LJRotter is back with another recap:

The Dallas Mavericks arrived in Charlotte a little before 4:00am, just after a win at home against the Hornets. Their game yesterday started strong, but they let the score get close in the third, ending any chances of giving the starters a rest before the back-to-back. The win gave them their 7^th straight victory, but may have taken too much out of them. The Mavericks are the only team the Bobcats haven’t beaten. Will tonight be their night? 

Game as a Whole:

As luck would have it, no, tonight was not the Bobcats’ night. They led for the majority of the game, but thanks to a poor shooting quarter in the 4^th from Charlotte, the Mavericks were able to capitalize and pull ahead for good. Jason Terry didn’t have a great night to start, but he turned on the jets (pardon the pun) in the 4^th to help Dirk elevate the team for the win. Dirk had his first double/double since January 13^th (27 points/13 rebs) and was helped in the point category by Terry (with 20) and Butler (22). Haywood and Kidd both had a bit of foul trouble (both with 4), and Haywood’s time on the bench further reminded us how much we’re missing Dampier right now. The game was pretty uneventful, but it goes in the win column so the Dallas streak is extended to eight in a row. 

Let’s look at the quarters… 

1st Quarter:

• Mavs win the tip, Marion misses his first shot. Bobcats miss their first as well, but Wallace gets fouled. He misses the first free throw, makes the second.
• 11:04, HUGE rotation failure on defense gives Wallace all day to make a three.
• Dallas’ first points come from a pair of free throws by Haywood.
• Kidd misses a three, Stephen Jackson makes a long two on the other end.
• 9:49, Marion makes one of his weird shots for the Mavs’ first basket.
• Defense will need to step up on Jackson, because he’s shooting well.
• 8:31, Caron Butler hits a midrange jumper. The Mavericks look as though their 4am arrival is affecting their energy.
• 7:44, Raymond Felton recovers a steal for the Bobcats and takes it down the open floor. The Mavericks look extra sluggish.
• Kidd misses ANOTHER three. Maybe try another method for now.
• 6:57, Butler drives to the basket and gets fouled for the and-one. He makes the extra point.
• 6:00, Jason Terry comes in and scores a pair for Dallas.
• Stephen Jackson is 4-5 already.
• 5:14, Dirk Nowitzki takes and makes his first shot, and gets a foul in the process. He makes the extra point for the three point play.
• Marion and Haywood both miss in close.
• 4:03, Terry makes a much-needed three from his favorite spot on the baseline.
• Mavericks are having a hard time putting the ball in the basket. Kinda defeats the purpose of the game, doesn’t it?
• 1:34, Dirk gets his defender to bite on a shot fake, and makes the basket.
• 1:02, Dirk gets double-teamed and fouled, and the Charlotte announcers refer to it as ‘hack-a-Dirk’. Doesn’t have the same ring.
• :10.9, Butler drives to the basket and makes it with the foul. He gets the extra point to go for the three point play, bringing the Mavs within 4. 

2nd Quarter:

• Barea starts the second quarter for Kidd. The announcers from Charlotte seem to think it’s pronounced to rhyme with diarrhea.
• 11:23, Dirk makes a beautiful long jumper, impossible to defend.
• 10:43, Butler seems to be willing this team back into it. He makes a nice shot to stay within 2.
• 9:31, Terry ties the score with a short runner in the lane.
• Several players end up on the floor hustling for the ball, and it results in a Dallas steal ending with a Barea score.
• 7:28, Butler gets some wide open space to take a nice jump shot, putting the Mavs up by three. He then commits a foul on the other end.
• 6:38, Refs are unable to determine who last touched the ball, so they call a jump ball between Butler and Jackson. Jackson wins the tip.
• 5:22, Haywood tries to get a foul but just goes ahead and makes the basket in close.
• 4:24, Kidd finally makes a three. Maybe he’ll go on a run again.
• 3:54, Terry makes a slick pass to Dirk, who rattles it in.
• Dirk looks tired as his jumper falls short.
• With less that a minute to go, Graham makes a three, extending the Bobcats lead to 12. Not a great way to go into the locker room.
• :04.3 Dirk decides to do something about it and puts in a fadeaway. 

3rd Quarter:

• 11:27, Dirk starts the quarter off right for the Mavericks.
• Neither Kidd nor Marion can get the same easy shot to fall.
• 9:31, Dirk puts a sweet little jumper in, nothing but net.
• 8:37, Caron Butler makes a long jump shot. Maybe some drives into the lane might be a good idea…
• 7:44, Apparently Dirk has decided he wants to win this game.
• 7:03, Thanks to a great offensive rebound from Haywood, Caron is able to make a second chance basket after Dirk misses.
• 6:25, Somehow Dirk was left open, so of course, he makes his shot. Dallas within 5.
• 5:46, Butler shows some excellent movement with the ball and shoots over Jackson.
• 4:43, Haywood with a monster dunk, thanks to the dish from Dirk.
• 4:09, Same play results in a foul for Haywood. Jackson picks up his 3^rd foul, and Haywood picks up one of two. Four point game.
• 2:00, At the two-minute warning, Dirk dumps an easy one in. Mavs down 2.
• Haywood goes out with 4 fouls
• :55.2, Butler ties the game with a jumper.
• Dallas goes into the final quarter down by two.  

4th Quarter:

• 10:44,DJ Augustin charges right into Barea for the offensive foul.
• First three shots to start the quarter have all been misses for the Mavericks, turnovers for the Bobcats. Score hasn’t changed.
• Make that four with a miss from Dirk, followed by a travel for Charlotte.
• 9:34, Butler gets the first score after losing his defender.
• 8:28, Terry finally makes one. He’s been cold.
• 7:42, Terry misses again, but gets the first team foul for the Bobcats from Felton. He makes both free throws. Mavericks still down 2.
• 7:26, Fast break play caused by a steal from Terry leads to a Marion dunk.
• 6:50, Apparently Terry is feeling inspired. He takes a quick shot for the Dallas lead. Could this be the turning point?
• 6:14, Could be! Terry scores again!
• 5:34, Dirk gives Dallas their biggest lead of the night with his signature shot.
• Bobcats are 6 of 23 in the 4^th.
• 4:45, Suddenly Jason Terry is on fire. He nails a three to put the Mavericks up by 8.
• 4:02, Off balance, on one foot, Dirk puts it in. Awesome.
• 1:15, Terry makes a nice little move to the basket.
• Kidd fouled after a Bobcat miss, but he misses both free throws, keeping it a two possession game.
• :08.8, Dirk fouled on the inbounds. If he makes these, he can ice the game. He does, and that’s it for the Bobcats. 

Some Choice Statistics:

• Tonight’s win over the Bobcats was the 12^th in a row for Dallas. In fact, Dallas is the only NBA team that Charlotte has yet to beat. 
• The longest win streak in Mavericks history is 17 wins, during the 06-07 season. That makes 8 games seem kind of weak, doesn’t it? 

Final Thoughts:

Over the past few games, we have seen streaks of excellent basketball from the Mavericks. Tonight’s game lacked that luster, but added to the stat for wins by 5 points or fewer. Speaking as a fan, I ask that the Mavericks try to aim for some more convincing wins to close out the season.