Mavericks-Bobcats Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
Posted Nov 10 2012 12:47AM

If there's a sure thing in the NBA, it's that the Dallas Mavericks will beat the Charlotte Bobcats.

The visiting Mavericks can improve to 17-0 against the Bobcats on Saturday night in a matchup of teams coming off road defeats one night earlier.

Dallas (4-2) remains the only team that Charlotte (1-3) has never beaten. The Mavericks routed the Bobcats 126-99 exactly one week ago at home by making 16 3-pointers in their highest-scoring effort since March 10, 2011.

O.J. Mayo made seven 3-pointers and scored 30 points to lead six Mavericks in double figures. Dallas shot 61.3 percent.

"I think they just move the ball," Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap said. "There are three or four teams that we show film of and the Mavericks is one of them. They call it their flow offense. They do a great job of moving the ball to find the open shooter."

The Mavericks' average margin of victory in this streak is 11.1 points. No other club has ever won more than nine straight over Charlotte, which has never reached 100 points versus Dallas.

This rematch could be even easier for the Mavs since guard Gerald Henderson is out after suffering a left foot sprain in last Saturday's meeting. Henderson's 15.1 scoring average led the Bobcats in 2011-12.

Dallas saw its three-game win streak end with Friday's 104-94 defeat at New York.

Darren Collison, off to a hot start by averaging 16.2 points through his first five games, was limited to a season-low four on 1-of-8 shooting. Mayo scored a team-high 23 but had a career-high eight of the Mavs' 20 turnovers, leading to 20 points for the Knicks.

"New York's a veteran team and if you give them more possessions and you give them possessions on catastrophic turnovers, they're going to convert them into points," coach Rick Carlisle said.

Forward Elton Brand returned after missing a game following the birth of a child, and he continued his slow start with eight points and seven boards. Brand is averaging 6.2 points on 34.3 percent shooting.

Charlotte dropped its third straight Friday, 107-99 to New Orleans. Ben Gordon came off the bench for 34 points, six more than he totaled in his first three contests.

The Bobcats are allowing 109.8 points per game for the NBA's worst mark.

"With the players we have we'll be good enough to get some baskets, but it's really on the defensive end where we have to improve," Gordon said. "We have a young team and we'll just continue to work and try to grow in that area."

Rookie second-round pick Jeffery Taylor has started the last two games in place of Henderson. He scored seven Friday for his first NBA points.

The Bobcats' current lineup features rookies Taylor and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as well as second-year players Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo.

Dallas forward Shawn Marion will miss his third straight contest with a knee injury, while it is unclear if the Bobcats will have Brendan Haywood available after the former Mavs center missed Friday's game due to a family matter.

Kidd-Gilchrist lifts Bobcats over Mavs 101-97

By STEVE REED
Posted Nov 10 2012 11:44PM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is learning his way around the NBA, and the rookie took another big step forward on Saturday night.

Kidd-Gilchrist had a career-high 25 points and 12 rebounds to help the Charlotte Bobcats snap a 16-game losing streak against the Dallas Mavericks with a 101-97 overtime victory.

The former Kentucky star and No. 2 overall draft pick was 8 of 12 from the field and had a pair of crucial offensive rebounds off missed foul shots late in the game.

"I think everybody that has been watching all of our games say that MKG gets a little bit better and then all of a sudden he had what you would call a breakout game," coach Mike Dunlap said.

"I think realistic expectations are that he can do what he is doing on the boards. He is a very good defender. The third part of his game is indescribable. He just does little intangibles, passes the ball in close quarters, gets an extra hand on the ball to keep it alive on the offensive glass."

Teammate Kemba Walker called MKG "unbelievable."

"He wasn't a rookie tonight at all," said Walker, who had 26 points and seven assists in another huge game at home.

Ramon Sessions also gave the Bobcats a lift, making some big shots down the stretch and in overtime while scoring 12 points. He hit two free throws with 6.3 seconds left in the extra session to help seal the win.

Walker drew praise from Dunlap as well, who compared him to Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who plays his games just across town.

"He's finding his voice, running things, taking responsibility for our playbook and calling certain things instead of me calling him," Dunlap said. "That is all his development."

Dallas lost for the second straight night on the road after a 3-0 start.

O.J. Mayo scored 22 points and Vince Carter had 19 points for the Mavericks. Carter, who was 5 for 8 from 3-point range, missed an opportunity to win the game at the end of regulation when his fallaway jumper was short.

Kidd-Gilchrist attacked the basket with vigor and confidence.

The 6-foot-7 small forward ignited the crowd on one second-half fast break when he lost his shoe at half court, dribbled through two defenders for a layup and drew a foul to complete a three-point play.

But it was his two huge rebounds after missed foul shots that really helped lift the surprising Bobcats to the victory.

Dallas led by seven in the fourth quarter when Sessions powered an 8-0 run, converting two drives to the basket to help the Bobcats grab an 85-84 lead with 2:30 left. Carter followed with a 3-pointer and Mayo hit a pair of foul shots to put the Mavs back up by four with 26.6 seconds remaining.

Brendan Haywood came back with a slam dunk off a set play and was fouled. He missed the foul shot, but Kidd-Gilchrist grabbed the rebound and Sessions drove to the basket to tie it at 91 with 2.8 seconds left. Carter's jumper as time expired fell short.

Haywood tied it at 93 in the extra session and drew another foul.

Then it was deja vu.

Haywood missed the free throw again and Kidd-Gilchrist was there to keep it alive. That led to a Byron Mullens dunk, giving the Bobcats the lead with 2:21 left.

The Bobcats outrebounded the Mavericks 18-2 on the offensive glass in the second half and overtime, none bigger than the two by Kidd-Gilchrist.

"Those are the ones that are really just inexcusable," Mavs center Brandan Wright said. "You have to get a body on the guys. This one was a tough one to swallow."

Said Kidd-Gilchrist: "I'm just getting more comfortable I think as the season is going on. I think I'm starting to get everything. I really like my coaching. I'm just learning day by day."

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle stressed ball security coming in after the Mavericks turned it over 20 times in Friday night's 104-94 loss to the New York Knicks. But the Mavericks looked shaky early on, committing five turnovers in the first seven minutes to fall behind 22-9. They finished with 19 turnovers.

"We pretty much gave this one away," Wright said.

After a slow start, Mayo began to heat up, Carter hit three 3-pointers and the Mavericks opened a 55-44 lead at halftime. The Mavericks got a huge boost from their reserves, who outscored their counterparts 25-7.

Dallas' lead might have been even larger had it not been for Walker, who had 17 first-half points on 7-of-10 shooting.

Dunlap said breaking the losing streak against Dallas was huge for his team's confidence moving forward.

"There are a lot of first in terms of taking care of some things and we take full responsibility in terms of some of the things people see as a negative," Dunlap said. "We should be able to beat other teams that have had long winning streaks against us and we expect to beat them the hard way. We have to earn it."

NOTES: Haywood returned to the starting lineup after missing Friday's night game at New Orleans to deal with a family matter. ... Carlisle offered no update on when Dirk Nowitzki (knee) or Shawn Marion (knee) will return from their injuries. ... The Bobcats outrebounded the Mavs 36-20 in the second half and overtime.

Notebook: Bobcats 101, Mavericks 97

Bill Kiser, for NBA.com
Posted Sat Nov 10, 2012 11:54 PM - Updated Sat Nov 10, 2012 11:54 PM

THE FACTS: Kemba Walker scored a game-high 26 points and the Charlotte Bobcats fought back from a double-digit deficit in the second half to beat the Dallas Mavericks 101-97 in overtime Saturday night at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added a career-high 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Bobcats (2-3), who beat the Mavericks for the first time in the franchise's nine-year history, ending a 16-game losing streak against the 2011 NBA champions.

O.J. Mayo scored 22 points, Vince Carter came off the bench to add 19 points, Darren Collison had 14 and Elton Brand 10 for the Mavericks, who led 59-44 with 10:39 left in the third quarter. But the Bobcats fought back to briefly lead twice in the fourth quarter, and overcame a four-point deficit in the final 22 seconds of regulation on a Brendan Haywood dunk and Ramon Sessions layup with 2.8 seconds remaining.

Byron Mullens, who had a game-best 14 rebounds, then put the Bobcats ahead in overtime with his dunk with 3:18 remaining. Walker stretched Charlotte's lead to 97-93 with a layup with 1:30 left, and Kidd-Gilchrist and Sessions both hit free throws in the final 19 seconds to seal the win.

QUOTABLE: "We gave up way too many points to them the last time we played. But our players made some nice adjustments during the game on the pick-and-roll defense, which (the Mavericks) pride themselves on; on our ball pressure and finally defensive rebounding. We didn't let them get a lot of offensive boards." -- Bobcats head coach Mike Dunlap.

THE STAT: The Mavericks held a 23-17 advantage in rebounding in the first half, as they overcame a 13-point deficit in the first quarter to take 55-44 halftime lead. But the Bobcats dominated the boards in the second half and overtime, with their 36-20 edge -- including an 18-2 advantage in offensive rebounds -- helping them fight back from a 15-point deficit. For the game, Charlotte outrebounded Dallas 53-43, including a 21-8 advantage on the offensive glass.

TURNING POINT: The Bobcats closed out the fourth quarter with a 15-7 run to force the game into overtime, holding the Mavericks to just one field goal -- a Carter 3-pointer with 1:35 left -- in seven attempts over the final 4:30. Sessions scored six of his 12 points during the span.

QUOTABLE II: "There were mistakes made and poor decisions at the end, but it was the physical pounding that they put on us in the second half that won the game. They got extra possessions on the boards and they got by us off the dribble. We missed some good shots and made some poor decisions. This team has a lot to learn about winning. This is a very painful lesson." -- Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle.

HOT: Walker -- in addition to his 26 points (17 coming in the first half), the Bobcats' second-year pro also had a career-high eight steals, a season-best six rebounds and seven assists. While his shooting numbers weren't that impressive (10-of-22), he attacked the glass more frequently than in Charlotte's first four games.

NOT: Carter was hot in the first three quarters, hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers and 5-of-9 from the field overall to help the Mavericks pull ahead by double digits. But the 14-year pro couldn't hit when it counted -- he was 1-for-6 (1-of-3 on 3-pointers) in the fourth quarter and overtime.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: For those expecting another big game from Bobcats guard Ben Gordon, his performance against the Mavericks will be a disappointment -- 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting (2-of-4 on 3-pointers) and 1-of-4 from the line in 20 minutes before fouling out in the fourth quarter. That's a stark contrast with his record-setting 34-point game off the bench against the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night, where he went 14-of-21 (3-of-6 on 3s) and 3-of-4 from the line in just under 35 minutes.

ROOKIE WATCH: Kidd-Gilchrist, taken by the Bobcats with the No. 2 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, had by far his best game as a pro Saturday against the Mavericks. He went 8-of-12 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line, added a steal and had two of Charlotte's six blocked shots.

NOTABLE: The former Mavericks vs. Bobcats losing streak isn't the longest active team-vs.-team streak in the NBA. According to Rick Bonnell, the Bobcats beat writer for the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer, the longest is the Minnesota Timberwolves' ongoing futility against the L.A. Lakers, now at 19 consecutive losses.

UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Monday vs. Timberwolves, Wednesday vs. Wizards, Friday @ Pacers. For the Bobcats, Tuesday vs. Wizards, Wednesday @ Timberwolves, Saturday vs. Grizzlies.

• Mavericks: Marion, Nowitzki
• Bobcats: Henderson

• Mavericks: --
• Bobcats: --

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC
• Officials: #41 Ken Mauer, #45 Brian Forte, #77 Karl Lane
• Attendance: 15763
• Duration: 2:40