Practice Report (01/17/12)

Earl K. Sneed reports from Los Angeles at the Dallas Mavericks' Tuesday practice, where the team tried to bounce back from its last-second loss to the Lakers and an injury to newcomer Vince Carter.

LOS ANGELES — It's over and now it's time to move on.

After having their five-game win streak snapped and Lamar Odom's return to Los Angeles ruined at the hands of his former team, the Lakers, the defending champion Dallas Mavericks returned to the practice court Tuesday knowing that there's much work to be done.

Coming off a season-low scoring night and losing on Derek Fisher's game-winning 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds left in a 73-70 defeat, the Mavericks (8-6) shook off their poor offensive showing before Wednesday night's nationally-televised matchup with the L.A. Clippers. And practicing without newcomer Vince Carter, who remained back at the team hotel after spraining his left foot before missing a game-tying attempt at the buzzer Monday night, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle emphasized to his players the importance of putting the loss behind them in order to turn their attention to the remaining three games on the road trip.

Meanwhile, the Mavs may have to pick up the pieces without Carter as the eight-time All-Star is not expected to play Wednesday night although he does remain with the team.

"He's doing a little better today, but other than that he's not expected to play tomorrow," Carlisle said of Carter's timetable for a return to action. "We've got to see how he responds here. If this is gonna be a short-term thing, we may just ride it out. ... We'll see how this thing goes the next day or so, and then we'll make a decision on whether to keep him here or not."

Fortunately for the Mavericks, even despite the last-second loss and Carter injury, there were positives to build around as the team held the Lakers to just 38.2 percent from the floor on the defensive end which was overshadowed by their own 35 percent shooting. The Mavs also held the NBA's leading scorer, Kobe Bryant, in check while hounding him to just 14 points on a 7-of-22 night to break his four-game stretch of 40-point games.

The loss was also the 11th straight game the Dallas defense has held an opponent under 100 points after allowing triple digits in each of the first three games, which were all defeats.

"Well, we're building momentum with our defense. Right now we're No. 3 in the league, which is significant, and we're No. 2 in the last 21 days. Those are positive things," the coach explained. "I feel like we're building some team toughness, but we've got to continue with it and understand that's gonna be the key to our improvement and success.

"We've just got to keep playing. We missed our fair share of shots that we normally make and we made some tough ones. So, there's a mixture of things. But right now, with the way things are, we can't bellyache about missed shots. We've got to continue with the defense and know that if we keep doing the right things at the defensive end our offense is gonna come around."

One player that may be asked to assist that offensive resurgence could be third-year guard Rodrigue Beaubois in Carter's stead. With the veteran swingman out, there could be more minutes available for Beaubois in the backcourt. And after showing positive signs of improvement following an injury-plagued second season, Beaubois believes he'll be ready should Carlisle call upon him Wednesday night versus the Clippers.

Playing in 12 of the Mavericks' 14 games and averaging just over 13 minutes of action, Beaubois has posted 5.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals an outing. But it's his energy level that the young Frenchman hopes impresses Carlisle enough to earn more playing time if Carter is unable to suite up.

"I don't know the way that [Carlisle] is gonna use me, so I just need to be ready and do what he ask me to do. Bring my energy, obviously, and play defense, and just do what he ask me to do," Beaubois explained. "Now, I just need to try to push myself and try to bring my energy. That's what I'm working on to get better at it."

The Mavericks return to the Staples Center for Wednesday night’s matchup with the Clippers, in a game that will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest and nationally on ESPN at 9:30 p.m. CT.

Single-game tickets are on sale and available at the American Airlines Center North Box Office, online at mavs.com, via phone by calling 214-747-MAVS or 1-800-4NBA-TIX and all Ticketmaster outlets (Fiesta Grocery Stores, Wal-Mart, Simon Mall in Garland and the Shops at Willow Bend in Plano).

Dr. Pepper Family Nights are here! Plans include four Mavs tickets and four McDonald’s extra value meals, starting at $49. Visit mavs.com or call 214-747-MAVS for a schedule of games and to purchase tickets.