Mavericks-Pistons Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Jan 10 2012 1:02AM

Dirk Nowitzki is mired in a shooting slump for the Dallas Mavericks, though it may seem minimal compared to the recent lackluster efforts of the Detroit Pistons.

The Mavericks look to send the Pistons to their fifth consecutive loss when the teams meet Tuesday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Nowitzki is averaging 12.0 points and shooting 30.8 percent over his last three games, though Dallas (4-5) overcame his 2-for-11, 10-point effort in Saturday's 96-81 victory over New Orleans.

The Mavericks have won three of their last four games after dropping four of five to begin the season.

"It's a win. When you're struggling like we are, the only thing you can take out of this is that it's a win," Nowitzki said. "I've got to keep working. I'm not there yet. I had shots. I've got to make them."

The veteran complained of fatigue after going 3 for 11 with six points in Thursday's blowout loss to San Antonio, but he and the defending champion Mavericks received two days off for the first time this month.

Saturday's contest ended a stretch of five games in seven days.

Vince Carter and Ian Mahinmi led six players in double figures with 13 points each for Dallas, which played without Jason Kidd after he suffered a lower-back injury against the Spurs.

The Mavericks' bench outscored New Orleans' 53-31.

"This is kind of the defining characteristic of this season," coach Rick Carlisle said. "Depth is king, energy trumps everything."

Kidd will miss at least the next two games due to the injury, though Nowitzki should be able to get back on track against Detroit if history is any indication.

Nowitzki is averaging 29.5 points and shooting 52.8 percent in his last six games versus the Pistons (2-7), who are coming off their worst offensive effort of the season.

Detroit has lost by an average of 21.5 points during its four-game skid while shooting 38.4 percent, setting a season-low for points in Monday's 92-68 defeat at Chicago.

The Pistons are scoring a league-worst 82.4 points per game and haven't scored more than 96.

Greg Monroe had team highs of 14 points and 10 rebounds, while rookie Brandon Knight scored 13 points.

"On offense we were making the right plays, but when you're playing a high-end team like (Chicago), you have to play four quarters," coach Lawrence Frank said.

Rodney Stuckey (sore groin) nor Charlie Villanueva (sore right ankle) played at all, each missing their third consecutive game. They're listed as day to day, though Frank said injuries are no excuse, especially in a shortened season when injuries are expected.

"Every team has a lot of games and that's just the reality," Frank said. "That's the reason why guys are getting hurt. There's a lot of games in a short of time, without the same previous training practices. It happened in the NFL and it happened here. It is what it is."

The Mavericks have won seven of the last nine meetings, though the Pistons ended a five-game skid in the series with a 103-89 victory in the most recent matchup Jan. 17.

Stuckey had 20 points and Tayshaun Prince 19 to help overcome Nowitzki's game-high 32 in that contest.

Mavs at .500 after 100-86 rout of Pistons

By NOAH TRISTER
Posted Jan 11 2012 2:50AM

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks are beginning to show their championship form again.

Of course, the Detroit Pistons are making a lot of teams look good these days.

Nowitzki scored 18 points, and the Mavericks reached the .500 mark by routing Detroit 100-86 on Tuesday night. Dallas started its NBA title defense slowly, losing four of its first five games, but the Mavericks have bounced back.

Dallas (5-5) won on the road for the first time, leading by as many as 28 in the second half. Shawn Marion scored 14 points and Vince Carter added 11 for the Mavericks.

"We've had some rough ones, but tonight was a good one all around," Marion said. "Everybody was contributing, helping each other."

Will Bynum scored 20 points for Detroit. The Pistons (2-8) have lost five straight games, and this was actually the least lopsided of the bunch thanks to a late run.

The Mavericks, playing without injured point guard Jason Kidd, went on runs of 13-0 in the first quarter and 16-0 in the third.

Nowitzki shot 5 of 22 over his previous two games, but he broke out of that slump against the Pistons, going 9 of 10. He made all six attempts from the field in the first half, and Dallas shot 55 percent for the game.

"It's a road win that we haven't had yet, so that's really important to us," coach Rick Carlisle said. "Momentum has been elusive for us, so we respect how tough it is competitively in this league right now, but our goal is to build on this."

The Mavericks made their first eight shots and took a 19-4 lead on a layup by Marion. They finally missed when Delonte West lost control of the ball while going for a one-handed dunk on a fast break. The score was 23-9 at that point.

After Detroit's Greg Monroe scored a basket to start the second half, Dallas answered with 16 straight points to make it 68-40. Marion, Brendan Haywood and Nowitzki each had dunks during the run.

"As I've said, this process may be very painful," said Lawrence Frank, the new coach of the rebuilding Pistons. "It doesn't get better just because you want it to get better. I hope we are all frustrated, because when you are, you have two options. The first is to work harder and understand what you want to do. The second choice isn't an option."

Midway through the fourth quarter, Jason Terry had the ball on the baseline when he lobbed it toward the rim. Dallas reserve Brandan Wright dunked it with one hand for an 88-61 lead.

Kidd missed his second consecutive game with a lower back problem. Detroit's Rodney Stuckey (groin) and Charlie Villanueva (right ankle) didn't play either. Stuckey hasn't played since last Wednesday, which was the start of this dreadful stretch for the Pistons.

Detroit's previous defeats in this streak were by 16, 23, 23 and 24. No NBA team has lost four straight games by at least 23 points, according to STATS, LLC. The last team to lose five in a row by at least 16 was the Washington Bullets, who dropped six in a row by at least that margin in March 1994.

The Pistons narrowly avoided that distinction by scoring the game's final 12 points.

"Everyone wants a baby, but few people want to go through the pregnancy," Frank said. "This is going to be hard."

Detroit misses Stuckey's ability to penetrate on offense. Rookie Brandon Knight started at point guard Tuesday, but he had six of the Pistons' 20 turnovers.

West had six points, 10 assists and five steals for Dallas.

"We would love to be 10-0 right now," West said. "It's a long season and you can't get too high or too low on wins and losses until the losses start to hurt you once you get in the playoffs."

NOTES: The Pistons had only two rebounds in the first quarter, when the Mavericks shot 10 of 14. ... Nowitzki is now 19 points short of 23,000. ... Yi Jianlian, recalled from the NBA Development League on Monday, played 5:24 for Dallas. He had a foul and a rebound.

Notebook: Mavericks 100, Pistons 86

By Dana Gauruder, for NBA.com
Posted Tuesday January 10, 2012 11:16PM

THE FACTS: The Dallas Mavericks, playing without injured Jason Kidd, made their first eight field-goal attempts and rolled to a 100-86 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night at The Palace. Dirk Nowitzki went 9-for-10 from the field to lead the Mavs, who shot 55.1 percent, with 18 points. Will Bynum had 20 points for the Pistons, who have lost five straight.

QUOTABLE: "I pride myself in being a playmaker. That's what this team is predicated on, making plays for each other, and that kind of fits my mold. That's just how we are, a very unselfish team. You got to see a little bit of that tonight. When Jason's on the floor, he's one of the best at it, so that's what I wanted to bring."
-- Dallas guard Vince Carter, who had five assists to help make up for the absence of Jason Kidd.

THE STAT: 130:56. The Pistons haven't held a lead since they were up 30-27 with 10:56 remaining in the first half against New York on Saturday. That's 130 minutes and 56 seconds of basketball, or nearly 11 quarters, since they had an advantage over their opponent. They never led against Chicago on Monday and futilely chased the Mavs throughout Tuesday's game.

TURNING POINT: Nowitzki got an early rest and returned to the game with 10:12 left in the half after the Pistons sliced Dallas' 16-point advantage to seven, 32-25. He promptly drilled a couple of 19-foot jumpers, sandwiching a Carter 3-pointer, then fed Carter for another three that lifted Dallas' lead to 13, 42-29. The Mavs were up double digits the rest of the way.

QUOTABLE II: "We're not losing just because we're playing quality teams. We're losing because we don't deserve to win."
-- Pistons coach Lawrence Frank

HOT: Delonte West started in place of Kidd, who missed his second straight game with a lower back injury, and did his best impression of the perennial All-Star. West had 10 assists while committing just two turnovers and also sparked the defense with five steals.

NOT: Center Greg Monroe scored on the Pistons' first possession of the second half. Their next basket came with 4:38 remaining in the quarter on a Damien Wilkins jumper. In between, they missed seven shots and committed six turnovers as the Mavs built their lead to as much as 28 points.

NOTABLE: The Pistons are the first team since the 1993-94 Washington Bullets to lose five consecutive games by 16 or more points. The Bullets lost six straight games by at least that margin in March 1994. ... Pistons point guard Rodney Stuckey missed his fourth straight game with a groin injury. Rookie Brandon Knight, who started in place of Stuckey, had a season-high six turnovers. ... Monroe, who had averaged 17.3 points the previous seven games, took only six shots and finished with nine points. ... Detroit's starting forwards, Tayshaun Prince and Jonas Jerebko, combined for just six points, three rebounds and two assists.

UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Wednesday @ Boston, Friday vs. Milwaukee, Saturday vs. Sacramento. For the Pistons, Thursday @ Milwaukee, Friday @ Charlotte, Sunday vs. Golden State.

• Mavericks: Kidd, Williams
• Pistons: --

• Mavericks: --
• Pistons: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
• Officials: #43 Dan Crawford, #45 Brian Forte, #42 Eric Lewis
• Attendance: 10073
• Duration: 2:14