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The Dallas Mavericks hit the road riding a two-game losing skid, with both losses coming on their home court. The last time that happened, the Mavs fell to 0-3 after losing on a buzzer-beater at Oklahoma City.

Tonight's opponent, the rebuilding Cleveland Cavaliers, are just 3-5 at home but have played pretty well and have tough losses on their ledger. Rookie point guard Kyrie Irving has instilled some enthusiasm in a franchise that was decimated when LeBron James took his talents to South Beach.

The Mavs won't get anything easy in this one, so they'll need to be prepared to grind it out for 48 minutes if they plan to come home for a three-day break with a win instead of a three-game losing skid.

Records: Mavs (14-10); Cavaliers (8-13)

When: 6:30 p.m.

Where: Quicken Loans Arena

TV: FSSW

Radio: ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM; 1270 AM (Spanish)

What to watch: Dirk Nowitzki got his groove back Friday night with a season-high 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting. Now comes the challenge of building on that outing in a back-to-back sequence. Rick Carlisle managed to limit Nowitzki to 33 minutes, so he figures to be decently rested tonight.

Key matchup: Kyrie Irving vs. Rodrigue Beaubois
Things have gotten a bit tough lately for Beaubois as he continues to start in place of the injured Jason Kidd. Now he and the Mavs get an up-close look at leading rookie of the year candidate Kyrie Irving. The 6-foot-3 Duke product is trying to make the city of Cleveland forget all about LeBron. He's averaging 18.0 points and close to 50 percent shooting and 5.0 assists.

Injuries: Mavs -- G Jason Kidd (strained right calf ) is out. Cavs -- G Anthony Parker (low back strain) is out; G Daniel Gibson (soft tissue infection in neck) is out; F Tristan Thompson (left ankle sprain) is out.

Up next: Mavs at Denver Nuggets, 6:30 p.m., Wednesday

Here come four more games in six nights, but one stands out as a marquee matchup. On Wednesday night at the American Airlines Center, Kevin Durant, the newly extended Russell Westbrook and the rest of the rolling Oklahoma City Thunder return for the first time since the oldest team in the league whipped them, 100-87, on Jan. 2.

Also on the docket is tonight's second game of the season's eighth back-to-back at the Phoenix Suns. And there's Friday's home game against the wildly improved and road-tested Indiana Pacers as well as Saturday's quick trip to face the Cleveland Cavaliers and rookie of the year candidate Kyrie Irving.

But, let's get real, it's the Thunder matchup that matters. The young guns from the north have won 16 of 19 and four in a row heading into tonight's eagerly anticipated matchup at the Los Angeles Clippers.

You might remember this recent salvo launched by one Dirk Nowitzki, now one game into his return from a week-long personal training camp, regarding the new power structure in the Western Conference as it pertains to the defending champs:

"I haven’t seen one team in the West that I’m scared of,” Nowitzki said. “I really haven’t. I think we can compete with all of them. Oklahoma City has probably the best record, but I think we’ve played them well every time we’ve seen them and everybody else has been up and down."

Dirk's right. Dallas thought it had the victory in Oklahoma City on Dec. 30 when Vince Carter drilled the go-head 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds to play. Then Durant did his thing and pumped in a 27-foot game-winner. In Dallas, despite playing a fourth game in five nights, the Mavs handled the Thunder with the poise of a veteran club that's been there, done that.

Dallas is likely to play all four games this week without Jason Kidd (strained right calf) so the fast-track education of Rodrigue Beaubois, perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the Mavs at the moment, continues.

Now, here's a glance at the week:

Tonight: at Phoenix Suns (7-12), 8 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW/103.3 FM ESPN; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: Steve Nash had this to say last week about his Suns: "We have to play really efficient because we're not a very talented team." Nothing like being blunt, especially when the truth is so glaringly obvious. The Mavs have taken care of the Suns at home twice and now venture to the Valley for the first time. Phoenix is just 4-5 at home and if you want to keep looking for the Suns near the top of the league's scoring rankings, stop. They rank 23rd at 91.2 points a game. And you thought Dallas had trouble scoring. The Suns might have a measure of momentum coming off a big home win over Memphis on Saturday.

Wednesday: vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (16-3), 7 p.m.
TV/Radio: ESPN, FSSW/103.3 FM ESPN; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: OKC's young legs might be romping through this strange season, but it has yet to show that it has surpassed the champs in the first two early meetings, which has to scare the Thunder just a bit considering the Mavs weren't playing particularly a month ago. More disconcerting for the team that is the overwhelming favorite to play the Miami Heat in June is that the struggling Nowitzki has averaged 27.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in the two games. Against the rest of the league, Nowitzki is averaging 15.7 points and 5.6 rebounds. Both teams will have the previous day off which should make for an even battle.

Friday: vs. Indiana Pacers (13-6), 7:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW/103.3 FM ESPN; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: The free-agent addition of David West has been a boon for this suddenly potent franchise that boasts five players scoring in double figures and a sixth, former dangerous Spurs guard George Hill knocking on the door. The Pacers have done their damage mostly on the road, playing 13 of their first 19 games away from home and winning eight. Coach Frank Vogel invoked the Mavs recently to his team, telling him that if Dallas could go from a disappointing first-round out one year and then ride tremendous passing and teamwork to the NBA title the next, so could his club. Indiana comes to town after a road game at Minnesota on Wednesday. This one should make for a pretty good under-the-radar ballgame.

Saturday: at Cleveland Cavaliers (8-11), 6:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW/103.3 FM ESPN; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: This won't be an easy game. The Mavs will arrive in Cleveland well after midnight and then will have to ratchet up the energy level to play a fourth game in six nights. The Cavs possess rookie of the year leading candidate Kyrie Irving, who is ushering in the post-LeBron James and who will give Rodrigue Beaubois an intriguing test. Irving, the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft, is already the Cavs' best player, averaging team highs in points (17.9) and assists (4.8). Cleveland has two former Mavs in Antawn Jamison and Ryan Hollins and two former Texas Longhorns in Tristan Thompson, the fourth overall pick last summer, and Daniel Gibson.

DALLAS -- Delonte West says the kids back in the day used to call him, "Little Kidd," because he tried to emulate the gifted point guard who's 10 years his elder. West even called himself "a poor man's Jason Kidd" when he arrived at training camp.

Now West, who has started about 53 percent of the 350 games he's played over seven seasons with the Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Celtics again, said he's eager to begin his new role as Kidd's backup with the defending champion Dallas Mavericks.

"I’ve been a starter most of the years in my career. Being a backup guard on a title contending team or a starter, it’s something that’s just become who Delonte West is," the heavily tattooed, 6-foot-4 guard out of St. Joseph's said. "You always see me pop up on a team like this, and it’s for a reason. It’s not something that I’m running from. Starting minutes, backup minutes, spot minutes is what I built my career around.

"Coming off the bench, I look at it like a positive. You get a chance to watch the game, see what’s going on and me being able to do multiple things on the floor, I can come in and fill spots if its being a playmaker, a shooter, changing the tempo."

The most important thing West can do is play well and stay healthy as he takes over the role filled by J.J. Barea the past three seasons. Keeping Kidd's minutes reasonable is top priority during this 66-game schedule that will offer few breathers.

West, 28, said he's ready for the challenge, but also cautioned fans not to make snap judgments after Sunday's opener against the Miami because of the short training camp. West joined the team Dec. 14 and played in just one of the two preseason games because of illness.

"Its’ the first game of the season and I don’t think you can judge either team or any team that plays [today] and the next couple days and envision where they’ll be at in June," West said. "There’ s no negatives you can take out of a game like [today]. Hopefully, everyone will have a Merry Christmas and hopefully it can be an exciting game for families and fans to watch around the Christmas tree."

Well, well, well, the owners and the players are have resumed negotiations and today looms as a critical period if the league is sincere about getting things up and running for a Christmas start.

We've heard the two sides have been close before and how'd that end? With phrases like "total breakdown of the collective bargaining process" and the scariest of all, "nuclear winter."

Maybe it will be just a few weeks of a nuclear autumn?

We'll find out over the course of the next few days. For now let's take a look at the latest Dallas Mavericks game gone down the tubes because of the lockout.

Today's canceled game: at Denver Nuggets

Game No.: 13

Mavs pretend record: 8-4

Last season's matchup: Who doesn't remember where they were on Feb. 10, 2010, when the Mavs stood 2:51 away from running their second long win streak of the season to 11 games on the home floor of the proud, but not all together bright, Denver Nuggets. The Mavs eased up just a bit too soon. The Nuggets rallied, Dirk Nowitzki amazingly missed a free throw to lead by just two and Aaron Afflalo, who scored 19 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, dropped the incredible game-winner, a 19-foot jumper at the buzzer for the win. Carmelo Anthony had fouled after scoring 42 points and Chauncey Billups had 30. Jason Terry led the Mavs with 25 points and Tyson Chandler had 20 points and 11 boards. Nowitzki finished with 16 with one of those rare, low-scoring games. The Mavs then won their next eight games. Yet, who can forget April 6 as well when the new-look Nuggets came into Dallas and beat the Mavs when coach Rick Carlisle controversially rested Jason Kidd against a team they might face in the first round, and a team -- as Nuggets coach George Karl pointed out -- that wanted the Mavs.

What might have been: Things are always interesting when these two clubs meet. But, wow, this season would be a totally different story. Anthony and Billups both play in New York. Sixth man J.R. Smith is a free agent and might not be back. Impressive center Nene is one of the top three free agents with the Mavs' Chandler and New Orleans' David West. About the only thing that can be guaranteed in this matchup is a lot of scoring.

What's been missed: The Mavs have obviously missed getting their championship rings and raising the banner. Among the first 13 games canceled, four division games have been wiped out, plus fun matchups against the Nuggets and Oklahoma City.

Next canceled game: Saturday vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is staying busy these days. He has written his first e-book, "How to Win at the Sport of Business," and he's keeping his TV career relevant with a surprise appearance as co-anchor on a recent "Entertainment Tonight." He hasn't ruled out a second stint on the show to promote his book and other non-sports related projects.

It's the sports-related aspects, after all, that are the real bummer. For one, without an NBA season, who knows if the former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant is keeping up his conditioning work on the stair machine outside the Mavs' locker room that he rigorously and religiously attacks prior to every home game?

At any rate, the man his players call "Cubes" needs his non-sports related activities to keep his mind off one worrisome sports-related item -- the growing possibility that his 7-foot franchise forward will suit up for some professional team in Europe. Dirk Nowitzki has told ESPN.com's Marc Stein that he will seek basketball employment overseas soon as the NBA lockout limps closer to a sixth month of basketball inactivity.

"I still can't believe that we're not going to have a season [in the NBA]. I can't see us not playing," Nowitzki told Stein. "But if the lockout still stays strong, I've got a decision to make."

The owner of the first-time NBA champs has been and probably always will be one of the more vocal critics of NBA players participating on national teams during the offseason. Simply, Cuban doesn't want a player he pays millions of dollars to get injured while playing for another team. So, just the thought of Nowitzki shooting one-legged fallaways for Real Madrid or Germany's Bayern Munich surely makes Cuban wig out like Kramer hearing Mary Hart's voice.

Already, examples of NBA players sustaining injury overseas are popping up. J.R. Smith, the acerbic Denver Nuggets shooting guard, injured his knee, at first believed to be quite serious, playing for a Chinese team Sunday. On Tuesday, Turkish media reported that Cleveland Cavaliers center Semih Erden broke his left thumb and will be out at least two months.

Imagine Cuban's angst and the Mavs' misfortune if their delayed title defense -- assuming a partial season is salvaged -- were to begin with Nowitzki on the shelf? Does 2-7 with a sprained right knee ring a bell?

Few players have proved more durable than Nowitzki over his 13 NBA seasons. Still, he has a history of ankle sprains and he suffered a knee sprain last season that knocked him out of nine hard-to-swallow contests. While playing for Germany in this summer's Olympic qualifying tournament, he re-injured his left middle finger that sustained a torn tendon in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Injuries happen. One can occur just as easily, or as freakishly, during an NBA game or a highly competitive and physical Euro-league game or a recreational charity exhibition that players are staging across the country.

As long as the lockout persists, Nowitzki can do as he pleases and he says he will play ball somewhere.

At that point, Cuban will just have to cross his fingers, and maybe ask for a more permanent spot on the ET anchor desk.

DALLAS -- As Dallas Mavericks players and coach Rick Carlisle lined up to declare their indifference for or to feign complete ignorance of "The Decision" and the Miami Heat's dastardly plan to stockpile superstars, one player stepped forward to speak the truth.

"I had to [pay attention]," center Brendan Haywood said. "I was a free agent myself. No one signed until he signed."

He, of course, is LeBron James, the most sought-after free agent in NBA history. During the prolonged courtship between several select franchises fortunate enough to meet with the King, Heat president Pat Riley visited Haywood at his Charlotte, N.C., home shortly after Mavs coach Rick Carlisle met Haywood there at the opening bell of the free agency period and promised him the starting job.

Haywood arrived in Dallas the previous February as part of the deadline deal that also brought Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson for Josh Howard and others. The Mavs decided they needed to re-sign the 7-foot veteran. Miami was really his only other option in terms of being able to pay a competitive salary.

There was just one catch: If James signed with Miami, the Heat's spending money would dry up. If James stayed with the Cleveland Cavaliers or signed elsewhere, he could join the Heat.

"When you’re a free agent, everybody you’re talking to is serious because you really don’t know," Haywood said. "Things can change in a blink of an eye."

And then they did. James made his decision and Miami was out on Haywood, who quickly signed a lucrative contract with the Mavs. He said he's kept an eye on what has become the most hated team in basketball.

"Everybody follows them," Haywood said. "They’re on TV all the time."

In that case, Haywood knows that the Heat aren't big on centers, which is why Riley paid the 7-footer a visit in the first place. Lumbering centers Zydrunas Ilgauskas (has played in nine of 15 playoff games) and three former Mavs, Erick Dampier (inactive for all 15), Juwan Howard (six games) and Jamal Magloire (three games), are non-factors.

At 6-foot-9, starting center Joel Anthony is the main man, logging 30 minutes a game. It's quite likely that Dirk Nowitzki will start out defending Anthony while Tyson Chandler will get Chris Bosh.

So, does Miami's lack of a traditional center threaten to limit Haywood's impact? Such matchups often limited his minutes or took him out of the rotation altogether during the regular season. Haywood has played his most impactful basketball of the season during the playoffs. His statistics (3.4 points, 4.4 rebounds) don't detail his defensive paint presence, and lately he's even started to make his free throws.

"I’m not worried about that. Right now we’re just worried about trying to win games," Haywood said. "You don’t get to the NBA Finals and worry about minutes. I can still get on the floor. They still have Joel Anthony, Udonis Haslem, Magloire. They still play bigs, and I’ve guarded Chris Bosh in the past. If I can go out there and play guys like Amare Stoudemire and Blake Griffin, I can go out there and play Miami’s bigs, as well."

Carlisle said Haywood will get his minutes (he's averaging 16.6 minutes a game), and Chandler, who has battled fouls as well as his emotions recently, said there is a place for Haywood against the Heat.

"Yeah, definitely so," Chandler said. "I think we've got to impose our will on them. As big guys we’ve got to control the paint, and we can’t try to conform to whatever they try to play."

Third-string Dallas Mavericks center Ian Mahinmi got a chance to play extended minutes Tuesday night at Portland with Brendan Haywood scratched with lower back stiffness. Even if Haywood is able to play tonight against the Golden State Warriors, the smallish, up-tempo Warriors present a poor matchup for Haywood and Mahinmi could again get the call behind Tyson Chandler.

In the only matchup against the Warriors so far, a 105-100 Mavs win in Dallas on Dec. 7, Mahinmi notched his lone double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. He was key in Dallas securing the win. Mahinmi played 21 minutes in the game behind Haywood because Chandler was out with an illness.

The 10 boards remain a season-high. The 6-foot-11 Frenchman hasn't come close to matching it other than grabbing eight boards on Feb. 7 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 21 minutes.

Since Feb. 27, Mahinmi has been in a rebounding funk. In his last seven games totaling 98 minutes, he has just 12 rebounds. In three of those games, including in 16 minutes Tuesday at Portland, Mahinmi has logged at least nine minutes and finished with no rebounds.

His rebounding average for the season has dipped to 1.9 while averaging 8.4 minutes a game. Last season with the San Antonio Spurs, Mahinmi averaged 2.0 rebounds in 6.3 minutes a game.

At times this season, it seemed Mahinmi, with his high energy level, had a chance to challenge the mostly struggling Haywood for the backup spot.

That's no longer the focus. For Mahinmi it's all about grabbing a few rebounds. Tonight could present the perfect opportunity.

DALLAS -- The Mavericks wrap up the pre-All-Star portion of the schedule tonight in Phoenix trying to join the San Antonio Spurs (46-9), Boston Celtics (40-14) and Miami Heat (41-15) as the only teams to go into the break with at least 40 wins.

The Mavs, winners of 12 of 13, improved to a season-best 23-games over .500 with Wednesday's 116-100 win over the Sacramento Kings for a record of 39-16. A win over Steve Nash and the Suns would give Dallas 21 wins against teams with winning records, a higher percentage than the Spurs, Celtics and Heat.

"It would be great and that's our goal, to get to 40, because we want to get a little cushion in that second position and head after that first position," Mavs center Tyson Chandler said. "We've got the team playing well and one game left before the break and we've got the opportunity to do so."

Dallas opened a two-game lead on the Los Angeles Lakers for the second seed Wednesday night after the Lakers' surprise defeat at Cleveland, L.A.'s third consecutive loss. It was the Lakers' last game before the break and the Mavs can move 2 1/2 games clear of the two-time defending champions with a win in the desert.

The Spurs wrap up tonight in Chicago, the last of their nine-game rodeo road trip. San Antonio, 6-2 on the trip so far, currently leads Dallas by seven games.

Orlando, Philadelphia and Miami are the next three road stops on Washington’s schedule.

Which means that the Wizards had a real shot at matching the worst road start in NBA history – 0-29 by the 1992-93 Mavericks – as long as they lost Sunday in Cleveland.

But the Wiz didn’t.

Sporting a mark of 0-25 in games played outside the nation’s capital, Washington rolled up a 22-point halftime lead over the hapless Cavs and ultimately cruised to a 115-100 victory.

The Wiz, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, have thus recorded only the third-worst road start in league history, behind Dallas’ aforementioned 0-29 misery in ’92-93 and an 0-28 start for the New Orleans Jazz in 1974-75.

DALLAS -- When the Mavericks come out sleepwalking as they did Monday night against the desperate Cleveland Cavaliers, coach Rick Carlisle reaches for his Mr. Energy -- and Ian Mahinmi delivered again.

The 6-foot-11, raw, but enticing third-year center also again provided intrigue into the direction of the backup center position. Brendan Haywood has been a major disappointment and against Cleveland he didn't get off the bench, sporting a DNP-CD for a second time this season. Granted, the undersized, and up-tempo Cavs are not an ideal matchup for Haywood, who is more in the mold of Erick Dampier than Tyson Chandler.

Carlisle turned to Mahinmi with 2:40 to go in the first quarter and Cleveland leading 26-19. He immediately created a jolt and the Mavs finished off the quarter on a 10-2 run. By the time Mahinmi sat down with 5:21 left in the half, Dallas led 45-32. Mahinmi had two points and four rebounds, but more telling than the numbers was the obvious infusion of enthusiasm the team badly needed against a team that entered the Mavs' 99-96 victory with 24 consecutive losses.

"He was by far our best player," Carlisle said. "He was doing things consistently that we needed to be doing as a team all night which was being extremely alert, being ready to react and respond, quick to the ball, willing to take charges, those kinds of things. He played a great game."

Mahinmi played more than 20 minutes and finished with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including a nifty spin move and left-handed hook. He also had eight rebounds. It was Mahinmi's third double-digit scoring game and the third game in which he recorded six or more rebounds. On the season, he's averaged 6.9 minutes in 31 games. Haywood has had two double-digit scoring games and 11 games of six rebounds in more. He's played in 48 games and averages 17.1 minutes.

"We've got high expectations with this team with all those vets," Mahinmi said. "The younger guys have to come up with a lot of energy. I don't know exactly how many minutes I'm going to get every night, but I know that if I get in I know exactly my role and I try and do that."

Mahinmi might be embarking on a new role as part-time backup power forward. He got a few minutes in that spot playing alongside Chandler in the fourth quarter of not only a close game, but one in which a loss would have been humiliating. Carlisle said he he felt Dirk Nowitzki, who hurt his right wrist in the first quarter, and Shawn Marion were winded so he went with Mahinmi. The Mavs don't have possess the physical, blue-collar power forward element, a role Carlisle said he could experiment with further.

Mahinmi has performed well in the past only to find himself planted at the end of the bench the next night where third-string centers typically find themselves. And he could again when the Mavs begin a three-game road trip Wednesday at Sacramento Kings. But, Mahinmi is clearly earning the trust of his coach and has it from his teammates, starting with the captain.

"I like Ian. He's physical, he's athletic, he's fast," Nowitzki said. "He's worked on his in-between game. He's not only a back-to-the-basket guy or a hustle guy, but he can finish. He even had like two lefty hooks [against Cleveland] and he can make that 15-, 16-footer. So, yeah, I think he can play 4 and 5. He comes to work every day. He's a pro."

DALLAS – One statistic in Monday night’s box score really annoyed Rick Carlisle.

The Cavaliers scored 34 points on the fast break. You can talk about how well Cleveland’s undersized lineup runs the floor – and a few Mavs mentioned just that – but that’s a ridiculous number.

“I’m glad we won,” Carlisle said, “but we took some steps back.”

Actually, the Mavs too often didn’t take steps back quickly enough. It’s not as if their issues in transition defense were about X’s and O’s. The Mavs just decided to mail it in against the NBA’s worst team and only occasionally put forth the effort required to run the floor on defense.

“Lack of effort manifests from lack of focus and concentration,” Carlisle said. “I’m not big on throwing the E word around, but I think a lot of the kind of focus you bring to the game. Ours clearly wasn’t there early and it was in and out.”

The Mavs can beat teams like the Cavs and Wizards playing poor transition defense. But they can’t make a playoff run giving up dozens of fast break points a night, which is why Carlisle harped on the issue after the Mavs’ ninth consecutive win.

Carlisle brought up the Mavs’ transition defense, which Dirk Nowitzki accurately described as “awful,” twice without prompting. One of those instances came as he brushed off a question about whether he feels empathy for the Cavs, losers of an NBA-record 25 games in a row.

“We’re in a winning streak, but we’re a lousy transition defense team,” Carlisle said. “That’s the thing that defines a defense maybe more than anything else, because when a shot doesn’t go in and five guys are sprinting back, there’s a statement about what kind of team you are. … That’s what was disappointing for us.”

DALLAS -- It took 17 seconds for Peja Stojakovic to see what life might be like playing for the Dallas Mavericks. Stojakovic got the pass and fired. He missed the open 15-footer on the Mavs' first possession, and his next two shots, both open 3-pointers, rattled out.

But Stojakovic, who took over as the starting small forward, said it was just a taste of what he expects to come.

"It’s a lot of ball movement," Stojakovic said, "and playing with guys like Jason [Kidd], Dirk [Nowitzki] and Jet [Jason Terry], we draw a lot of attention defensively and there’s definitely going to be a lot of good looks out there."

Stojakovic played a hearty 20 minutes through three quarters and scored eight points in his first game since being signed by the Mavs 15 days ago. He missed all but eight games this season with a left knee issue while playing for New Orleans and Toronto. Since his arrivial in Dallas, he has not participated in a full team practice in order to continue to rehab his knee and concentrate on conditioning.

During the last road trip, Stojakovic stayed and put in double time to be ready for this one.

"I was very pleased with his conditioning," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "He’s been working the last 10 days extremely hard. Really, it’s been a training camp of sorts, double sessions, a lot of work on conditioning, defensive stuff, offensive stuff. NBA games are hard to simulate, but they did a good job of simulating it because he didn’t look particularly winded."

After the Mavs held on Monday, 99-96 for their ninth consecutive victory and Cleveland's record-setting 25th consecutive defeat, Stojakovic said his knee felt fine. It was his first game since Nov. 26 and the most minute's he's logged since March 8, 2010.

"It felt OK. This is what, my first contact in two months?" Stojakovic said. "My body responded well. now, as the days, we have more practices and games I’m going to get that feel for the game back and I think things are going to be much easier for me on the court."

The Mavs seemed to make it a point to get Stojakovic the ball early. He took four of his nine shots during the seven minutes he played in the first quarter. If his first three misses from the floor didn't reveal some obvious rust, his first missed free throw proved it. Stojakovic got his first bucket on his fourth shot attempt, a backdoor layup from Kidd.

He made his first 3-pointer on his fifth attempt to open the third quarter. After going 2-of-4 from the field in the third quarter and 1-of-3 from the arc in playing seven consecutive minutes in the third, Stojakovic's night was over.

He finished 3-of-9 overall and 1-of-6 from beyond the arc. He also had five rebounds, including one on the offensive end. Just as a comparison, Sasha Pavlovic, who played admirably in starting six of 10 games during two 10-day contracts, never had more than three rebounds in a game and twice scored more than eight points (11, twice).

"He’s going to be all right," Dirk Nowitzki said of Stojakovic. "He’s one of the best shooters in the world. It’s going to take him some time to get his rhythm back, but I’m not really worried about him. He’s going to have wide-open looks on the weakside as much as people have to pay attention to our strongside with myself, Jet, Kidd making plays. He’s going to have wide-open looks in the corner and he’s going to make his fair share of them."

That's what the Mavs are banking on.

DALLAS -- Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ramon Sessions had no doubt that Dirk Nowitzki took a swing.

"He threw a punch. I don't know what it was about it, but I saw the replay," Sessions said. "I don't know if he meant to do it, but he did it."

Sessions was dribbling around the perimeter and bumped into Nowitzki. Nowitzki lunged awkwardly at Sessions with his arm but didn't make contact. He was called for a blocking foul as the two got tangled up. The refs, apparently didn't see the apparent punch.

"A punch? No," Nowitzki said after the Mavs hung on Monday, 99-96, to hand the hard-luck Cavs their record-setting 25th consecutive defeat. "It was nothing."

The Mavs felt Sessions was the initial instigator, leading with his elbow as he dribbled into Nowitzki. After Nowitzki got whistled for the foul, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle was up complaining, giving a jabbing motion with his elbow to indicate that Sessions first delivered an offensive foul, which triggered Nowitzki's reaction.

Sessions denied that he threw an elbow first.

"I didn't hit Dirk," Sessions said. "I know he's not that kind of player, but he did swing."

Nowitzki, already playing with a jammed right wrist he suffered in the first quarter and continued to flex throughout the game, avoided a flagrant foul on the play. Had the referees determined that Nowitzki did throw a punch, it would have resulted in an automatic ejection. The play could have been reviewed, but since the refs didn't see it, it was not.

Nowitzki and Sessions appeared to make up just before Sessions went to the free throw line and made both attempts to cut the Mavs' lead to 97-89. That started a 7-0 Cavs run that cut the deficit to 97-94 with 1:50 to play.

A few possessions later, Nowitzki missed a 5-footer, got the rebound and then lost it. But, with 56 seconds left, Cavs forward J.J. Hickson got called for an elbow into the chest of the Jason Kidd. Jason Terry then iced the game with a pull-up jumper with 35.9 seconds to go for a five-point lead.

DALLAS -- Peja Stojakovic busted his first 3-pointer as a Dallas Maverick on his fifth attempt and first of the third quarter. Then he hit a pretty fallaway to stem a Cleveland rally that got the desperate Cavaliers to within 62-58.

And give the Cavs credit, they're making the Mavs work for their ninth consecutive game while trying to avoid their 25th consecutive loss, which would be four more than they had all last year when that one guy still played for them.

They're in this one, trailing 77-73 heading to the fourth quarter after trailing by as many as 15 points in the third quarter.

Shawn Marion's got 15 to lead the Mavs. Dirk Nowitzki, playing with a jammed right wrist, had four in the third and 10 points overall. So does Tyson Chandler. Four Cavs starters have scored in double-digits.

DALLAS -- A brief scare gripped the Mavericks when Dirk Nowitzki, clenching his right wrist, headed to the locker room with head athletic trainer Casey Smith after the first quarter. Several minutes later Nowitzki returned to the bench with a brace on the wrist and a diagnosis of a jammed right wrist.

Moments later Nowitzki checked back in and before play started he chucked the brace. Scare averted.

Any scare the Cleveland Cavaliers provided in the first quarter in getting off to a 26-19 lead was also averted with a 28-7 Dallas demolition, including 16-4 run to start the second quarter. The Mavs led by as many as 15 before settling for a 59-49 lead at the half.

The main story of intrigue is Peja Stojakovic, who got the start in his Dallas debut. He showed the predictable rust of a shooter who hasn't shot in a game since Nov. 26. He missed all four his jumpers, three from 3-point range, and converted a backdoor layup from Jason Kidd, giving Stojakovic three points (he was 1-of-2 from the free throw line) and three rebounds in 12 minutes.

Nowitzki continued to flex his wrist during the second quarter, so he's definitely feeling pain in there. We'll see how much coach Rick Carlisle plays him in the second half. Dallas has Tuesday off and then a back-to-back at Sacramento (Wednesday) and Denver (Thursday).

Shawn Marion is having a huge game with 14 points and five boards. Jason has 10 and J.J. Barea has seven as the bench is outscoring the starters. Every starter has scored,but no one has more than six points.