Tuesday Roundup

Dirk Nowitzki scores 37 as Mavericks rebound with a 'fastball' | DMN
Mostly, they did it with defense. Boston shot 7-of-19 in the third quarter (37 percent) and the Mavericks outrebounded the Celtics 13-3 in the period. But then, there weren't many rebounds to be had for Boston. The Mavericks were 16-of-20 in the third quarter. "The defense really keyed everything," Carlisle said. "At halftime, we just said, 'Let's hang around and fight and give ourselves a chance.' We probably played the best we have played during a half defensively and offensively."

Behind the Box Score, where Memphis is flyin' high! | Kelly Dwyer - Ball Don't Lie
Equal parts C+ effort for Boston in this loss. The team's individual defense was pretty lousy, Dirk Nowitzki(notes) went off on both Glen Davis(notes) and Brian Scalabrine(notes), and I wasn't that enthused with the way Rasheed Wallace(notes) played him. The C's seemed flustered by a second or third pass, which led to all sorts of nice makes from Maverick scorers down the stretch; and that seems about right, because Boston eschewed the idea of a second or third pass on its own offensive end in the second half.

Mavs' star trio AWOL in first half but returns strong | DMN
Terry didn't play in the third quarter. But after going 0-for-6 in the first half, he hit three baskets that coach Rick Carlisle called as big as any in the game. "The key is to keep battling," Terry said. "Josh did a great job on Ray Allen in the second half. And sometimes you have to impact the game other ways [besides scoring]."

Nowitzki likes playing the Celtics | ESPN Dallas
According to the Elias Stats Bureau, Nowitzki has averaged 27.4 points per game against Boston, as well as 9.1 rebounds per game, during his career. The only other active player who is averaging at least 27 points and nine rebounds against any NBA team, with a minimum 10 games played, is LeBron James vs. Portland (28.4 and 9.3).

Mavs 99, Celtics 90: A Victory As Viewed Through Deodorant Commercials | DB.com
The funny thing was, the Celtics actually praised themselves for �holding�� Dirk to 15 in the first half. "He had 15 points in the first half, but they were a tough 15 points," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. Yeah, and then in the second half he had 22 more. And they were an easy 22 points. And 15+22=37.

Mavs should shop Howard | Tim MacMahon - ESPN Dallas
So far this season, they've been marginally better with Howard than without him. They must determine Howard’s trade value and pull the trigger if there’s a way to upgrade the core. Mark Cuban likes to say the Mavs will always be opportunistic in the trade market. It's time to be aggressive.

Mavs no longer among NBA elite in sales, retention | DMN
The Sports Business Journal reported the NBA handed out sales awards during its annual marketing meetings held recently in Brooklyn, N.Y., to eight teams having full-season-ticket sales of at least 10,000. New to the list this year are the Cavaliers, Knicks and Magic. Dropping off the list are the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Hornets, Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors.