Mavericks-76ers Preview

By BRETT HUSTON
Posted Feb 16 2012 2:28PM

The Dallas Mavericks have won five straight, but extending that streak won't be easy with a backcourt that's becoming more depleted by the day.

After a recent stretch that's hardly lived up to their expectations, the Philadelphia 76ers would love to take advantage.

Jason Terry and Delonte West won't be available Friday night in Philadelphia as the Mavericks try to hand the 76ers a third straight home loss.

Dallas (19-11) opened February with three consecutive losses in which it was held to 88 points or fewer, but has gotten back on track. The Mavericks have averaged 100.8 points in their five straight wins, and they put six players in double figures and led by as many as 31 in Wednesday's 102-84 rout of Denver.

"(Depth) is the strength of our team," Lamar Odom told the Mavs' official website after scoring 14 points off the bench. "... Everybody's getting better and better as far as their game and their conditioning. We're having fun playing together."

That depth will be tested in Philadelphia. Terry sat out Wednesday because of a strained right quad - an injury that's not believed to be serious - and won't play Friday due to personal reasons. Rodrigue Beaubois didn't play Wednesday after his father passed away, leaving his status against the Sixers (20-10) in doubt.

While Terry and Beaubois likely won't be out too long, it appears West will be. The Mavs' top perimeter defender suffered a gruesome injury to his right ring finger while playing defense against the Nuggets, and according to coach Rick Carlisle, the prognosis isn't good.

"He's going to be out for a while," Carlisle said.

Those absences should provide a strong opportunity for perhaps the league's deepest team to get back on track after losing three of five. Eight Philadelphia players average at least 8.9 points, though a nagging Achilles strain is expected to keep starting center Spencer Hawes (10.5 ppg) out until after the All-Star break.

The 76ers lead the Atlantic Division thanks to a scoring defense that's among the league's top three (87.3 points per game) and an offense that takes care of the basketball. Philadelphia averages 10.5 turnovers, on pace for the fewest in a single season since the league started keeping track in 1977-78.

Neither of those elements was working in Wednesday's 103-87 loss at Orlando as the Sixers had 14 turnovers and allowed the Magic to knock down 15 of 25 from 3-point range.

Louis Williams, who had a team-high 21 points, was quickly looking ahead to Friday, Philadelphia's lone stop at the Wells Fargo Center in an eight-game stretch.

"We have an opportunity to go back home and play a game against the world champs and then get back out on the road," said Williams, who's averaged 20.0 points in his last six games. "We are very happy with where we are right now."

The Sixers, however, aren't exactly shining at home these days. They've scored just 85.3 points per game in losing three of four in Philadelphia, getting outrebounded by an average of 8.2.

The Mavericks had an average of 6.0 more boards than the Sixers in sweeping last season's series, though it was the backcourt that led the way in Philadelphia on March 1. Terry had 30 points off the bench while Jason Kidd recorded the most recent of his 107 career triple-doubles - seven of which have come against the Sixers.

Nowitzki rallies Mavericks to 82-75 win over 76ers

By DAN GELSTON
Posted Feb 18 2012 1:15AM

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Dirk Nowitzki nearly did enough in the second half to beat the 76ers on his own.

Nowitzki scored 24 points after halftime, matching Philadelphia's total, and the Dallas Mavericks erased a 15-point deficit to beat the Sixers 82-75 on Friday night.

Nowitzki finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds, but he took over early in the third, knocking down shots from awkward angles and sinking the type of clutch shots worthy of the star player on the defending NBA champions. His five baskets in the third quarter were one more than Philadelphia's total - on 14 fewer shots.

The All-Star led the Mavericks on a crushing 19-2 run. He hit a pair of 3s during the spurt to put Dallas ahead by three. He shook off a woeful first half in a big way, going 5 for 6 for 12 points.

"I had a couple go in, and we all know when a shooter sees a couple go in, the confidence goes up," Nowitzki said. "I knew in the second half I was going to come out and keep firing. I'm glad they went in."

So are the Mavericks.

Dominique Jones added 12 points, and Jason Kidd had nine points, nine rebounds and eight assists to help the Mavericks win their sixth straight game. Dallas snapped a tie early in the fourth with a 9-0 run, and that was more than enough with the 76ers losing their touch in the second half.

Reserve Nik Vucevic had 16 points to lead the Sixers, who missed 13 of 14 attempts from 3-point range.

"We just never could get anything offensively generated in the second half," coach Doug Collins said.

Lou Williams hit a jumper at the buzzer to give the Sixers eight points in the quarter and a 61-59 deficit. Philly missed 16 of 20 shots in the third and scored a season low for points in a quarter.

The Mavericks know how to hold on to a lead, improving to 18-1 when leading at the start of the fourth.

"Tonight was all about grit and guts and 13 guys being together and getting the job done," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said.

The Sixers beat everyone from the East-leading Bulls to Atlanta, Orlando and the Los Angeles Lakers in building a nice lead in the Atlantic Division.

They blew their chance in a big way to add the defending NBA champions to the list.

The veteran Mavericks have eight players with at least 10 years of NBA experience. Nowitzki, Kidd, Vince Carter and Shawn Marion have hit big shots and won big games at every level of the postseason, while the Sixers' nucleus is mostly 25 and younger.

But they played like seasoned pros early against Dallas for a half, dishing out 14 assists on 20 buckets in the first half and committing only one turnover. Lavoy Allen had six points and six rebounds in the first quarter, while Vucevic made his first five shots and finished the half with 12 points.

Elton Brand's lone block led to a fast-break dunk for Williams and a 13-point lead. The Sixers took a 51-37 lead into halftime and appeared in control.

Dallas had the experience edge - just not the shooting one. Nowitzki missed nine of 11 shots and Marion was 1 of 7 in the first half. In crunch time, however, the Mavs know they can count on their All-Stars to bail them out. The Sixers had no one step up in the fourth with a needed basket or key stop.

"We took advantage of our depth and our experience," Dallas owner Mark Cuban said.

The 76ers needed more of each.

Philadelphia's starting backcourt of Jodie Meeks and Jrue Holiday combined to go 0 for 12 from the floor for three points.

"We had a look on our faces of concern, and we have to do a better job of getting out of those funks like that," Sixers forward Andre Iguodala said. "It kind of lingered with us. It's a learning experience."

Nowitzki turned around after each shot in the third with a fist pump or big yell as he brought the Mavs back. All 12 of his rebounds were defensive.

"It's always a fun place to play," Nowitzki said.

Notes: 76ers C Spencer Hawes is wearing a boot on his left foot and will visit a specialist in California over the All-Star break. He's been bothered by an Achilles' heel strain. ... Jason Terry (personal) and Delonte West (broken finger) sat out for Dallas. ... Phillies slugger Ryan Howard was at the game.

Notebook: Mavericks 82, Sixers 75

Posted Friday February 17, 2012 11:28PM

By Andy Jasner, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Dirk Nowitzki scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, leading the Dallas Mavericks past the Philadelphia 76ers 82-75 Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Dominique Jones scored 12 points and Vince Carter had 10 points as the Mavericks (20-11) pulled away for their sixth straight win.

Nikola Vucevic scored a career-high 16 points while Thaddeus Young scored 14 and Lou Williams 12 for the Sixers, who lost their season-high third in a row at home. The Sixers fell to 20-11.

QUOTABLE: "The story of the game was defense."
-- Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle, on holding the Sixers to 34-percent shooting overall and 24 points in the second half.

THE STAT: Nowitzki scored 24 points in the second half. The Sixers managed just 24 points total in the second half. It's easy to see how the Mavericks were able to win.

TURNING POINT: The Sixers went ice cold after a 51-point first half and shot 9-for-42 in the second half It allowed the Mavericks to slowly climb back into the game and eventually pull away.

HOT: Nowitzki scored 24 of his 28 points in the second half and carried the Mavericks when they needed it most.

NOT: The Sixers' starting guards -- Jrue Holiday and Jodie Meeks -- combined to shoot 0-for-12. Holiday missed all nine shots and Meeks was 0-for-3.

QUOTABLE II: "Just keep giving the ball to Dirk and he's going to make something happen."
-- Jones.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd was terrific with nine points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Kidd nearly picked up his first triple-double this season. He has 107 in his illustrious career.

INSIDE THE ARENA: There was a boisterous crowd of 19,369 for the Mavericks-76ers game Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center. The fans were buzzing throughout, even during a second-half drought by the Sixers. Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard attended the game and received a rousing standing ovation. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Sixers owner Josh Harris each were in attendance.

QUOTABLE III: "We just didn't make shots. We had some decent looks. The ball just didn't go in for us."
-- Andre Iguodala.

GOOD MOVE: The Mavericks went to Nowitzki more often in the second half. The veteran forward took over the game with an array of offensive moves.

BAD MOVE: The Sixers' offense stalled far too often in the halfcourt, especially in crunch time. They couldn't get anything going in the open court and then struggled to get clean looks in any sets.

ROOKIE WATCH: The Mavericks feature no rookies on their roster. In fact, they have eight players with 10 or more years of experience. For the Sixers, forward Lavoy Allen started and finished with eight points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Vucevic added a career-best 16 points to go along with seven rebounds. Vucevic was 7-for-8 from the field.

NOTABLE: Nowitzki needed one blocked shot to reach 1,000 for his career going into the contest, and he still needs one. Nowitzki, who has made 1,214 3-pointers in his career, is on his way to becoming one of only three players in NBA history with at least 1,000 3-pointers and 1,000 blocked shots, joining Clifford Robinson and Rasheed Wallace. ... The Mavericks played without guards Rodrigue Beaubois and Jason Terry (personal reasons) and guard Delonte West (right ring finger fracture). ... Sixers center Spencer Hawes was out for the 17th time this season with a strained left Achilles. Hawes has been placed in a walking boot and he will wear it for at least two more weeks. Hawes will also get a second opinion during the All-Star break. ... The Sixers scored just eight points in the third quarter, their lowest output in any quarter this season. The same goes for the 24 points in the second half, which is also a low mark since the Wells Fargo Center opened in 1996. ... The Sixers missed 13 of their 14 3-pointers. ... Dallas has won 10 of the last 12 meetings with the Sixers, including three straight.

NEXT: For the Mavericks, Sunday @ New York, Monday vs. Boston, Wednesday vs. L.A. Lakers. For the Sixers, Sunday @ Minnesota, Tuesday @ Memphis, Wednesday @ Houston.

• Mavericks: Terry, Williams
• 76ers: Brackins

• Mavericks: --
• 76ers: --

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• Officials: #48 Scott Foster, #6 Tony Brown, #34 Kevin Cutler
• Attendance: 19369
• Duration: 2:20