Recap: Mavericks 105 at Nuggets 95

Earl K. Sneed reports from Denver and recaps the Dallas Mavericks' win Wednesday night against the injury-plagued Nuggets as the defending champs brought an end to their three-game losing streak.

DENVER — Although much talk has been made on whether Dirk Nowitzki will make his 11th straight All-Star appearance or not when the reserves are announced Thursday, that was not the concern of Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle heading into his team’s Wednesday night road matchup with Denver.

Looking to bounce back from a three-game losing streak while trying to avenge a 115-93 home defeat at the hands of the Nuggets on Dec. 26, Carlisle and the defending champs entered the Pepsi Center needing another All-Star type of performance from their leading scorer. And with Nowitzki playing his best basketball of the shortened season, Carlisle was not ready to concede that the Mavericks (15-11) will be the first reigning champs in NBA history not to have a representative in the midseason festivities the following season.

“There’s a lot of people that think he doesn’t have a chance,” Carlisle said of Nowitzki’s All-Star aspirations. “I don’t necessarily feel that’s the case, but we’ll see. Either way, we’ll make it a positive. But right now, we’ve got this game to concentrate on, we’ve got Friday (against Minnesota) to concentrate on, and there’s a lot going on with us.”

Wednesday night, the Mavericks’ go-to player showed just why he does in fact deserve an 11th straight trip to the All-Star Game, leading his team to a 105-95 victory and snapping their losing skid in impressive fashion.

“This is a much-needed win,” Nowitzki simply said after the victory. “Some of the stuff we worked on Monday and Tuesday we were actually able to bring that to the game. So, that stuff is good to know. I thought we did a nice job of scrambling and really fighting for each other.”

After scoring the first basket of the game with a vintage jumper, Nowitzki appeared unhampered by three days in between games after back-to-back offensive explosions. Meanwhile, newcomer Delonte West began the game attacking in place of an injured Jason Kidd as the future Hall of Fame point guard missed his sixth straight game due to a strained right calf. And with the combination of West and forward Shawn Marion powering the Mavericks’ attack, the reigning titleholders would jump out to a lead as large in nine in the first 12 minutes of play before entering the second quarter with a 33-25 advantage.

Behind the French connection of Rodrigue Beaubois and Ian Mahinmi off the bench, the Mavericks would find themselves ahead by double digits early in the second stanza. Playing without injured sharpshooter Danilo Gallinari for at least a month due to “a significant ankle sprain,” the Nuggets and coach George Karl were then forced to call timeout to regroup after Brandan Wright’s hoop inside made it a 49-33 Dallas advantage with 7:00 left in the first half. And after Beaubois took advantage of the Denver defense it was Nowitzki’s turn to do the same, joining the third-year guard in double figures as the Mavs headed into the locker room with a 64-53 edge while leading by as much as 17.

Led by Beaubois’ 13 points off the bench and Nowitzki’s 12 points in the first unit on a combined 10-of-16 from the field, the Mavericks overcame being outshot by the Nuggets (15-11) through two quarters, 54.1 percent to 51 percent. Dallas also held the double-digit lead despite 32 combined points from the Nuggets’ trio of Nene, Rudy Fernandez and Ty Lawson.

“One of the big challenges tonight was to sustain our first-half effort and we did that. Second half was terrific and a lot of guys contributed,” Carlisle said.

Looking to break a string of poor second halves, the Mavs went to Nowitzki early and often in the third quarter and the 7-footer did not disappoint. Back-to-back 3-pointers by new addition Vince Carter then gave the visiting squad some extra breathing room, but Fernandez stroked again with a three to keep the Nuggets in the game while trimming the Mavs’ lead to 83-72 with 3:31 left in the 3rd. And after the Nuggets crept to within single digits, Lamar Odom’s timely score and Mahinmi’s tip-in helped the Mavericks escape into the fourth with an 87-78 margin under their belt.

Dallas then turned to a stingy defense in the final period with both Mahinmi and Wright protecting the rim for blocked shots as Denver tried its best to attack the interior. Meanwhile, Carlisle stuck with his reserves as they protected a double-digit advantage midway through the fourth. Nowitzki and Carter then reentered the game to put the finishing touches on the win with patented jumpers before Marion’s empathic throwdown in the game’s final minutes.

“This game was about our approach, our attitude and it was a big-time scramble game against the team that moves the ball better than any team in the league,” Carlisle concluded.

Leading the way for the Mavericks was Nowitzki, who scored a game-high 25 points on 11-of-20 shooting to go along with nine rebounds.

“An All-Star performance, didn’t you think? He’s getting back into a groove offensively and he’s looking like his old self in terms of moving around the court. So, it’s a lot of positives,” Carlisle said of Nowitzki’s night.

“I feel good, just more confident in everything — the movement, the shot and all-around game,” Nowitzki added. “I was fighting an uphill battle most of the season, for the first third of the season, but I feel good now. I have confidence in the leg strength again, I can make moves, I can spin and I can do all the stuff I need to do to get my shot off. Before that wasn’t really the case, so I feel good and we’ve got to try to translate that into wins and get our leader, J-Kidd, back hopefully Friday or Saturday.”

Doing much of his damage while operating from the post, Carter added 17 points and a season-high eight assists.

“To have the opportunity to post up and make plays, and I feel like I can score down there but I can also make plays for other guys that way just like I can in pick-and-rolls,” Carter explained.

“Vince caused a problem for them the entire game,” Carlisle added, “and a lot of our offense was generated from his post-ups with either him scoring or him kicking out to other guys. So, he was a key part of the game.”

Marion was the only other starter in double figures with 13 points, while Beaubois added 13 points and Wright pitched in 10 points off the bench.

Fernandez led six Nuggets in double figures with 17 points and Lawson registered a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists. Nene also recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, but the Mavericks outshot the Nuggets, 48.9 percent to 45.8 percent, in addition to a 46-38 margin on the boards.

“We rebounded the ball well, which is always a key for us. And outrebounding them on the road, that’s definitely a plus. If we do that we always have a good chance to win,” Nowitzki concluded.

The Mavs also held the high-octane Nuggets to just 17 fast-break points compared to their own 12, while also outscoring Denver in the paint, 38-36, and finishing with a 13-6 edge in second-chance points. Led by Carter, the Mavs also dished out 30 assists even without Kidd in the lineup.

“It’s definitely rewarding. We were able to get on track, played better basketball, team ball, and the ball was moving. We had a lot of assists tonight. We stayed the course, and that’s the biggest thing,” Carter explained.

The Mavs will now take Thursday to practice before returning to action Friday night in Minnesota in a third matchup with the Timberwolves. The Wolves lead the season series 2-0 after two double-digit wins in January, however, the Mavericks could have the services of Kidd for the showdown after the floor general goes through Thursday’s practice.

“We’ll see how I go tomorrow in practice. Then, if I feel good, we’ll give it a shot Friday,” Kidd said while looking ahead. “If not, there’s no timetable right now. We just want to make sure I’m 100 percent before I come back.”

Note: Friday night’s Mavericks-Timberwolves game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7 p.m. CT.

The team then returns to Dallas to host the Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center Saturday night. That game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.

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.