No Dirk, no problem: Mavs 102, Cavs 95
DALLAS -- The Mavericks didn't need their best player to beat one of the East's elite teams.
With Tim Thomas doing a pretty good impersonation of Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs scrapped for a 102-95 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Thomas had 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting in his first start for Dallas, filling in for Nowitzki, who sat out due to a laceration in his right elbow suffered in Friday night's loss to the Rockets. Thomas was one of six Mavericks to score in double figures, including three reserves.
The Cavs made a run to trim the Mavs' lead to one midway through the fourth quarter. The Mavs responded with a 12-4 run in which all five players on the floor contributed one bucket.
That was a fitting way to finish off a team win without their MVP candidate.
Tim MacMahon
ESPNDallas.com- Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009
- Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks
- Worked at Dallas Morning News for six years
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Jeff Caplan
Jeff Caplan joined ESPNDallas.com in December 2009. Jeff covers the Mavericks, Rangers and colleges. He has a wealth of experience in the area, covering multiple beats in his 11-plus years with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
Marc Stein
Marc Stein began writing for ESPN.com in 2000 and signed on full-time in 2002 as Senior NBA Writer. He also makes regular appearances on "SportsCenter," "NBA Shootaround," "NBA Fastbreak," "NBA Coast To Coast," ESPNEWS, ESPN "First Take" and ESPN Radio.
Jeff "Skin" Wade
Jeff Wade joined ESPNDallas.com in November 2009. He is one half of "The Ben & Skin Show," heard weekdays from 9a-12p on 103.3 FM ESPN, and also works as sideline analyst for the TV broadcast of all Maverick home games.
103.3 FM ESPN PODCASTS
Play Podcast ESPN's Stephen A. Smith chimes in on the Dallas Mavericks' season, their free agency plans and more.
Play Podcast Mike and Mike join Ben and Skin to discuss Jerry Jones' window and the Mavs future. They don't see Dirk Nowitzki leaving even if the Mavs miss out on the dream of Deron Williams or Dwight Howard.
Play Podcast Mavs F Dirk Nowitzki says he's too old to stay with a rebuilding franchise but couldn't imagine himself leaving the city of Dallas.
Play Podcast Is the Dwight Howard to the Mavs dream alive? Dwight still wants out of Orlando and it could open the door for the Mavs to put a proposal together.
Play Podcast Mavs guard Delonte West dishes on his desire to return to the Mavs, his relationship with Lebron James and how he ended up hanging out with Dez Bryant over the weekend.
Play Podcast Ben and Skin discuss the three most important figures for the Rangers, Mavs, and Cowboys. Who is the most vital to the ultimate success of each organization?
TEAM LEADERS
| POINTS | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Dirk Nowitzki
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| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| Rebounds | S. Marion | 7.4 | ||||||||||
| Assists | J. Kidd | 5.5 | ||||||||||
| Steals | J. Kidd | 1.7 | ||||||||||
| Blocks | B. Wright | 1.3 | ||||||||||
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