Nerve-racking. Nail-biting. Down to the final minutes.
These are all descriptions you would not expect to read about a game between the now 45-21 Dallas Mavericks and the now 7-57 New Jersey Nets. On paper, the matchup should have been a sleeper of a game, but the 96-87 Maverick win was anything but that.
The Nets sent their message right from the tipoff: A bad record doesn’t automatically equate to a bad team. Just to make sure the Mavericks got the idea, the Nets executed am 11-0 run right out of the gate.
Much of that offense came from former Maverick Devin Harris, whose shots met the basket for 11 points in the first quarter. Brook Lopez, who averages 19 points, nine rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game, had 10 points through one quarter. The Nets shot 65 percent in the first quarter compared to the Mavs’ 37 percent. No surprise, yet a big surprise that the Nets ended the first up 33-19.
Despite allowing the Nets to score just 14 points in the second quarter, the Mavs weren’t able to pull away, scoring just 20 points for themselves as the lead ballooned to 18. Rodrique Beaubois led the offense with 11 points off the bench in the first half, helping the Mavs’ pear down the deficit to a more manageable eight points at the half at 47-39. Beaubois had a driving layup, a crucial 3-point play and an assist on a Shawn Marion dunk in the second quarter. A minute and a half before Beaubois’ 3-point play, Dirk Nowitzki missed the free throw to complete his own 3-point play.
The Mavericks dealt with a rare off night from Nowitzki. He went 2 of 9 shooting in the first half and 3 of 16 for the game, finishing with 12 points.
Nowitzki did assist the Mavericks in erasing their 8-point halftime deficit with a bucket and free throws. For the most part though, veterans Jason Kidd and Caron Butler took over in the second half. With 7:26 left in the third and the score knotted at 51, a mini victory in itself, Devin Harris hit from long range. All Kidd could do was answer to tie the game at 54 and send the Mavs’ into an 8-0 run that would include another Kidd 3 and put them up 59-54. Kidd found the basket on five 3-pointers for the game and had a team-high 20 points.
The Nets were baffled when their offensive leader, Devin Harris, who bucketed 21, had to leave the game because of foul problems. With Harris sitting, the Mavs’ opened up an 81-69 lead. But the lead dwindled as the Nets stayed with the Mavs’ and even put together an 11-0 run to get within 1 point at 81-80.
Having hit his stride offensively in the past three games, Butler finished with 18 points for the game, including a number of important buckets in the final quarter. Butler stopped the Nets’ run and scored baskets to put the Mavs up 87-83 and 92-85.
Brendan Haywood fashioned a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds, mostly after halftime. Haywood missed the previous two games with back stiffness. Erick Dampier also played for the first time since suffering an open dislocation to his right middle finger February. 16th. J.J Barea sat out the game with a sprained ankle.
Fourteen points and 13 rebounds also gave Marion a double-double.
The Mavs’ 13-game winning streak ties the Cleveland Cavilers for the longest in the NBA this season.
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