Another Loss for the Mavs Without Dirk

Although the Mavericks played much harder without Dirk this time than they did to Toronto on Tuesday, they still weren't able to pull through with the win.

"We just couldn't get over the hump. It was tough, it was frustrating, but our guys kept battling," Carlisle explained when summing up the night. "I take positives out of it, but right now, we've got to really work together. Without Dirk in the lineup, the margins for error are extremely slim."

The spurs took a 45-29 lead early in the 2nd quarter and went on a 21-2 run after hitting 10 consecutive shots with four 3-pointers in the mix. The Mavericks came without a single point twice in the second half, but missed free throws to tie it both times.

Rookie Gary Neal came off the bend to lead the Spurs with 21 points. Although this season has been one of Tim Duncan's lower career outputs, he wound up acquiring another double double with 17 points 11 rebounds. Hill, Parker, and Ginobili also all had a dozen+ points.

Caron Butler lead the Mavs with a season high of 30 points. Jason Kidd achieved his 106th triple double with 12 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. Jason Terry was having an off night, just 3 of 16 from the field with 8 points; but he hit back to back 3's in the end to keep it a close game.

Dirk is reported to make the trip to Milwaukee and Cleveland for their next 2 games, but whether he will play is still uncertain. They will continue to take his injury day to day, as Cuban said they are being very cautious with his return.

Caron Butler lead the Mavs with a season high of 30 points.

Jason Kidd acquired his 106th triple double.

Rookie Gary Neal came off the bench and lead the spurs with 21 points.

Tyson Chandler (8 points 11 rebounds) guarding Tim Duncan (17 points 11 rebounds)

Top two battle it out without Dirk

It has been confirmed that Dirk Nowitzki will miss his 2nd straight game tonight vs the Spurs due to his knee injury. It is also only his 34th regular season game that he's missed in 13 years of playing. He practiced lightly this morning, walking back to the locker room with a limp. It is uncertain when he will play, as he is taking his injury day to day.

"It's not time for him to go back out there yet," Carlisle said. "He's doing better each day, but he's not ready."

Shawn Marion is likely to start again in his place.

Without Dirk on the floor, Brian Cardinal is likely to get more playing time. He played well during Tuesday's loss to the raptors, scoring 8 points [all from beyond the arch], and 7 rebounds, all within 21 minutes.

Without Dirk, the Mavericks are going to have to give it all they got with an immense team effort to beat the 1st place spurs. I'm sure the Spurs are going to try to take advantage of the Dirkless Mavs as much as they can.

NBA Tonight Previews Mavs v Spurs: Jonathan Coachman and Chris Mullin preview Thursday's matchup between the Mavs and Spurs

No Dirk, No Win: Mavs fall to the dreadful Raptors

When Dirk left the game with an injury last night vs OKC, the Mavs stayed hopeful and played their hardest, pulling off a 103-93 win; Tonight, this wasn't the case.

It was a mess from the start when the Mavs offense wasn't clicking, missing 16 of 20 shots in the first quarter. They handled the ball terribly as they had 17 turnovers which quickly became a problem.

The Mavericks were down just 6 points at halftime, but couldn't find the right rhythm to make a comeback. 

Rookie Ed Davis scored a career high of 17 points 12 rebounds while Linas Kleiza and DeMar DeRozen each added 16 points. Shawn Marion started in the place of Nowitzki, scoring 12 points. Terry scored 18 and Butler 15, while every other player scored below 10 points. Kidd had a low of 4 assists when he normally averages 8.8 assists per game. This just shows that without star player Dirk Nowitzki, running the floor can become extremely difficult.

The Raptors have allowed over 100 points per game for their opponents while this game, the Mavs struggled just to barely get over 70.

Tonight is the first time Toronto has beat Dallas since 1999; they've lost 10 straight. But tonight they did a good job of taking advantage of the Dirkless Mavs, leaving them 24-6.

Dirk is taking it day to day with his injury, therefore his appearance in Thursday's game vs the Spurs is still questionable. We can only pray for the best!

Check out your one and only Dirk Nowitzki commentating the game! haha

Marion scoring 2 of his 15 points against the Raptors

Joey Dorsey gets air while dunking on Dallas

Check these out, they're pretty funny :P

Tuff Juice: The Caron Butler "5 Hour" Energy

Caron Butler Dancing on the Bench

Dirk Sits Out Tonight's Game vs Toronto; Can the Mavs Still Pull Through with a Win?

Dirk Nowitzki will sit out tonight's game where the Mavs will take on the Toronto Raptors. Whether he will play against the Southwest Division leader San Antonio Thursday is still uncertain. 


Nowitzki's knee has been a nuisance to him for quite some time now. 


"So maybe that's why it gave in a little bit," Nowitzki said. "Hopefully it's just a strain, and hopefully I'll be back in action soon."


Dirk, as well as the rest of us, will remain hopeful for his attendance in their next game this Thursday.


A Look at the Raptors:
Toronto has been an awful road team, losing 11 out of 14 following their loss at Memphis last night. That makes three losses in a row. The Raptors stayed close with the Grizzlies for about a quarter and a half until their turnover madness begun. They acquired 25 turnovers which led to 28 Memphis points. This was sensed before the game even started due to the loss of their 21 ppg Center: Andrea Bargnani who has sat out because of a strained left calf muscle. Because they had to rely on Amir Johnson who is dealing with a sore back, Joey Dorsey who barely plays, and rookie Ed Davis, they were in for a rude awakening. Bargnani will sit out tonight's game against the Mavericks as well as their next game.


A Look at the Mavericks:
The Mavs beat the Raptors by 28 points last season at ACC, followed by a loss to them by 22. The Mavs have never lost to Toronto at ACC, in which they also maintain a 10 game home winning streak against them. The Mavericks are 5-0 in the second game of back to back games so far, 12-1 when 5 players hit double figures, and 7-0 when 6 players have 10+ points.


With the Mavs without Dirk and the Raptors without Bargnani, this should be somewhat a struggle on each end. Because the Mavs have a group of healthy players, as long as they work together there is no doubt in my mind that they can achieve their 25th win tonight. As far as Toronto goes, they need to work on their turnovers, as this could be an important attribute to a Mavs win.

Mavs Extend Road Winning Streak Without Dirk

Dirk Nowitzki rolled his ankle and developed a sore knee in the midst of as early as the second quarter, but the Mavericks stood tough against Oklahoma City and proved it in the fourth quarter as their remarkable defense left the Thunder scoring only 12 points.


To make up for Dirk's absence, Shawn Marion scored 12 points in the third quarter, while Jason Terry became hot in the fourth quarter, initiating the 16-5 run that quickly took over OKC. JET becoming hot in the fourth quarter--does this sound familiar? Terry has been nothing but fire in the fourth, as the Mavs leave the building making a statement.


Also contributing to the scoreboard was Caron Butler with 21 points, Jason Kidd with 10 points 10 Assists, Deshawn Stevenson with 12 points, and Tyson Chandler with 7 points 10 rebounds. If there's one thing Kidd's good at, its setting up the court so well offensively with his assists, and hitting multiple consecutive 3's. I'd also have to hand it to Chandler. He has been such a great addition to the Mavs defense, something that they needed for so long. Could this improved defense be an important aspect to keep the Mavs in the playoffs? I think so.


This game, in my opinion, was one of their better team efforts, especially with their star player sitting out. They were also without coach Carlisle who is recovering from knee surgery. The Mavs completed their task of achieving their 5th consecutive win as well as their 11th road game victory. They trail behind the Spurs by just 1 1/2 games as they continue to stand as number 1 in power rankings.

 

Dirk Nowitzki takes a shot and is fouled by Serge Ibaka of the OKC Thunder on Monday night.

 Caron Butler, Tyson Chandler, and Jason Terry had awesome team effort to get Dallas the win.