Full-Court Press

George's turn

Devean George will be in the starting lineup tonight in place of the injured Josh Howard, and he has some shoes to fill. Howard's been great at jump-starting the Mavericks early, but coach Rick Carlisle said it's not up to one guy to replace Howard.
    "We need multiple guys to pick up the slack," Carlisle said in his pregame talk. "Josh's one of the best I've ever seen to start games."

Still, George was ready for the challenge.
    "Hopefully I'll provide an early spark in the defensive gam, knock a few shots down and make it tough on their scorers."

-- Tracey Myers

Big-time hustle play

That was a big hustle play from the Mavs with Dirk getting the block, the Hornets recovering and Jet getting the block on Pargo. Jet saved the ball to Devean and they hurled it up court, where Peja Stojakovic fouled Stack. Now, Peja has three fouls, so that hustle play will likely play dividends for the rest of the game.

-Scooter Hendon

George back in AJ's 9

Devean George made an early appearance, his first after not getting the nod from Avery Johnson for two straight games.

George hit his first two jumpers, a good sign. He played 5:29 of the first half with the four points.

-- Jeff Caplan

George not in AJ's 9

Devean George, considered to be an intergral reserve, has found limited playing time in the rotation since recently returning from that stress reaction foot injury. In fact, in the last two games, he hasn't played at all.

When asked why he wasn't getting any PT, George said: "I don't know. You know what I call him -- The Boss."

Well, The Boss put it in simple terms Monday morning: "I've just been going with the nine that I've been playing the last couple of games. Like I told him, he's not out if it, just stay ready."

-- Jeff Caplan

D. George practices

I know, you can't control your euphoria over Devean George participating in his first full practice of the season with the Mavs.

Hey, Avery Johnson is happy about it and why not? He can't get steady play out of the shooting guard position with Eddie Jones on the shelf. George, at 6-foot-8, has the size Johnson craves and the determination to play solid defense. He can even knock down a shot now and again.

He still won't be cleared to play in a game for about a week, so hold the party for a little longer.

-- Jeff Caplan