|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME FLOW
BOSTON (AP) -- Dirk Nowitzki's performance in Boston on Monday
night got people talking about another lanky forward who used to
play in these parts.
|  | | The Mavs' Dirk Nowitzki (41) knocks a rebound away from Boston's Antoine Walker. |
"That young man in the corner has maybe the best stroke I've
seen since Larry Bird," Celtics coach Rick Pitino said after
Nowitzki scored 31 to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 106-98 victory
over Boston. "He's a terrific basketball player."
After almost missing Sunday night's game in Detroit because of
the flu, Nowitzki scored 25 against the Pistons and continued his
hot hand on Monday with 19 by the half, going 5-for-7 from 3-point
range overall.
"Not to put any pressure on Dirk, but everybody's talking about
the coming of the next Michael Jordan. ... Dirk reminds me of Larry
Bird," Mavericks forward Michael Finley said. "The way he hits
the boards; the way he'll take off and go coast to coast. He hits
the mid-range jumper. It seems as if it's easy to compare them."
Don't forget about the way he wins in Boston.
With Nowitzki on their side, the Mavericks have won consecutive
games at the FleetCenter after winning just once in 18 tries since
the franchise was founded in 1980.
Steve Nash added 20 points with 14 assists to give the Mavericks
their third straight win since coach Don Nelson missed three games
-- two of them losses -- when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
They finished their road trip 4-2.
"We all like to play for Don Nelson. He's a great coach and he
put the team together," Nowitzki said. "We really picked it up
since our two losses and we made it a nice trip for us."
Paul Pierce scored 30 for Boston, and Antoine Walker had 20 with
17 rebounds as the Celtics lost their fourth consecutive game.
Afterward, Pitino put guard Kenny Anderson on the injured list.
"I'm out of sync out there," said Anderson, who missed 16
games with a broken jaw before returning Dec. 10. "I was kind of
naive to think I could sit out a month and then play against the
best athletes in the world."
The Mavericks led by 17 after one quarter and nine after two
before the Celtics briefly took the lead with an 11-3 run midway
through the third.
Nowitzki hit a 3-pointer to give Dallas a 66-58 lead with 8:40
left in the third, but Bryant Stith answered with one of his own to
cut the lead to five points. Walker made a layup to put Boston
within three, but Nash hit a 3-pointer for Dallas.
Pierce made two straight jumpers, then stole the ball to give
Boston a chance to tie it. It took a few trips down the court, but
the Celtics finally took a 70-69 lead on Vitaly Potapenko's
three-point play with 5:09 left in the third.
Boston led 76-73 before Gary Trent dunked, then Nowitzki hit a
3-pointer to put the Mavericks ahead for good with 2:52 left in the
third.
Game notes
The Celtics play their next four games on the road. Dallas
plays its next six at home. ... Nelson needs one more win to tie
Bill Fitch (944) for third place all-time on the coaching victory
list. He passed Red Auerbach (938) earlier this season. ... Dallas
shot 62 percent in the first half. ... The Mavericks are 15-0 when
they lead going into the fourth quarter... The announced crowd of
11,327 -- there were several thousand no-shows as well -- was the
Celtics' smallest since 1979.
|
|
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Dallas Clubhouse
Boston Clubhouse
RECAPS
Dallas 106
Boston 98
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Antoine Walker Official Site
|
