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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
CHICAGO (AP) -- Michael Finley lets his mother deal with the
friends and family who call looking for tickets when he's back in
his hometown.
|  | | Having been raised in the Chicago area, Michael Finley returned to his roots to score 30 points and grab 10 rebounds for Dallas. |
Finley just takes care of the game.
Finley, who grew up in suburban Maywood, scored 30 points Monday night as Dallas beat the Chicago Bulls 104-91. He also had 10
rebounds and six assists as the Mavericks set a franchise record
with their sixth consecutive road victory.
"It's a lot of fun for me to come home and play in front of my
family and friends," said Finley, who has averaged better than 22
points in 12 games against the Bulls.
"I just wanted to come out and have a good showing."
Dallas didn't have its best game, shooting just 48 percent
(39-for-82). But the Mavericks had six players in double figures,
and Finley got them the scoring spurts when they needed them.
Dirk Nowitzki added 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Steve Nash
had 14 points and eight assists.
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Don Nelson still
keeps in touch
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CHICAGO -- Coach Don Nelson couldn't be at the Dallas
Mavericks' game and he couldn't watch it on television.
So he got the next best thing: telephone updates.
Nelson, recuperating at his home in Hawaii after surgery for
prostate cancer, had Mavericks spokesman Gregg Elkin call him at
every timeout during the game Monday night in Chicago. The Bulls also
faxed Nelson statistics after each quarter.
Donnie Nelson, who is the Mavericks' interim coach, said he
planned to call his father as soon as the game was over.
Nelson had his cancerous prostate removed Thursday, and tests
showed the disease had not spread. But he'll miss the next six to eight weeks recovering. The NBA League Pass package isn't available on
Maui, and Nelson isn't as computer savvy as Mavericks owner Mark
Cuban. So tracking the game over the Internet isn't an option.
The Mavericks are trying to set up a satellite system so Nelson
can see the games. Until then, the phone will have to do.
"That's the thing that keeps him going. He's really excited
about the team," his son said before the game.
The 60-year-old Nelson was released from the Huntsman Cancer
Institute at the University of Utah Hospital on Sunday morning. He
then flew to Maui on Cuban's private jet.
-- The Associated Press
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"Michael is the main cornerstone we started the franchise out
with," said Donnie Nelson, the interim coach while his father,
Don, recovers from surgery for prostate cancer.
"There's been many a game, like tonight, that he put the team
on his back and through sheer will and desire, got us a victory."
The Bulls shot 51 percent, but Elton Brand and Ron Mercer were a
combined 9-for-30. Brand led the Bulls with 23 points and 10
rebounds, and Khalid El-Amin added 18 in a reserve role.
"We played decent for 40 of the 48 minutes," Bulls coach Tim
Floyd said. "We had two four-minute stretches that absolutely
killed us."
The crucial stretch came in the fourth quarter. Dallas missed
its first five shots, allowing Chicago to close to 83-81 when
Fred Hoiberg hit a 3-pointer with 6:59 left.
But just as they had all night, the Mavericks came through with
a scoring tear, going on an 18-3 run to put the game away. Nash
started the run, drilling a 3-pointer of his own. Bradley scored on a
wide-open layup, Nowitzki converted a three-point play and Nash hit
another 3-pointer before the Bulls scored again.
By that point, Dallas had a 94-81 lead, and the game was all but
over.
"We didn't really play well today," Nash said. "We just
played harder. I think that was the key to stopping the spurts."
The Mavericks looked as if they might take control of the game
in the third quarter. Chicago closed to 61-60 on back-to-back
baskets by Ron Artest with 7:57 left, then Finley took over.
He scored on a fallaway jumper. Then he converted a three-point
play after being poked in the eye by Artest. Then came a 3-pointer,
and Dallas had a 69-60 lead with 6:51 left in the third quarter.
"Coach talked to me before the game," Finley said. "He wanted
me to come out aggressive and set the tone for the team."
Finley did that, scoring 14 in the first half.
"It was a little added incentive," Finley said of playing in
his hometown. "It was good to come home and get a win in front of
all my family and friends."
Game notes
Donnie Nelson knows some of the pain the Bulls are going through as they rebuild. Nelson and his father are in their fourth
season with the Mavericks, who didn't make the playoffs at all in
the 1990s. "We've been where Chicago is right now. We know the
road, how hard it is," the younger Nelson said. "We don't want to
return anytime soon." ... Mercer finished with only four points,
breaking a streak of 24 games in double figures. ... Chicago is
still looking for its first two-game winning streak of the season.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Dallas Clubhouse
Chicago Clubhouse
RECAPS
Portland 98
Boston 90
Cleveland 92
New Jersey 90
Miami 88
Golden State 78
Dallas 104
Chicago 91
Indiana 85
LA Clippers 82
Sacramento 100
Minnesota 97
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