Mavericks-Celtics Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
Posted Dec 11 2012 8:58PM

Maybe Jason Terry's play last season for the Dallas Mavericks against the Boston Celtics is a big reason why he's wearing green and white now.

Terry will face the Mavericks for the first time since joining the Celtics in Wednesday night's matchup in Boston.

Dallas (11-10) has won four straight over Boston (11-9), with Dirk Nowitzki leading the way with 24.0 points per game. Nowitzki is nearing a return, but remains out after right knee surgery.

Terry averaged 17.0 points in last season's two wins over Boston, and the free agent joined the Celtics on a three-year deal after eight seasons with Dallas - his second team after beginning his career with Atlanta. He is sixth on the Mavericks' all-time list with 9,953 points, seventh with 2,524 assists and second behind Nowitzki with 1,140 3-pointers.

It hasn't been a smooth transition with his new club - the sharpshooter is averaging 11.5 points for his lowest mark since his rookie season.

Dallas is seeking a season-high fourth straight win in the opener of a three-game trip. O.J. Mayo led six Mavericks in double figures with 19 points in Monday's 119-96 rout of Sacramento.

"We're playing good basketball right now," said Mayo, averaging 27.3 points and shooting 57.7 percent during this win streak. "But now we've got to take it on the road with us and continue playing hard. We need to continue playing with effort and energy."

Although the Mavericks posted their second-highest point total of the season, coach Rick Carlisle credited a defensive effort that limited the Kings to 44.0 percent shooting.

"We were in position and we were scrambling," Carlisle said. "So that made a lot of good things happen for us offensively."

Defense was a major reason why Boston posted its third straight home win, 92-79 over Philadelphia on Saturday. The Celtics limited the 76ers to 39.2 percent from the field.

"Our defense is why we won," coach Doc Rivers said. "I thought the first half, going zone, man and back and forth is good for us. And again when you play defense like that, you usually win games."

Boston bounced back from a 95-94 loss at Philadelphia the night before. Kevin Garnett scored 19 points and Rajon Rondo had 11 assists.

"After last night's performance, everybody came here with a chip on their shoulders," Garnett said. "So we need to play with a little edge more."

The Celtics have split their last six games, but have limited foes to 40.2 percent shooting in that span after allowing them to shoot 46.3 percent in their first 14 games.

"We're being more aggressive on the ball," forward Jeff Green said. "We're not allowing guys to turn the corner. I think we allowed guys to do that a lot the first part of the season. We just need to continue what we're doing."

Rondo continues to lead the NBA with 12.8 assists per game.

While Boston has struggled to shoot 26.4 percent on 3-pointers in its last three games, Dallas is shooting 37.5 percent from long range during its run, with Mayo making 12 of 18.

Mavs forward Shawn Marion has missed the last two games with a strained groin. He is day to day.

Pierce scores 34 as Celtics top Mavs in double-OT

By JIMMY GOLEN
Posted Dec 13 2012 12:52AM

BOSTON (AP) Rajon Rondo had a chance to win it in regulation and Derek Fisher got enough of the shot to keep it from travelling more than a few feet.

Then Paul Pierce's shot at a game-winner at the end of the first overtime was blocked by Dahntay Jones.

There was still plenty of time for Pierce and Rondo to come through.

Pierce made a 3-pointer at the start of the second extra period to give Boston the lead for good, and the Celtics held on for a 117-115 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

Pierce scored 34 points in all, and Rondo had 16 points, 15 assists and nine rebounds in a career-high 52 minutes, 30 seconds.

"We ask him to do a lot," Pierce said of Rondo. "We ask him to push it up, score and rebound. We ask him to do a lot because he can do it."

Pierce had four points in the first overtime - putting him over 23,000 points in his career - and eight in the second. Rondo, who played the entire first OT and all but 2 seconds of the second, had the only other basket in the second overtime before Courtney Lee made a pair of free throws with 6 seconds to play.

"I thought the biggest mistake I made was leaving Rondo in that long," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "I thought that had an impact on the speed of the game."

Kevin Garnett added 16 points for Boston, and Jason Terry had 10 points against the team he played with for eight seasons.

O.J. Mayo scored 24 points for Dallas, and Shawn Marion had 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Mayo, who played 51:55, also had nine of the Mavericks' 28 turnovers.

"I wasn't tired at all. You just can't turn the ball over. Look at the stats, man: nine turnovers out of 28," he said. "We had plenty of opportunities to take control of that game and win. We've got to be better in that area. We just can't turn the ball over."

Boston led by 14 in the third quarter and eight after the first basket in the fourth before Dallas chipped away at the deficit and tied it at 92 on Darren Collison's drive to the basket. After Rondo made a jumper, Fisher hit a 3-pointer with 1:47 left in the fourth to give the Mavericks their first lead of the game.

Pierce came out in the second overtime and hit a 3 to make it 108-105. Mayo's basket made it a one-point game and the tired teams struggled to score until Rondo drove to the basket to give Boston a 110-107 lead with 36 seconds to play.

From there, Dallas was forced to foul.

Pierce sank one of two free throws and Vince Carter hit a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left to make it 111-110. Pierce hit another pair of foul shots and Collison hit two free throws before Pierce and Courtney Lee each made two.

Mayo hit a meaningless 3-pointer at the buzzer to make it a two-point final margin.

The Celtics never trailed, opening a six-point lead in the first quarter and leading by as many as 10 in the second before Dallas scored 8 of the last 11 points in the half to head into the break down just 48-43.

Boston opened a 14-point lead early in the third quarter before the Mavericks scored 10 of the next 12 points. After Rondo drove to the basket to give Boston a 78-70 lead with the first score of the fourth quarter, the Mavericks went on a 7-2 run - five of those points coming from Mayo - to make it a three-point game.

Notes: Mavericks F Dirk Nowitzki has not played since October surgery on his right knee. Coach Rick Carlisle says there is no timetable for his return. ... The Celtics leave for a Texas swing, starting in Houston on Friday followed by San Antonio on Saturday. ... Mayo, who is second in the NBA in 3-pointers, did not make one until early in the second half.

Notebook: Celtic 117, Dallas 115 (Double-OT)

Brian Robb, for NBA.com
Posted Thu Dec 13, 2012 12:44 AM - Updated Thu Dec 13, 2012 5:59 AM

THE FACTS: Paul Pierce finished with a season-high 34 points as the Boston Celtics fought past the Dallas Mavericks for a 117-115 win in double-overtime at the TD Garden. Boston led by as many as eight points in the fourth quarter before Dallas closed the gap behind a balanced offensive attack led by O.J. Mayo (24 points) to force overtime. With both teams winded in overtime, Rajon Rondo (16 points, 15 assists, nine rebounds) helped take command in the closing moments, enabling Boston to escape with their second straight win. The Mavericks had their three-game winning streak snapped.

QUOTABLE: "This is a good win, especially with the huge road trip coming up. We allowed them to shoot a high percentage, it says a lot about how this team has grown when you can win games like this."
-- Pierce

THE STAT: The Mavericks were incredibly sloppy with the ball against an improving Celtics defense, turning the ball over a season-high 27 times on the night. Mayo and Darren Collison alone turned it over a combined 16 times. Before Wednesday, Dallas had averaged only 15 turnovers a contest.

TURNING POINT: After both teams traded 10 consecutive misses in the second overtime, Rondo made a strong drive to the hoop against Mayo, scoring the C's second basket of overtime to give them a three-point lead with 35 seconds remaining. After a Dallas miss, Boston rode the cushion and reliable free-throw shooting from Pierce (5-of-6 in double-overtime) to hold on for the win.

QUOTABLE II: "We were right there. We had turnovers that throughout the game killed us. We can't beat anyone with that many turnovers."
-- Mayo

HOT: Collison. Hecame alive in the second half, torching Rondo off the dribble on multiple occasions as he scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half on 6-of-9 shooting from the field.

NOT: Jason Terry. The ex-Maverick struggled against his former teammates, shooting just 3-of-10 from the field and a mere 1-of-6 from downtown. Over his past three games, Terry has been mirred in a major slump, shooting just 22.6 percent from the field over those contests.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Shawn Marion. The 13-year veteran didn't seem to be bothered by a strained right groin, which kept him sidelined for the past two games. Marion served as the team's center for much of the 4th quarter and overtime, posted one of his best all-around lines of the season. Marion finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and a season-high seven assists.

ROOKIE WATCH: Jared Sullinger. The 20-year-old went scoreless for Boston for just the third time all season in 11 minutes of action. Sullinger also added three rebounds, an assist and a steal.

NOTABLE: Jae Crowder missed the game with flu-like symptoms for Dallas. He will travel with the team to Toronto for their contest Friday night. In overtime with just under a minute remaining, Pierce became the 25th player in NBA history to score 23,000 points. The Celtics sent Fab Melo back to the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate before the game. Derek Fisher had ten points and four assists before fouling out in overtime. Seven Mavericks finished in double figures. Boston led by as many as 14. Dallas did not grab an offensive rebound in either overtime. It was Boston's second overtime game in their past three contests. Pierce scored 12 of his 34 points in the two overtimes.

UP NEXT: For Dallas, Friday @ Toronto, Saturday @ Minnesota, Tuesday vs. Philadelphia. For Boston, Friday @ Houston, Saturday @ San Antonio, Tuesday @ Chicago.

• Mavericks: Cunningham, Nowitzki
• Celtics: Joseph, Melo

• Mavericks: --
• Celtics: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #11 Derrick Collins, #29 Mark Lindsay
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 3:11