Without Dirk, Mavs Pull It Out: Mavericks 103 Thunder 93

The Mavericks were shorthanded two times over Monday night at Oklahoma City.

First, they were without head coach Rick Carlisle, who had knee surgery over the Mavericks 5-day break, but the tem unexpectedly lost Dirk Nowitzki after a collision resulted in what is being termed a “sore knee” at the 9:10 mark of the second quarter. It looked like more than that to me because he could barely stand at the line long enough to make his free throw attempt. Carlisle is expected back with the team tomorrow, and at this point, Nowitzki’s status is pending the results of an MRI in the morning.

Despite his propensity for ankle injuries, Nowitzki is recognized on the list of NBA players who have missed the fewest games due to injury. He knows how to play through pain, so it remains possible that he could play Tuesday night.

Without Nowitzki, Caron Butler, Shawn Marion and Jason Kidd certainly made the task easier for assistant coach Dwane Casey, who filled in for Carlisle. Butler led the team with 21 points in 38:46 minutes. Marion had 20, all but two of which occurred after Nowitzki left the floor. Kidd finished with a double-double of 10 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.

The Mavs fired 11 3-pointers through the net, including at least five in a 34-point first quarter. The Mavs were outscored in the second and third quarters, but doubled up the Thunder 24-12 in the fourth to cement a 103-93 victory. Jason Terry once again continued his recent fourth-quarter pattern, scoring 11 of this 13 points during that frame.

Note: The NBA’s leading scorer, Kevin Durant, scored his average of 28 points Monday.