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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
DALLAS (AP) -- The Dallas Mavericks revved up their running game,
and the Houston Rockets couldn't keep pace.
|  | | Charles Barkley and the Rockets get to see old pal Scottie on Friday. |
Michael Finley scored 28 points and reserve Cedric Ceballos had
19 Tuesday night as the Mavericks stopped Houston's six-game
winning streak at Reunion Arena 114-95.
Dirk Nowitzki, the victim of a flagrant foul that touched off a midcourt shoving match in the second quarter, scored 16 points andRobert Pack had 12 points and 10 assists for the Mavericks.
Rockets veterans Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley had trouble
keeping up with the hustling Mavericks. Dallas scored 28 points off
19 Houston turnovers and had 37 points off the fastbreak to 11 for
the Rockets.
"We wanted to push the ball," Pack said. "That's conducive to
the athletes that we have. The fastbreak worked in our favor
tonight."
Rockets rookie point guard Steve Francis was ejected after he pulled down Nowitzki, who was attempting a layup, with 2:57 left in
the first half and the Mavericks ahead 48-43.
Nowitzki fell to the ground, scrambled to his feet and reacted angrily. Both teams converged and began pushing and shoving, with Francis taking a punch at Pack in the middle of the tangle.
Referee Don Vaden said Francis was ejected because he grabbed Nowitzki by the jersey and then pulled him down with a second motion.
"The first contact was unnecessary and the second was
excessive," Vaden said. "The punch had nothing to do with it."
Francis refused to comment on the incident after the game.
Pack said it was obvious that Francis was frustrated when he
failed to get foul calls on several drives to the basket.
"He's young," said Pack. "He'll learn that he can't get put
out of the game like that. He took a swing at me. It's tough. When
somebody swings at you, you want to defend yourself but I couldn't
retaliate and get thrown out myself."
The Mavericks beat the Rockets for the third straight time,
including two in a row at Houston last season.
Bryce Drew's 15 points and Shandon Anderson's 14 paced the
Rockets, who fell to 2-7. Carlos Rogers and Olajuwon had 13 points each for Houston, and Barkley had only seven points, missing six of
seven from the field.
Dallas held a 64-58 lead early in the third quarter when Finley
and Ceballos took control. The Mavericks outscored Houston 32-17 in
the period.
Finley had baskets on consecutive possessions to increase the
Mavericks' lead to 73-62. Ceballos scored six straight points and
Finley added a three-point play to give Dallas an 85-68 advantage.
Finley has been slowed by a sore foot, but he certain hasn't
been playing that way, scoring 28 points in each of his last two
games and adding 13 rebounds and seven assists against the Rockets.
"He's playing at a high level," Ceballos said. "He's not letting the injuries bother him."
Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich bemoaned his team's inability to
control the Mavericks' running game.
"We gave up 39 points on the fastbreak and we couldn't make a layup or a wide-open shot," said Tomjanovich.
With Mavericks coach Don Nelson using small, three-guard lineups almost exclusively in the second half, the Rockets could have used Francis.
"They've got a bunch of small guys and we needed small guys to
match up with their small lineup," Tomjanovich said.
Game notes
Dallas is 4-4. The Mavericks didn't win for the fourth time
last season until their 13th game. ... Houston was playing its
fourth game in five nights. ... Dallas made eight of its first nine
shots and was in front at halftime, 56-48. ... The Mavericks were
starting a stretch of four games in five nights.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Houston Clubhouse
Dallas Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 89
Detroit 85
Philadelphia 95
Washington 73
Atlanta 103
Charlotte 98
Portland 101
Miami 96
Milwaukee 101
LA Clippers 93
San Antonio 90
Indiana 87
Dallas 114
Houston 95
New York 102
Denver 95
Golden State 99
Chicago 79
Sacramento 81
Vancouver 77
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