Full-Court Press

Ross rejoins the team

Hope everybody in the blogatorium had a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

Now, onto that Thanksgiving weekend staple -- basketball.

Quinton Ross is back with the Mavericks, although it's unknown yet whether he'll play tonight against Indiana.

Shawn Marion probably will give it a shot tonight, too, although his left ankle was quite sore after Wednesday's game in Houston.

Rick Carlisle addresses the media shortly and we'll get a clearer picture of who is available for the Mavericks.

For the Pacers, it's likely Danny Granger (sprained left knee ligament) will be out but it's possible Mike Dunleavy will play for the first time this season after right knee surgery in the off-season.

Mavs win by 31

The Mavericks enjoyed a nice chunk of garbage time and finished off a 130-99 win over the Rockets.

Who in the world that team was, nobody knows.

They certainly were not related to the one that played Tuesday night against Golden State and was humiliated in the fourth quarter.

Strange days, indeed, in the NBA.

Thomas stems the Rocket push

The Rockets were making a minor rally late in the third quarter, drawing within 89-77.

But when Jason Terry missed a running jumper, Tim Thomas pulled in the miss and rammed in a follow dunk to put the Mavericks up 14 going into the final 12 minutes.

Thomas actually got called for a technical foul for ... well, nobody's quite sure what he got called for. He didn't say a word on the replay, simply staring at the Rockets.

That apparently was enough.

Still, he's been the hero of this game so far with 17 points.

Kidd climbs up the chart

Jason Kidd just fed Roddy Beaubois with a lob pass for a dunk early in the third quarter, giving Kidd his fifth assist of the game.

That pushes him past Mark Jackson for second on the all-time NBA list. Kidd now has 10,335 assists for his career. He'll never catch John Stockton for No. 1. Stockton still has a 5,000 assist lead.

Kidd has been on an assist roll of late, averaging nearly 13 over the last four games.

Said Rick Carlisle about having Kidd dishing the ball for the Mavericks: "He has ability to not only see (the court) but to deliver the ball in rhythm on time and on target. I've seen some of the most amazing passes in the last year and a half - 50 foot bounce passes with side spin on them that come up in the guy's hand to finish on the break. Amazing stuff. And he understands the importance of simplicity. He's just one of the rare greats.''

The Mavericks, by the way, still lead comfortably, 70-55.

Mavs cruising at the half

The Mavericks pulled off a great turnaround in the first half, going from 13 points down in the first moments to up 68-51 at halftime.

Considering the score was 15-2, Houston, at one point, the Mavericks won the rest of the half 66-36.

Dirk Nowitzki came alive late in the half to keep the momentum going. His 13 points are two fewer than Tim Thomas and Jason Terry had off the bench.

A good, long rest for Dirk

With Tim Thomas and Jason Terry doing the heavy lifting, Dirk Nowitzki is getting an extended stay on the bench, which has to be a good thing after he's played 40 minutes a game on a consistent basis lately.

It may also jump start him, since he had just one point in 11 first-quarter minutes.

Mavericks are up 48-34.

Jet to TT? Yes!!!

Jason Terry not only is ripping the nets, he's got six assists less than three minutes into the second quarter.

Most of them have come to Tim Thomas, who has hit six of seven shots and has 15 points.

The Mavericks' bench has been awesome and that's why they are rolling with a 46-29 lead.

Mavs close it out big

As in, 23-zip to finish the first quarter.

Jason Terry had 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting and it's amazing how the energy level picks up when the shots start going in.

The Mavericks are up 36-25, their highest-scoring first quarter of the season.

What are you folks doing?

Listen, I love a good audience, but even I have to confess that if you continue to read this blog tonight, you need to do something else.

Seriously. Spend some time with the family. Heck, go up to the local establishment and watch the game up there if you are tired of putting in family time.

OK, I realize some of you get a vicarious thrill out of these ramblings. So we will trudge on in the name of dedication.

By the way, the Mavericks have scored 17 consecutive points, suddenly looking like a big-time team. They are up 30-25 with less than a minute to go in the first quarter.

Mavericks finally show up

Maybe the charter was late landing, but the Mavericks finally got into the game with 10 consecutive points to close the gap to 25-23 with 2:40 left in the opening quarter.

Drew Gooden is once again rolling early and Jason Terry has scored five quick points.