|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME FLOW
DALLAS (AP) -- The Dallas Mavericks finally played with a lead
and extended their dominance of the Denver Nuggets.
|  | | Nuggets forward Kevin Willis, left, drives past Mavs center Shawn Bradley. |
Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points and 12 rebounds, and Michael Finley
added 23 points as the Mavericks beat the Nuggets 97-79
Saturday night.
The Mavericks had rallied from first-half deficits of 16 and 22
points to beat Charlotte and Orlando in their previous games. On
Saturday, Dallas took control in the second quarter and eased to
its third straight victory and seventh win in its last 10 games.
"It was nice to be able to breathe a little bit easier on this
one," Finley said. "Denver was a tired team and it showed. They
were one of the hotter teams going right now, but we played hard
from the start and met their challenge."
Hubert Davis had 17 points in a reserve role and went 5-for-6
from 3-point range as the Mavericks beat the Nuggets for the sixth
straight time and for the 16th in the last 20 meetings.
"We respect their team a whole lot," Davis said. "I don't
want to say we have their number. They've been playing well so it
was a big win tonight."
Nick Van Exel had 16 points and Voshon Lenard added 13 for the
Nuggets, who had won four straight overall and nine of their last
10.
The Mavericks owned a 63-47 rebounding edge and their defense
limited the Nuggets to 34 percent shooting from the field.
"We played a bigger lineup tonight and Dirk did a terrific
job," Mavericks acting coach Donnie Nelson said. "When we go big,
it makes us more of a powerful team inside."
Denver rallied from a 25-point deficit early in the fourth
quarter, using 10 unanswered points to close within 86-71 with 4:47
to play. But that was as close as the Nuggets got.
The Mavericks took a 74-59 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Davis had eight points, including two 3-pointers, and Loy Vaught
added six points as Dallas bridged the third and fourth quarters
with an 18-4 run for an 86-61 lead with 8:52 to play.
Dallas built a 53-43 halftime lead with the help of a 16-6
offensive rebounding edge.
In the first half, Nowitzki had 18 points and eight rebounds,
and Finley added 16 points.
The Nuggets turned the ball over on four of their first five
possessions, and that set the tone. Denver finished with 15
turnovers.
"I am sure they (the Mavericks) wanted to get off to a good
start," Denver coach Dan Issel said. "They've been getting off to
poor starts lately and having to come back and win the game at the
end.
"I thought their defense was excellent. They really forced us
out of what we wanted to do and we turned the ball over. Every
aspect of the game wasn't good for us tonight."
Notes:
Mavericks point guard Steve Nash missed his sixth straight
game due to a hamstring injury. Nash expects to play in Tuesday
night's home game against Philadelphia. ... Denver's James Posey
got hit with a second quarter technical foul when he slammed the
ball to the floor after picking up a foul. The ball bounced 50 feet
in the air.
|
|
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Denver Clubhouse
Dallas Clubhouse
RECAPS
Sacramento 111
Portland 101
Dallas 97
Denver 79
New Jersey 123
Chicago 103
Orlando 112
San Antonio 109
|
