Remember when the Dallas Mavericks started their game against the Portland Trail Blazers shooting 11-11? And then they lost their touch a little and eventually lost the game? Well the beginning of the Mavs/Warriors game looked similar, except the team with the hot hand was Golden State. The Warriors shot 15-of-19 from the floor in the first quarter, while the Mavs made10-of-24. It wasn’t pretty to watch such a complete lack of defense from the Mavericks, who, at the beginning of the season, prided themselves on their aggressive D.
The second quarter wasn’t all that much better. Dallas was down by as many as 18 but managed to finish the first half down just six. They went on a 13-0 run that brought them to within four, but a pair of free throws from Monta Ellis ended the streak just before the quarter came to a close.
After what I can only imagine was a very come-to-Jesus-type halftime, the Mavericks came out with a renewed aggressiveness on the defensive end. This resulted in more fouls, but they effectively shut down the Warrior’s scorers and closed the gap. With four minutes left in the third quarter, Tyson Chandler hit a dunk, and then Dirk made a pretty jumper (what else is new) to bring the game to a tie, 69-all.
With 3:12 left in the third, Dirk got to the line and hit his 49th straight free throw to give the Mavericks their first lead of the game. Their improved defense would continue, as would their decent shooting, and the quarter came to a close with both teams at 81 points.
Midway through the final period, the Warriors had a few three-pointers go in and stretched the lead back up, but Jason Terry was able to stop the bleed with some points in the paint, and Beaubois hit a pair of free throws to bring the game within reach again. The eighth three-pointer of the night for Dallas, and one that would tie things up again, would come from Jason Kidd, who hadn’t scored since the 8:29 mark of the 3rd quarter of the Lakers game. With just under four minutes left in the final period, the Mavericks hit the century mark with a four-point lead.
After Dirk hit a pair of free throws, we saw a 15-0 Dallas run and four minutes without a bucket for the Warriors. And after that, the Mavericks never really looked back. Dirk finished the game with a most-Dirkulous stat line: 34 points, 13 rebounds (six offensive) and a perfect 12-12 from the line. Rodrigue Beaubois (37 minutes???) scored 18 points (not 40, but we’ll take it), grabbed four steals and dished out four assists. Jason Kidd had another double-figure assist night with 11, and Chandler put up 13 points and eight rebounds, and didn’t foul out!
Of Note:
- Dirk Nowitzki (13), Jason Terry (10) and Shawn Marion (12) all scored in double figures in the first half. Beaubois was close with 9. He got to 11 on the first two points of the second half.
- The Mavericks had yet another game with five players (Nowitzki, Terry, Marion, Beaubois and Chandler) scoring 10+ points.
- Corey Brewer got the start but played 3 minutes in the first quarter and then got benched.
- GSW had six steals in the first half, and finished the game with 12. The Mavericks had just six steals total.
- Jason Terry was on the floor to start the second half- not a common occurrence- as part of the three-guard lineup (with Kidd and Beaubois).
- The last time Dirk registered three consecutive double/doubles was in December, 2008. Thanks to our own BG for finding that nugget.
- The Mavericks shot 56% and out-rebounded the Warriors 14-7 in the third quarter.
- Dirk Nowitzki has now made 53 consecutive free throws. Take THAT wit’ ‘chu.