Full-Court Press

Dirk's hot start and Jaws

I believe Mr. Eddie Sefko said Dirk Nowitzki gets his groove back against the Thunder. Lo and behold, there's Dirk with 11 already, and there's six minutes remaining in the first.

Also amused that when the Jaws theme music was playing during a recent Thunder possession, the music reached its fearsome crescendo just as the shot clock was winding down. Talk about a hint that there's not much time remaining.

-- Tracey Myers

Closing tidbits

It's been a long day, kids, so we're going to try and do this in the shortest and most entertaining form we possibly can. If it's sloppy, my bad... there's no accounting for style points at this time of night:
    Duh statement of the evening: The Mavericks needed that one (badly) after the mess in San Antonio on Tuesday night.
    Line of the evening: From Dirk Nowitzki, when asked why Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva stopped hitting buckets after the first quarter: "They took Nowitzki off him."
    Much-needed outing: The Mavs were a bit sluggish early, but Josh Howard lifted them out of the doldrums. He was doing just about everything right this evening, and his 27 points are the most for him since late December.
    Big-ol telling number: 67.9 percent. That's what the Mavericks shot from the field (19 of 28) in their 58-26 run that began when they were down 15-7 and ended at the half. That will remedy a slow start any time.
    No big man: Erick Dampier played just five minutes of this one. He's fine health-wise, and coach Rick Carlisle said it was more because Milwaukee went small: "They’re a small team to begin with. We got in a hole early, and it was just a coach’s decision."
    Another big-ol number: Actually this is a comparison. The Mavs outscored the Bucks in the paint, 46-28. Yikes (for the Bucks, anyway).

-- Tracey Myers

Order is restored

It would appear that way, anyway...

The Mavs are on a 14-0 run at the moment, and their lead is back to a comfortable 22 (108-83). Aah, I'm sure the Mavs are breathing a little easier on the bench now.

-- Tracey Myers

Owning the boards

The Mavericks are killing Milwaukee in rebounds right now... with about three minutes remaining here in the half, here's the count:
    Mavericks: 25
    Bucks: 11

Mavs are taking hold of this one right now. Are they going to have another second-half cruise like they did against the Sacramento Kings last Saturday?

-- Tracey Myers

The tide hath turned

Well, since that time out at 6:11, the Mavericks went on a 15-0 run. Just ended a second ago with Richard Jefferson's two free throws.

It's a reminder: One hot scorer is no substitute for several consistent ones.

-- Tracey Myers

Villanueva sizzling

Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva is having a fabulous start here. He's 6 of 7 with 13 points here at the 6:11 mark, and he basically has the Bucks up by himself, 15-7. His Bucks teammates, meanwhile, are 0 for 4.

-- Tracey Myers

Mavs right back at it... good

The Mavericks are probably still stinging from that loss in San Antonio last night. But as we prepare for tip-off, the sulking has to end.

This is when having a back to back is a good thing. The Mavs didn't have to sit and think about the Spurs loss for 48 hours, they had to switch gears pretty darned quick.

So, do the Mavs respond early against the Milwaukee Bucks?

-- Tracey Myers

The unsung guys

Just thinking about some of the Mavs who have stepped up their games in the absence of Jason Terry. Antoine Wright, Brandon Bass, James Singleton, J.J. Barea, these guys have answered the call, the bell, the horn, whatever your cliche of choice may be. They've given coach Rick Carlisle options, and isn't that what every coach would love to have in this situation? Yeah, can't just be about Dirk and Josh every night.

So in this recent stretch, who's been your favorite unsung guy?

-- Tracey Myers

Last tidbits

Just wrapping up here on a few things, kids. Great second quarter for the Mavs, especially Brandon Bass and James Singleton. After Dirk Nowitzki played 40-plus minutes on Friday, coach Rick Carlisle said he wanted to give his big man a rest. Those guys' performances helped him do that.

Someone asked Carlisle about Jerry Stackhouse, who's just coming off that foot injury that sidelined him three months. Stackhouse played just over 13 minutes tonight but still went without a bucket. Carlisle said, "he looked very tired to me. I just wanted to make sure we didn't overextend him. (He played) eight minutes last night (against Houston), 13 tonight, and that’s why I took him out.
    "This is a long road, this is a process," Carlisle said. "It's been three months. Like I said, this is something that's a very difficult challenge for him, and it's going to take a lot of time."

-- Tracey Myers

Postgame fun

It was unsung hero night at the ol' arena, with Brandon Bass and James Singleton holding court in the locker room. Bass finished with a season-high 20, one shy of his career-best 21, and Singleton also had a season-best 19 points. Oh, yes, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd were doing their usual postgame chat, but the crowds were around the two men who dominated the second quarter for the Mavericks. And while the two spent some time arguing over which hand they prefer to dunk a basketball with, they also enjoyed a little limelight.
    Said Singleton, "It feels great to help the team and have the coaches behind me no matter what. They don’t get down on me, even when I’m not playing, they always have faith in me."
    And as far as practice making perfect: "You get practice great habits, and when you get to the game it carries over. If I don’t play a couple of games, I fall off a bit. But with the practice I'm never rusty. When I'm in the game, I have to perform as soon as I'm on the floor."
    Bass, meanwhile, didn't know he had 16 of his 18 first-half points in the second quarter. He had no idea about that, and was pretty happy when he did find out. More than that, he's happy with the chance he's gotten with the Mavericks.
    "Dallas, they gave me my opportunity to play and I've just been trying to build on it. That's what you see."

Coach Rick Carlisle was pretty pleased with the duo, too.
    "(Bass) played well last night and tonight, and he’s had a really solid year for us. We just stay in his ear about getting better in some of the other areas, making sure he’s active defensively, using his strength to the best of his ability. He’s making gradual, steady progress."
    And on Singleton? "I love Singleton. I love this guy. He's always ready, and in the back to back situation, you're looking for energy. We had guys play heavy minutes last night, and he gave us a huge spark in the second quarter. He earned the right to stay out there."

-- Tracey Myers