Dallas at Seattle (February 12) Behind the sharp-shooting Steve Nash, Dallas shot out to a 16-6 lead with 8 minutes left. Dallas could not build their lead larger than 10 points as Seattle was shooting well too and Dallas held a single-digit lead the rest of the quarter. Tim Hardaway hit a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left and Dallas led 39-35 after 1. Dallas shot 16-22 FG (including 6-8 3-pointers) and Seattle shot 15-23 FG. Nash had 15 points including 5-5 FG and 4-4 3-pointers (all in the first 6 minutes of the game), Vin Baker had 12 points, and Desmond Mason had 10 points. Both team's shooting dipped down slightly in the 2nd quarter. Dallas led 52-53 with 6 minutes remaining and Seattle went on a 17-4 run to go up 60-56 with 1:40 to go. Hardaway hit another 3-pointer with 30 seconds left and Seattle led 63-61 at the half. Seattle led 71-66 with 9 minutes remaining and Dallas scored the next 14 points to go up 80-71 with 5:20 left as Seattle missed 7 straight shots. Dallas again could not push their lead past 10 points as Seattle scored the next 6 points. Dallas led 86-84 after 3. The game stayed close in the 4th quarter. Gary Payton hit a jumper and Rashard Lewis hit a 3-pointer and Seattle led 93-92 with 7:45 remaining. The teams traded leads and Dirk Nowitzki hit a 3-pointer and Michael Finley hit 2 free throws to give Dallas a 102-98 lead with 2:50 to go. Lewis hit a jumper, Nowitzki missed a jumper, but Eduardo Najera got the key offensive rebound and made the layup with 2 minutes left. Mason made a layup and Juwan Howard hit a short baseliner to give Dallas a 106-102 lead with 1:25 remaining. Mason missed, Finley missed, but Howard got the offensive rebound and hit a hook with 47 seconds left. Nash hit 4 free throws down the stretch to clinch the win. Dallas won 112-106. This was a very good, entertaining game. Both teams shot well (Dallas 52.4% FG, Seattle 49.4% FG) and the largest lead by either team was just 10 points. The 2 offensive rebounds by Eduardo Najera and Juwan Howard in the last 2 minutes of the game made the difference. Steve Nash had a huge game with 400 fans in attendance - he now sponsors a youth league in British Columbia (the league the Vancouver Grizzlies abandoned when they moved) and all 400 kids in the league were bused down for this game. Nash had 28 points on 9-15 FG, 5-9 3-pointers, and 5-5 FT and 8 assists. Howard continued his string of strong games with 21 points including 9-11 FG and 9 rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki also had 21 points and 9 rebounds. Michael Finley had 16 points and 7 assists. Tim Hardaway was the 5th Mav in double-digits with 10 points including 2-7 3-pointers. Najera had 6 points and 7 rebounds including 4 offensive. Seattle was led by Rashard Lewis' 25 points including 4-8 3-pointers. He also had 7 rebounds and 5 steals. Brent Barry had 20 points including 4-6 3-pointers. Vin Baker had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds including 6 offensive (Seattle only had 9 offensive boards). Gary Payton also had a double-double with 17 points including 8-20 FG, 5 rebounds, and 10 assists. Desmond Mason had a solid performance off the bench with 16 points and 7 rebounds. He had an impressive double-clutch dunk after a whistle was blown. Dallas has won a team record 8 consecutive road games. Quotes Don Nelson: "It was one heck of a basketball game. If we had more games like this, our attendance would be even better than it already is. It was a fun game to play in, I'm sure. The game itself had a lot of things going for it. The team that probably was the luckiest, got the most shots, won the game. And that was us." Dirk Nowitzki: "We just come ready to play every night. On the road we don't get nervous down the stretch. We just come up with big plays. Overall, we play well on the road. The pressure is off of us and it's on the home team. It's just fun to play on the road." Steve Nash: "We have the same approach at home as we do on the road. We are confident and we don't do anything that makes us feel like we can't win on the road. I'm not sure why we are so confident on the road, we just are. We feel really good about our chances and we feel as if we can get a win." Nash: "We just have a lot of players who can shoot the 3 but also go inside and bang the boards." Nate McMillan: "It's difficult to stop them. You basically have to stop them by making baskets. Early, we didn't make baskets, and they were able to run out and find the open man. We started slowing them down and started making a few baskets and matching up with those guys and playing better defense." McMillan on Nash: "He's the X factor. He's a very good point guard and he does a lot of things for that team. You know he creates his own shot, he creates shots for his teammates, and he keeps pressure on you by pushing the ball up in transition. He's like a waterbug, tough to defend because he can score, and he's a very unselfish player. I think he's the key to that team." Gary Payton: "They shot the ball well and then we couldn't make a shot and make a basket at the end. They shot the ball extremely well. They're a good team. We had all the effort and all the energy here, it's just that we fell short." Payton on Howard's rebound and layup with 50 seconds left: "We didn't get a key rebound at a key time. The ball got tipped around and guys were hustling for the ball. We fumbled it when it was right there, and so that's what it was all about tonight." Dallas Mavericks 112, Seattle Sonics 106 at Seattle (February 12) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 39 22 25 26 - 112 .593 .393 .524 .714 Seattle 35 28 21 22 - 106 .507 .450 .494 .647 Halftime: Seattle 63-61 3rd Q: Dallas 86-84 Technicals: Seattle defensive 3 seconds 10:22 1st, Dallas defensive 3 seconds 9:02 2nd Refs: Danny Crawford, Leon Wood, Gary Zielinski Attendance: 14,405 (cap 17,072) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Adrian Griffin 22 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 2-5 3 0 6 0 0 Juwan Howard 31 9-11 0-0 3-5 21 2-9 2 1 5 1 0 Dirk Nowitzki 37 8-15 2-4 3-4 21 0-9 3 3 3 1 2 Michael Finley 42 6-15 1-4 3-3 16 0-2 7 2 1 2 0 Steve Nash 35 9-15 5-9 5-5 28 1-4 8 4 2 1 0 Greg Buckner 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-1 0 0 2 0 0 Shawn Bradley 7 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Tim Hardaway 17 4-10 2-7 0-0 10 0-2 1 1 0 1 0 Eduardo Najera 19 3-6 0-0 0-2 6 4-7 0 1 0 0 1 Wang Zhizhi 13 1-4 1-3 1-2 4 1-4 1 2 0 1 1 Johnny Newman 11 1-2 0-1 0-0 2 0-0 0 2 1 0 0 Totals 48 43-82 11-28 15-21 112 10-43 25 16 20 7 4 Seattle Sonics REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Vin Baker 41 7-12 0-0 4-6 18 6-12 1 2 0 0 0 Rashard Lewis 40 10-18 4-8 1-2 25 1-7 2 4 4 5 0 Jerome James 4 0-1 0-0 0-2 0 1-1 0 0 0 0 1 Brent Barry 40 7-13 4-6 2-2 20 1-4 4 2 4 0 0 Gary Payton 40 8-20 0-2 1-1 17 0-5 10 4 4 0 0 Desmond Mason 41 8-15 0-2 0-0 16 0-7 3 3 1 1 1 Earl Watson 16 1-4 0-0 3-4 5 0-0 2 0 1 5 0 Vladimir Radmanovic 14 2-4 1-2 0-0 5 0-2 0 0 3 0 0 Predrag Drobnjak 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 43-87 9-20 11-17 106 9-38 22 15 17 11 2 Dallas at Portland (February 13) Dallas came out looking flat and laking energy and stayed that way the whole game. The amazing thing was that Portland never had a solid lead despite Dallas looking so bad. The teams traded leads early in the 1st quarter and Dallas led 18-17 with 5 minutes left. Portland scored the next 8 points to go up 25-18 with 3:30 remaining. Tim Hardaway hit a 3-pointer with 35 seconds to go and Portland led 32-26 after 1. Portland continued to hold on to their lead in the 2nd quarter. A 3-pointer by Hardaway tied the game at 42-42 with 6:50 remaining, but Portland scored the next 10 points to go up 52-42 with 3:50 left. Portland led 60-51 at the half. Portland led 76-71 with 5:25 to go and scored the next 7 points to take their largest lead at 83-71 with 4 minutes left. But 3-pointer by Adrian Griffin and Hardaway cut Portland's lead back down to 6 points. Portland led 87-82 after 3. Dallas was still playing poorly, but a couple of lucky shots keep the Mavs in the game (banked in 3-pointer by Dirk Nowitzki (granted, he was hit on the arm without a call) and a long 2 by Nowitzki bounced up and in) and Portland led 100-96 with 7:40 remaining. But that was all she wrote as Dallas could only manage 1 point over the next 5 minutes and Portland went up 110-97 with 2:45 left. Portland won 114-103. This is as ugly as I've seen Dallas play in a long time (in the last Lakers game, they just couldn't hit anything; in this game, they look lethargic). I still don't know how this game was not a blowout by Portland. Dallas showed no effort on the boards and Portland out-rebounded Dallas 45-27 including a pathetic 12-2 offensive rebounds. Offensive rebounds are mostly effort and the fact that Dallas only had 2 accurately reflects on how Dallas played. Portland was playing a physical game (with the refs allowing it) and it did seems to have an adverse affect on Dallas. Rasheed Wallace was the high man for Portland with 24 points including 10-16 FG and 9 rebounds. Bonzi Wells looked very good with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists. Damon Stoudamire had 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists. Dale Davis had a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds and Scottie Pippen also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists. Shawn Kemp was the 6th Blazer in double-digits with 10 points. Dirk Nowitzki was the high man for Dallas with 27 points and 8 rebounds, but it was probably the quietest 27 points you could see. Tim Hardaway carried the team for stretches and had 19 points including 5-8 3-pointers. Juwan Howard also had the shooting touch with 19 points including 7-11 FG, but only had 4 rebounds (6 less than he had been averaging over the past 10 games). All but 4 of Michael Finley's 15 points came in the 4th quarter - including scoring Dallas' last 7 points. He also had 5 assists. Adrian Griffin provided some scoring boost with 14 points including 6-7 FG. Portland completely shut Steve Nash down. Nash only had 3 points including 1-7 FG, but did have 7 assists in just 27 minutes. Chalk it up to being the 2nd game of a back-to-back or just due after 8 straight road wins, but it was an ugly performance and Dallas needs to put it behind them. They have 2 days off before Saturday's late game vs the Clippers. Quotes Maurice Cheeks: "Defense wins games and you saw that tonight. We maintained defensive pressure, contested shots and contained their big 3 shooters." Cheeks: "Defense wins games. And what you saw tonight - our getting out on the break, controlling the boards, and getting easy baskets in transition - was all a result of our defense." Cheeks: "We came out focused, and defense was the big focus and the big factor for us." Rasheed Wallace: "We've started with a clean slate - we're 1-0 and it's a new season. Once playoff time comes around, nobody wants to play us. We have nothing to lose and anything can happen." Bonzi Wells: "We regained the momentum we had a couple of weeks ago. After losing the last 2 before the break, we really needed this win." Wells: "Dallas is a great offensive team. We just wanted to be aggressive. If we get together, we can beat anybody. This was big for us because Dallas is playing kind of well." Wells on his 9 assists: "It was big. I'm starting to read the defense a lot better. What better way to win than pass the ball to the guys." Wells on containing Nash: "We remember what he did to us in Dallas. When he came in and destroyed our defense." Damon Stoudamire: "We wanted a win coming off the 2 losses. I think we're a playoff caliber team. We just need to separate ourselves from the teams below us." Dale Davis: "We have kind of turned this thing around. I mean, Dallas is a good team, one of the better teams in the West. And we definitely have a good team here. We started out slow but we are working our way back in it." Don Nelson: "We were lucky to get back in the game. They had big shot answers and they put us away for good." Nelson: "We're not a strong rebounding team anyway. We didn't pursue the ball very well, I didn't think, and they did. And that's probably why they won the game." Nelson on Portland's physical play: "It was a gameplan, I think. They were definitely reaching and going after our arms and hacking us. It wasn't a foul, so we had to accept that and play the best we could and try to overcome that. That bothered Steve a lot. He couldn't get what he wanted because of that." Nelson: "We won last night and we lost tonight. So we are 1-1 on the road after the All-Star break. That's something to write about." Juwan Howard: "We beat ourselves. We started to come back in the 3rd, but in the 4th we showed fatigue and missed our shots. They killed us on the boards." Howard: "Rebounding hurt us. It killed us. I only got 4 rebounds and that doesn't help my team at all." Howard: "They looked a lot different tonight than when we played them earlier in the season. They are putting all the distractions behind them and they are playing some excellent basketball. They are starting to live up to their talent." Tim Hardaway on Portland's physical play: "We didn't respond. We've got to fight back and play harder. They play strong and hard, and we've got to do the same thing. They fouled us and beat us up, and the refs didn't call it. That's when you've got to step up and do whatever they do." Portland Trailblazers 114, Dallas Mavericks 103 at Portland (February 13) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Portland 32 28 27 27 - 114 .500 .500 .500 .833 Dallas 26 25 31 21 - 103 .534 .333 .481 .909 Halftime: Portland 60-51 3rd Q: Portland 87-82 Technicals: Portland defensive 3 seconds 11:48 2nd, Don Nelson 5:42 2nd, Dallas defensive 3 seconds 2:07 2nd, Portland defensive 3 seconds 0:05 2nd, Tim Hardaway 8:54 3rd, Rasheed Wallace 8:16 4th Refs: Joe Forte, Jason Phillips, David Jones Attendance: 19,341 (cap 19,980) Portland Trailblazers REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Scottie Pippen 41 4-8 1-3 4-4 13 1-4 10 6 5 3 0 Rasheed Wallace 37 10-16 2-3 2-4 24 2-9 2 2 1 2 0 Dale Davis 32 7-12 0-0 1-1 15 3-13 0 1 1 2 1 Damon Stoudamire 40 6-14 3-7 4-4 19 3-7 8 5 1 3 0 Bonzi Wells 39 8-17 1-1 5-7 22 1-8 9 1 4 1 0 Shawn Kemp 16 4-10 0-0 2-2 10 1-2 0 0 2 1 0 Ruben Patterson 18 2-3 0-0 2-2 6 1-2 0 1 3 0 0 Derek Anderson 17 2-6 1-2 0-0 5 0-0 2 0 1 1 0 Totals 48 43-86 8-16 20-24 114 12-45 31 16 18 13 1 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Adrian Griffin 24 6-7 1-1 1-1 14 2-3 1 1 3 0 0 Juwan Howard 40 7-11 0-0 5-6 19 0-4 4 3 2 2 1 Dirk Nowitzki 38 9-18 1-6 8-8 27 0-8 2 1 4 1 1 Michael Finley 37 6-13 0-1 3-4 15 0-2 5 1 1 2 0 Steve Nash 27 1-7 0-2 1-1 3 0-2 7 3 1 3 0 Tim Hardaway 27 6-14 5-8 2-2 19 0-4 3 2 2 1 0 Eduardo Najera 19 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-3 1 1 3 0 1 Danny Manning 5 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Wang Zhizhi 9 0-3 0-2 0-0 0 0-1 0 1 0 0 0 Greg Buckner 7 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 1 0 2 0 0 Shawn Bradley 6 2-2 0-0 0-0 4 0-0 0 2 0 1 1 Johnny Newman 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 38-79 7-21 20-22 103 2-27 24 15 18 10 4 patricia