Rapid Reaction: Mavs 102, Nuggets 84
How it happened: The Dallas Mavericks blew out a beat-up Denver squad. The Nuggets were missing three starters, but the Mavs didn’t mess around while putting them out of their misery.
The Mavs led by 12 points at halftime and turned it into a laugher after the break. Third quarters had been problematic for the Mavs recently, but they outscored the Nuggets by a 32-15 margin in that frame to allow Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion to kick back and relax for the last dozen minutes.
That was the most points the Mavs had scored in a third quarter all season. It was the fewest points the Nuggets had scored in any quarter this season.
Six Mavs scored in double figures. They are 19-1 when that has happened since the start of last season, including 3-0 this year.
Marion led the way with 16 points, 10 rebounds and a season-high six assists while shutting down Denver point guard Ty Lawson (three points, two assists, 1-8 FG). Lamar Odom had one of his best offensive performances as a Maverick, scoring 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Kidd scored a season-high 13 points, shooting 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
The other Mavs in double figures: Vince Carter (15 points, 5-10 FG), Nowitzki (12 points, 5-12 FG) and Brandan Wright (10 points, 5-7 FG). Carter, who has 20,794 career points, moved past David Robinson for 33rd place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
What it means: The Mavs have their second five-game winning streak of the season. However, they paid a painful price during this win. Delonte West, whose play has been key to managing Kidd’s minutes, suffered a fractured and dislocated right ring finger during the second quarter. The Mavs have not announced how long they expect the left-handed West to be sidelined.
Play of the game: It was a textbook example of how to run a fast break. Carter grabbed a rebound, threw an outlet pass to Kidd, who caught the ball across the half-court line, dribbled a couple of times and left a soft bounce pass to trailing Wright. The Mavs’ human exclamation point got eye-high with the rim for the two-hand finish.
Stat of the night: Marion recorded his fifth double-double of the season. The rest of the Mavs’ roster has three double-doubles.
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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