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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Dirk Nowitzki quickly made up for lost time.
|  | | Dirk Nowitzki had 28 points and 10 rebounds Saturday for his 15th double-double this season. |
After not getting a shot off in the first 14 minutes, Nowitzki
scored 28 points, including 12 straight at one point for Dallas, as
the Mavericks defeated the Washington Wizards 103-85 Saturday
night.
"I think I was kind of floating around out there in the first
quarter, not really being aggressive," Nowitzki said. "I had a
couple of good looks and Steve (Nash) always sets me up good.
That's my game."
Nowitzki, Dallas' leading scorer, bounced back from the slow
start to score 14 points in the final 10 minutes of the first half,
including Dallas' last five of the quarter, and the Mavericks'
first seven points of the third.
Nowitzki hit a 3-pointer with under two minutes left in the
third that sparked a 10-point run and gave Dallas a 75-63 lead.
Nowitzki also finished with 10 rebounds for his 15th double-double
this season.
"Dirk's continuing to grab the boards, and he's always going to
be there scoring," Nash said. "It's great when he continues to
rebound so well. It's going to make him a really complete player."
Acting coach Donnie Nelson said that Nowitzki's rebounding has
improved greatly and makes him even more valuable.
"The defensive rebounding is something he's taken tremendous
pride in and as a result, he's gotten a lot better at it," Nelson
said. "If he doesn't rebound, we're in serious trouble."
Michael Finley added 25 points for Dallas, Nash had 14 points
and 13 assists and Shawn Bradley had 14 points and a season-high 17
rebounds.
Felipe Lopez, Juwan Howard and Richard Hamilton led the Wizards
with 16 points apiece.
Dallas' 11 first-quarter turnovers helped the Wizards lead early
in the game. But Christian Laettner scored nine of his 11 points in
the first quarter to help the Mavericks stay close.
Washington had 23 more shots than Dallas, but the Wizards hit
only 36 percent from the field. Dallas, however, made 50 percent
and turned the ball over only three times in the second half.
"They shot the ball well, and they scored so easily,"
Washington coach Leonard Hamilton said. "Psychologically it put a
lot of pressure on our guys."
Game notes
Courtney Alexander of Dallas missed the game with the flu.
... Dallas owner Mark Cuban still was answering questions about his
$250,000 fine for criticisms of league officials, saying that "the
easiest way to shut me up is to have two people replace Stu Jackson
... one to review the officials' calls and one to use the data to
help the referees. The NBA doesn't track calls or missed calls. We
now have a third-party referee who sits and (tracks) their calls at
every game." ... Hamilton has scored in double figures in five
straight games for Washington. ... Lopez had a season-high 10
rebounds for Washington.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Dallas Clubhouse
Washington Clubhouse
RECAPS
Dallas 103
Washington 85
Atlanta 83
Orlando 82
Philadelphia 107
Cleveland 103
Miami 112
Boston 86
New Jersey 97
Golden State 92
Utah 99
Houston 97
San Antonio 108
Detroit 101
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Juwan Howard Official Site
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