Thursday Morning Roundup

Behind the Box Score, where we like Orlando when it's angry | Kelly Dwyer - Ball Don't Lie
The Mavericks overcame another rough night from behind the arc - Jason Kidd(notes) and Jose Juan Barea(notes) combine to miss 10 of 11 from long range - and pull out yet another close win. A competitive game throughout, but Dallas has enjoyed a throwback couple of days from Shawn Marion(notes), and Dirk Nowitzki(notes) kept it up with 28 points on 19 shots.

Dallas Mavericks block Wizards' upset bid, 94-93 | DMN
"After the big win in Boston, we didn't want to give one away," said Jason Kidd, who had his second consecutive monster game. "We kind of backed up that win and validated it. "And to win it on a defensive possession – in the past, you wouldn't say that about the Mavericks. Shawn made a great play."

Marion is clearly Mavericks' top defender | Eddie Sefko - DMN
"It's hard guarding anybody who gets a lot of shots," Marion said. "But, sometimes you can put pressure on them and get a hand in their face. If you take away a few easy buckets and they hit 10 or 15 jumpers on you, more power to them. But if you take away one or two things, they have a hard time." That's exactly what Marion has given opponents this season – a hard time.

Forget Gortat, Marion the real deal | Jeff Caplan - ESPNDallas
Marion's fingerprints were all over this one. He had 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting and 12 rebounds, four on the offensive glass. Mavs fans were disappointed when the Orlando Magic matched the Mavs' free-agent offer for center Marcin Gortat, but in retrospect, Erick Dampier has given Dallas good minutes this season and the trade with Toronto Raptors for Marion has been the real deal.

What We Learned From Mavs 94, Wizards 93? Jason Terry Should Be The Starting 2-Guard | DB.com
The Mavs need to permanently take Jason Terry out of that sixth-man slot and make him a starter at the 2-guard. That switch would put Jet in games right from the outset alongside Kidd, in a very natural role. Kidd would be in place with his size to help defend the big SG's, and it would inject Jet's scoring spark into a starting lineup which too often has struggled to find the hoop in the first quarter, with Kidd there to feed him when he's open.

Where It's At: Defensive identity needs offense | Jeff Wade - ESPNDallas
It's team defense. It's getting back in transition. (Did The Wiz really officially have zero fast-break points Wednesday night?) It's taking the right angles when you help, it's getting back in time when you recover. It's huge. Championship aspirations aren't realistic unless a team can dig in and play some serious defense. Especially this team. Truth be told, this team absolutely has to play defense because it just flat out doesn't have enough offense.

Rasheed Wallace fined for comments about officials of Mavs-Celtics game | DMN
Boston's Rasheed Wallace was fined $35,000 Wednesday for critical comments about the officiating after the Mavericks' 99-90 win Monday, statements that also threatened retribution against Dirk Nowitzki.