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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
DALLAS (AP) -- The Dallas Mavericks clearly remembered what
happened the last time the Vancouver Grizzlies came to town.
|  | | Mavs guard Steve Nash, right, runs into the Grizzlies' Mike Bibby on his way to the basket. |
Steve Nash scored 21 points and Michael Finley added 20 as the
Mavericks paid back the Grizzlies with a 120-83 victory on Thursday
night.
In their previous visit to Reunion Arena on Nov. 8, the
Grizzlies routed the Mavericks 101-74, Dallas' most lopsided defeat
of the season.
"The only explanation is that we were more prepared tonight,"
acting Mavericks coach Donn Nelson said. "That loss definitely
stung and we hadn't forgotten that. We're a deeper team, more
mature and were executing better."
Dirk Nowitzki had 19 points and 10 rebounds and Hubert Davis
added 19 points off the bench for the Mavericks, who won for the
fourth time in their last five games.
Dallas posted its season-high point total and its largest margin
of victory for the season. Vancouver lost its sixth in a row.
The Mavericks rolled to a 71-43 halftime lead behind 15 points
and eight rebounds from Nowitzki and 13 from Davis. Dallas had its
biggest half of the season, surpassing a 69-point second half
against Houston on Dec. 30.
Dallas broke open the game by outscoring the Grizzlies 39-20 in
the second quarter behind Davis' 13 points and Nowitzki's 12. The
Mavericks shot 69.6 percent in the second quarter (16-for-23) and
Davis hit all three 3-point attempts.
The Mavericks wanted get off to a better start than they did on
Tuesday night when the were outscored by the Philadelphia 76ers in
the first quarter, 32-20, en route to a 114-98 defeat. Nash was
especially anxious to play well against Vancouver, his native city.
"We were determined after the last loss (to Philadelphia) to
get off to a good start tonight," Nash said. "We were able to
push the ball, move it around, get some easy baskets. I think this
win gets our confidence back."
The Mavericks opened with a 32-23 first quarter, hitting 14 of
their first 21 field goal attempts.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Mike Bibby all
scored 13 points each to pace the Grizzlies, who fell to 3-15 on
the road.
Dallas went on to lead by as many as 40 points in the fourth
quarter, allowing Nelson to hold out his starters.
"That's exactly what the doctor ordered," said Nelson, running
the team in place of his father, Don, who is recovering from
prostate cancer surgery. "We needed to rest some guys and we had a
chance to do that tonight."
Vancouver coach Sidney Lowe credited the Mavericks for opening
the game with intensity. In the next breath, he ripped his team for
its lax defense.
"Dallas is a good team, but we need to be able to compete,"
said Lowe. "We're going to see many nights like this in the second
half of the season when teams are trying to get in position for the
playoffs.a"
Abdur-Rahim has been prominently mentioned in trade rumors, and
he finished Thursday night 7.3 points under his season average.
"Anything I would say would be detrimental to the team,"
Abdur-Rahim said.
Finley drew the primary defensive assignment against
Abdur-Rahim.
"We just tried to eliminate his catches and make it tough for
him to get the ball," Finley said. "Any time you play one of the
best guys in the NBA, you have to pick your game up."
Game notes
Prior to the game, the Mavericks activated guard Greg
Buckner off the injured list. He scored three points in 13 minutes.
To make room for him, the team placed rookie forward Donnell Harvey
on the injured list because of tendinitis in his right elbow.
Buckner missed 24 games after undergoing surgery to remove a bone
spur from his right foot. ... The Grizzlies are 4-18 all-time
against the Mavericks. ... The 71 points allowed in the first half
were the most given up by the Grizzlies in any half this season.
...Dallas forward Gary Trent finished with a season-high 10 points.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Vancouver Clubhouse
Dallas Clubhouse
RECAPS
Dallas 120
Vancouver 83
Portland 92
Indiana 82
Minnesota 109
Orlando 100
Utah 98
Denver 96
San Antonio 97
Sacramento 91
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Mike Bibby Official Site
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