Random observations from the Mavericks' 88-83 loss to Chicago

 
Random observations from Friday night’s 88-83 loss to
Chicago.
 
The Mavericks had 36 points from Dirk Nowitzki and 47 from
everybody else. At one point, they had 35 from Dirk and 30 from everybody else.
Once Chicago shut Nowitzki down, they had the key to the game.
 
Taj Gibson had shot 1-of-16 on the first two legs of Chicago’s
Texas Triangle. Against the Mavericks, he had 18 points and 17 rebounds.
 
The Mavericks were tortured on the boards 38-34, a major
reason why they fell to 4-3 at AAC.
 
Jason Terry got the start at shooting guard in the second
half, replacing DeShawn Stevenson as the Mavericks looked for some punch
offensively. They immediately scored the first five points to take the lead.
 
Shawn Marion had a nice two-man game going. Unfortunately,
basketball is played with five players. With 5:40 to go in the first half, the
Mavericks had 25 points. Marion and Nowitzki had 20 of them. By halftime, they
had 24 of the 35 Maverick points. Nobody else had more than three.
 
The Mavericks started the game abysmally, shooting 5-of-17
in the first quarter, after which they trailed 19-13. Take away Dirk Nowitzki
and the rest of the team was 1-of-8 from the field.
 
The Bulls have a terrific interior passer in center Joakim
Noah. He had two assists in the first three minutes of the second quarter when
the Bulls were jumping out to a 28-17 advantage.