Full-Court Press

Wright Injured?

Antoine Wright went down scrambling for a loose ball and came up clutching his right wrist. He's not coming out but this could bear watching.

   -- Jim Reeves

Ouch!

Jet Terry just picked up his fifth foul and Rick Carlisle rushed Antoine Wright back into the game with about 6 minutes left in the THIRD quarter.

Tough development for the Mavs, who need Terry's scoring punch badly.

   -- Jim Reeves

OK, Not First

Check that.

If the Mavs do get a lead -- they're down 72-69 as we speak -- it won't be their first. They led 6-2 way back when this game first got underway, but not since then.

   -- Jim Reeves

Coming Back?

Here come the Mavs...maybe.

Dirk's finger-roll at the 8:30 mark of the third quarter has cut Denver's lead to 66-65 and prompted a timeout by the Nuggets.

Jason Terry, who started the second half in place of Antoine Wright, leaped up onto the table alongside the Mavs' bench to fuel a crowd that's coming awake again.

The Mavs need to ride this momentum and take their first lead of the game. Put  some doubt in the Nuggets' minds for a change.

   -- Jim Reeves

Diiiiiirrrrrrrrrk!

Doesn't matter what's shaking with the rest of the Mavericks or his own personal life, Dirk Nowitzki comes to play when it's time to play. Fabulous night for him again, and the Mavericks are just one point down at the 8:30 mark of the third quarter.

Mavs have gone on a 12-3 run to get to this point.

-- Tracey Myers

Second half begins...

Anybody want to venture a guess on how this half's gonna go? Calmer or crazier?

-- Tracey Myers

Melo on Fire

Carmelo Anthony hit 8-of-14 shots from the field to lead the Nuggets with 18 points in the first half. Chauncey Billups added another 12.

Dirk leads the Mavs with 15 and 9 rebounds. Josh Howard and Brandon Bass each have 11.

   -- Jim Reeves

The Bird Flu

Wondering where Chris "The Birdman" Andersen is tonight?

Seems he wasn't able to dress, having come down with a bad stomach flu before the game. Can't say it looks like the Nuggets have missed him too much tonight.

   -- Jim Reeves

Birdman won't fly tonight

Chris Andersen has a stomach virus that will not quit tonight and as a result, he will not play.

He got an IV in the first half and the hope was that he could get strong enough to contribute after halftime. But he'll remain out of action.

--Eddie Sefko

Five-Point Swing

The Mavs were fighting back into the game and had cut the lead to 58-53 when Jet Terry got hit with a flagrant 1 on a hard foul on a driving Linas Kleinas with 3.8 seconds left in the half. Then Terry also caught a technical for protesting the call.

The Nuggets made all three free throws and got the ball back as well, allowing Carmelo Anthony to drive for a layup at the buzzer.

The Nuggets lead at intermission, 63-53.

   -- Jim Reeves

Jet Terry got hit with a flagrant 1 and a technical for protesting for a hard foul on Linas Kleiza with just 3.8 seconds left until halftime.

   -- Jim Reeves