Dirk Nowitzki went 10-of-12 from the field en route to a game-high 29 points on Friday as the Mavericks extended their winning streak to eight games with a 116-108 victory over the Indiana Pacers. The Mavericks improved to 34-2 when they score 100-plus points in a game. Jason Terry added 21 points in the victory for the Mavericks and Dallas moved to 14-2 when Terry records at least 20 points in a game. Nowitzki and Terry combined for 13 of the Mavericks' 26 points in the final quarter. With the win, the Mavericks recorded their eighth straight win (longest active win streak in the NBA), and have now won 18 of their last 19 games (including 19 of their last 21). Their average margin of victory during the eight-game win streak is 10.6. The home cooking continues to work its magic as Dallas has now won 9 consecutive games at American Airlines Center. It’s their longest home winning streak of the season (January 19-present).
The Mavericks were able to create a lead as high as 14 points in the third quarter but they could not put away the Pacers. Indiana pulled with three points with 3:24 left in the game, but Jason Terry came to the rescue for the Mavericks. He hit back-to-back jumpers, the second with just under two-and-a-half minutes left in the game, and that was the difference in the game.
Dallas has now won 10 of the last 12 meetings with Indiana. In addition, the Mavericks have won seven in a row at home against the Pacers. Indiana has lost eight in a row on the road versus West Conference opponents. Dallas was able to avenge the 102-89 defeat in Indiana on January 12. Indiana's last season sweep of Dallas was in 2003-04.
Did THAT Just Happen?!
- With Tyson Chandler missing the game due to a sprained right ankle, Brendan Haywood moved into the starting lineup (his fourth start of the season). It was the sixteenth different starting lineup the Mavericks have used during the season and they moved to 2-2 when Haywood is in the starting lineup. He recorded 10 points and five boards. It was the fifth time he’s scored in double figures this season (5-0 record). He’s in the midst of a nice stretch as he's been averaging 8.7 points and 6.2 rebounds since February 16.
- Roddy Beaubois was incredibly active early in the game as he drove inside the lane at will. The guard recorded 11 first-quarter points on 5-of-10 shooting. He finished with 13 points in the game in just under 15 minutes of action. Some have been disappointed with the amount of minutes Beaubois has received as of late. MMB will break down the situation over the weekend.
- Forward Corey Brewer made his debut for Dallas against Indiana. He entered the game in the second quarter and went scoreless in five minutes of action. The five minutes equaled the five fouls he had in the game. The former Florida Gator brought solid energy, but it appeared that he was moving a little too quickly as Friday was his first real game action since the All-Star Break.
- All 12 Mavericks players in uniform saw action in the first half of the game. The reasoning was due to a mix of foul trouble and searching for the right combination that could slow down the Pacers' scoring attack. Corey Brewer and Brian Cardinal were the only two members of the Mavericks that did not see at least 10 minutes of action. It will be interesting to see how far the Mavericks can take their extended rotation.
Box Score Revelations
- The Mavericks offense continues to click on all cylinders as they scored 116. The 68 first-half points marked the most points the Mavericks have scored in any half this season (previous 64 points on two occasions). Dallas held a 35-33 advantage after one. The 35 first-quarter points also represented a season-high (previous-high 34 on three occasions). Dallas shot 51.9% from the field against Indiana. The Mavericks are 20-3 when they shoot at least 50 percent from the field this season.
- The Mavericks dished out 28 assists on 41 made field goals. The ball movement and player movement was in solid form against the Pacers. Dallas was averaging 28.3 assists per game over the last seven contests.
- Without Tyson Chandler in the lineup, the Mavericks out-rebounded the Pacers 41-31. All 12 Mavericks collected at least one rebound and Shawn Marion had a team-high seven rebounds. If all five players are attacking the glass, that can only lead to good results for the Mavericks.
- Jason Kidd recorded 15 points in a very efficient manner. He went 3-4 from three-point range and 6-6 from the free throw. He also collected six rebounds, five assists and one steal vs. Indiana. He is now tied with Gary Payton (2,445) for third place on the all-time steals list behind Michael Jordan (2,514) and John Stockton (3,265).
- Shawn Marion finished the game with seven points and seven rebounds, but he chipped in with four of the team's nine steals. He had back-to-back steals in the last three minutes of the game that helped contain the Pacers. The four steals tied a season-high in that department (four against New Jersey on December 9, 2010).
Tweetings From the Mavs Universe
- "Now Hansbrough is big ballin'. Welcome to ACC White Boy Night at the American Airlines Center."
@rhylan_rowe
- "Looks like Dirk is shooting the ball into the ocean with his feet getting soaked by the tide! Dirty came to play!"
@jaymartin13
- "Brendan Haywood is playing with energy. Has six points, including a couple dunk putbacks, and is battling Lake Roy Hibbert."
@espn_macmahon
- "Did Kidd just stop and pass when he had a WIDE open lane for the easiest layup of all time? Tell me I'm seeing things"
@kenny_817
If You Don't Like What I Said, Read What They Said
- Rick Carlisle's opinion of the victory, "We tightened the screws when we needed it most. We certainly could have played better defense in the previous 45 minutes. But Indiana is an aggressive team and they take it at you and they are playing good basketball right now. I like the way we finished the game"
- Jason Terry on the fourth quarter heroics he has with Dirk Nowitzki, "In the fourth quarter, Coach looks for myself and Dirk. We do a good job playing off each other."
- Jason Terry on chasing the Sixth Man of the Year Award, "That means a lot to me. It’s something I put out in all my summer workouts. It’s something I’ve been focused on ever since I won it my first year (as a reserve). Last year, I finished second and that wasn’t good enough for me. It’s still on my mind."
- Rick Carlisle on Corey Brewer's debut, "I think he had good energy. "I think he had good energy. The one thing about him, when he goes in the game you know he is in there, particularly on the defensive end. This was his first game, he just got off the plane yesterday, so you know, he is playing his butt off out there. (He was) aggressive, probably a little over aggressive, but he is unlike any guy we have and that is why I like him and why I think he will help us.
- Corey Brewer on his night, "I’ve got to stop fouling. But I haven’t played basketball in what feels like a long time. It was just good to get back out there...It can only get better"
- Dirk Nowitzki on if this is the deepest team he's ever been on, "Yeah I think so, we’re definitely deep and we can play many types of styles. We’ve got length; we can go small so we’ve got a lot of options out there. I think (Corey) Brewer is going to fit in nicely and we just got to get Tyson (Chandler) healthy and our defense has been slacking the last couple of weeks. We gave up almost 40 points tonight in the first quarter so we’ve got to look and that but we’ve got to be happy about how efficiently we scored the ball, how we’ve moved the ball and I think we’ve averaged almost 30 assists a game the last couple of weeks so we’ve got the keep that going."
BG's Baller of the Game:
Baller status has been granted to Dirk Nowitzki. Robo-Nowitzki went 10-12 from the field and scored a game-high 29 points on Friday. It marked the fifth time this season he’s shot at least 80 percent from the floor (minimum 10 field goal attempts). He’s now had 11 games in his career in which he’s shot at least 80 percent from the field. With the overall depth of the team, Nowitzki does not have to carry the load on a nightly basis. If the team can continue to hold up their end of the bargain, a fresh Dirk Nowitzki should return the favor in the playoffs.
The Mavericks will hit the film room on Saturday as they start prepping for a tough stretch of four games in five nights, starting with the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night. The Mavericks are 50-12 all-time against the Grizzlies, but just 4-5 in their last nine meetings with Memphis. The Grizzlies look to take the season series 3-1 with a victory in Dallas on Sunday. The Mavericks won the season series 3-1 in 2009-10. Dallas recorded a season-low 70 points in the 89-70 loss to Memphis on January 15. That game was Nowitzki's first game back from injury, after he missed nine games with a sprained right knee. He was ejected at the 8:08 mark of the third quarter after picking up two technical fouls. Nowitzki recorded seven points and five rebounds before his early exit. The overall depth of the team should come in handy over the tough stretch the Mavericks will endure over the next week.
Twitter? I don't even know her! Oh......
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