Art Garcia | Mavs.com

Posted: Jan. 28, 2008

MEMPHIS – Two of the Mavericks’ top five scorers were laid up back in Dallas on Monday night. It mattered little, at least for one game.

The remaining boys wearing blue had more than enough in their tanks to pick up the slack for their missing teammates. Josh Howard played the part of conductor as the Mavs rolled over the Grizzlies 103-84 before a listless crowd at FedEx Forum.

“Mainly our guys were focused,” Dallas coach Avery Johnson said. “They played tough on both ends and stuck with the game plan. We established our post game early in the game. We were physical which set the tone for the rest of the game.”

Howard scored 26, including 21 during a perfect first half, as Dallas (31-13) extended its winning streak to four against one of its Southwest Division neighbors. Memphis (13-32) isn’t the same team that met the Mavs in the playoffs two summers ago.

Starting point guard Devin Harris and key reserve Jerry Stackhouse – fourth and fifth, respectively, in Dallas’ scoring pecking order – are both out of the lineup nursing injuries. Jason Terry slid into the starting lineup for Harris, with JJ Barea and Trenton Hassell showcasing the bench’s depth.

“When we’ve been healthy and whole, I think they did a good job,” Johnson said of the bench. “We had a little moment there where we were healthy, we had a chance to see our team, but now we have two guys that are out of the rotation, so some other guys are going to have to play.”

The Mavs were in control from the start, taking their lead from Howard. If he’s making a late bid to impress Western Conference coaches, the first 24 minutes against Memphis can’t hurt any All-Star campaign.

Howard scored 14 in the first quarter, matching the team’s lead after the period. Fast starts by Howard and the Mavs have been common lately. He’s scored at least 10 in the first quarter in four of the last five games. The team has led by at least nine at the end of the first in nine of the last 14 contests.

He didn’t miss a shot – field goal or free throw – and was all over the court. That perfection bled into the second quarter, with Howard 8-for-8 from the floor, including 2-for-2 on 3-pointers, and 3-for-3 at the line. His first misfire came early in the third quarter.

At that point the outcome was all but settled. The 17-point lead at the half grew to 29 in the third period and Johnson substituted liberally down the stretch. The Mavs’ biggest lead at any point this season was 31 at Minnesota earlier this month.

“When you’ve got a man down, you have to rally together,” Terry said. “We manned together and put together a good effort. Every game is critical in the second half of the season. This was a good win. We haven’t played well on the road.”

The Mavs, 11-10 away from home, were efficient offensively, moving the ball effortlessly to the open man for open shots. Memphis couldn’t buy a basket at the other end, as Erick Dampier and Co. protected the paint and dominated the boards.

Nowitzki scored 20 and grabbed 11 rebounds. Nowitzki and Howard have each scored at least 20 in five straight games.

“Definitely a good win, especially after we played last night,” said Nowitzki, referring to Sunday’s home victory over Denver. “The first quarter set the tone for us. We picked up confidence and made shots. We played aggressive defense.”

The point-guard duo of Terry and Barea combined for 23 points and four assists. Those two, however, weren’t solely responsible for running the offense. Howard and Hassell tied for the team lead with four assists each. Dampier led the team with 12 boards and added 11 points, his second double-double.

The Mavs return home for a day before continuing their daunting four-game road trip. With the Grizzlies out of the way, the rest of the trek features Eastern Conference heavyweights starting Thursday at Boston. It concludes at Detroit and Orlando next week.