He finished with 15 points to go along with four rebounds, six assists and three steals in 31 minutes. Collison scored in double figures for the 14th consecutive game. He once again sat on the bench during the final minutes of regulation and overtime in favor of Mike James.
With the Thunder up 116-114, Mike James had a mismatch with Kendrick Perkins and Dirk Nowitzki was being guarded by Russell Westbrook with less than 10 seconds to go in the game. James hoisted and missed a 26-foot jumper over an outstretched Perkins. That will be a play that will be dissected for the next day and a half.
Here is the quoteboard for overtime loss to the Thunder.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on January 17, 2013 under Interviews |
It’s not in the quad, but the Mavericks have gone streaking. Dallas used a 19-0 run in the first quarter en route to their 105-100 victory over the Houston Rockets. With the victory, the Mavericks recorded their ninth consecutive win against the Rockets. It’s Dallas’ longest active winning streak against any team. The Rockets have not defeated the Mavericks in the regular season since Dec. 31, 2009, defeated Dallas 97-94. The Mavericks scored 100-plus points for the fourth straight game. Dallas is averaging 109.8 points per game over its last four games.
According to Mavericks statistician Dave Keeney, the Mavericks won for only the fifth time since 1986 when shooting under 39 percent from the field but scoring at least 100 points. They had at least 33 free throws made in all five games. Dallas shot 38.4 percent from the field in the win. The 33 free throws made marked a new season-high for the Mavericks, previous high was 30 at Sacramento on Jan. 10.
Elton Brand recorded his fourth double-double of the season (400th career) with 11 points, a team-high 10 rebounds and a team-high two blocks in 27 minutes vs. Houston. He scored in double figures for the fifth time in his last seven games. Shawn Marion tallied 18 points to go along with nine rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes. He scored 18-plus points for the third time in his last four games.
O.J. Mayo recorded seven points, four rebounds, five assists and one steal in the first quarter. Mayo finished with 18 points, six rebounds, a game-high eight assists, two steals and a block in 33 minutes. He went 12-of-13 from the line, setting new career highs for free throws made and attempted. He recorded eight-plus assists for the second consecutive game, season-high 9 vs. Minnesota 1/14. Vintage Dirk Nowitzki also arrived as he scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter.
Here is the quoteboard for victory over the Rockets.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on January 15, 2013 under Interviews |
Don’t call it a comeback, but the Dallas Mavericks are bouncing back from rock bottom. They are now on a three-game winning streak after recording a 113-98 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Dallas began the game on a 22-11 run and never trailed at any point. With the victory over the Timberwolves, the Mavericks recorded their third consecutive win, which ties their season-best win-streak. They also won 3 straight: Nov. 3 vs. Charlotte through Nov. 7 vs. Toronto, and Dec. 6 at Phoenix to Dec. 10 vs. Sacramento.
Darren Collison tallied a game-high 23 points to go along with nine assists and three steals in 36 minutes against the Timberwolves. It was his fifth 20-point effort of the season. He led Dallas in scoring for the eighth time this year, includes ties. Collison has now scored in double figures in each of his last 12 games. O.J. Mayo recorded 20 points to go along with seven rebounds, a season-high nine assists and two steals in 38 minutes. It was his 17th20-point effort of the season. He was efficiency personified as he shot a season-high 72.7 percent (8-of-11) from the floor. Elton Brand turned back the clock as he tallied a season-high 20 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes against Minnesota, previous high: 17 points on two occasions. Brand led all players with 14 points in 14 first-half minutes. He missed his first shot of the game and then made 10 of his next 12.
Collision (23), Mayo (20) and Brand (20) all scored 20-plus points for Dallas in the win. It marked the first time this season that the Mavericks had three players with 20-plus points in a game. The last time Dallas had three players score at least 20 and Dirk Nowitzki wasn’t one of the player was Jan. 30, 2012 vs Phoenix (Vince Carter 21, Shawn Marion 20 and Delonte West 25). Dirk had 10 in that game. Dirk finished the game against Minnesota with 10 points.
Dallas was sharing the wealth as they handed out a season-high 33 assists against Minnesota. It marked the second time this season that the Mavericks have recorded 30-plus assists in a game, 31 vs. Charlotte 11/3.
Here is the quoteboard for the victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on January 13, 2013 under Interviews |
Don’t look now, but the Dallas Mavericks are on a winning streak. They defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in convincing fashion, 104-83. The Mavericks have now won consecutive games for the first time since they won three in row from Dec. 6 through Dec. 10. Dallas used a 34-13 outburst from the 5:04 mark of the first quarter through the 6:14 mark of the second period to turn a three-point deficit, 14-11, into an 18-point advantage, 45-27. The Mavericks defeated the Grizzlies by 21 points on Saturday. It was the Grizzlies’ second-largest margin of defeat this season, lost by 25, 121-96, at Houston Dec. 22. Dallas scored 104 points in the win over Memphis on Saturday. It marked just the third time this season that Memphis has allowed 100-plus points in a game.
Shawn Marion scored a season-high 20 points to go along with four rebounds in 26 minutes vs. Memphis. He put up a season-high point total for the second consecutive game, 19 at Sacramento. Prior to the game at Sacramento on Jan. 10, the most he had scored in a game this season was 18 at Chicago on Nov. 28.
Dallas tied a season-low with nine turnovers against the Grizzlies (9 on three other occasions). The Mavericks have recorded 13-or-fewer turnovers in eight of their last 10 games. The Mavericks outscored the Grizzlies 54-39 in the opening half. The 39 points were the fewest Dallas has allowed in the first half of a game this season, previous low was 40 on two occasions: at Memphis Dec. 21 and vs. New Orleans Jan. 5. Memphis managed 40 first-half points in the meeting with Dallas earlier this season, Dec. 21.
Here is the quoteboard for the impressive victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
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Posted by Bryan Gutierrez on January 6, 2013 under Interviews |
The Dallas Mavericks continue to struggle when it comes to overtime. The Mavericks suffered a 99-96 overtime loss to the New Orleans Hornets. New Orleans used a 30-13 run from the 5:14 mark of the third quarter through the 7:12 mark of the fourth period to turn an 11-point deficit, 60-49, into a six-point advantage, 79-73. With the overtime loss, Dallas tied an NBA record with their 10th consecutive overtime loss, joining Atlanta, Golden State and Minnesota in that dubious club. Dallas dropped to 0-7 in overtime games this season. The franchise record for the most overtime games in a season is eight (which occurred in three different seasons). Dallas went 4-4 in overtime games in 1995-96, 4-4 in overtime games in 1997-98 and 5-3 in overtime games in 2009-10.
The Mavericks are 12-3 this season when they lead going into the fourth quarter. They are now 8-1 at home when leading going into the fourth. All three of the Mavericks’ losses in such games have come in overtime (at Charlotte Nov. 10, 2012; at Oklahoma City Dec. 27, 2012; versus New Orleans Jan. 6, 2013). The Mavericks are also 12-5 this season when they build at least a 10-point lead. All five of the Mavericks’ losses in such games have been decided in overtime (led by 15 at Charlotte on Nov. 10, 2012 but lost 101-97; led by 13 at Minnesota on Dec. 15, 2012 but lost 114-106; led by 11 at Oklahoma City on Dec. 27, 2012 but lost 111-105; led by 10 at Miami on Jan, 2, 2013 but lost 119-109; led by 11 versus New Orleans on Jan. 6, 2013 but lost 99-96).
Dirk Nowitzki made his first start of the season (1,031st career) against the Hornets on Saturday. The Mavericks used their 15th different starting lineup in their 34thgame of the season. Nowitzki played in his seventh game of the year and tallied a season-best 20 points to go along with a season-high-tying six boards in a season-high 34 minutes. His previous high scoring game this season was 19 points, which he recorded in Dallas’ previous game at Miami. He went 2-of-3 from beyond the arc against New Orleans and is now tied with Mookie Blaylock for 30th place on the NBA’s all-time 3-point field goals made list with 1,283 career treys. Nowitzki is averaging 16.7 points per game on 50 percent shooting over his last three games. He is averaging 26.7 minutes per game over his last three contests.
Here is the quoteboard for the overtime loss to the New Orleans Hornets
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