No Win Too Small as Mavs Claim Lucky #13

Sometimes, timing is everything. On a night when perennial All-Star Dirk Nowitzki couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, the Mavericks couldn’t have been happier to see the New Jersey Nets, who currently have only seven wins and are on pace to be the worst team in NBA history. But as it frequently happens in this league, when you're the owners of the league's longest winning streak, everyone is gunning for you, from the top tier teams to the cellar dwellers of the league. Even the worst of teams gears up and gets ready to test their mettle as they try to take you down a notch. This was definitely the case of the lowly Nets Wednesday night as the Mavs opened up a four game home stand.

Things got ugly early for the Mavs, who were down 17-3 at one point in the opening frame. Although they would drop even further behind, eventually trailing New Jersey by 18, during the second quarter, the Mavs slowly started to regain their composure and remember who they were playing against. They trended back towards team defense and started making a few more baskets courtesy of the fast break. By halftime, the Mavs were only down eight at 47-39.

Dallas really pulled itself together over the middle two quarters, holding the Nets’ offense to only 29 points, while Dallas racked up 51 to retake the lead in yet another comeback effort from a double-digit deficit. Although Dirk can’t have an MVP night every night, his performance on Wednesday was well below his standards. Dirk shot just 3-of-16, finishing the game with just 12 points. He was also responsible for five Maverick turnovers, more than one of which came at the hands of former teammate Devin Harris.

On the bright side, the Mavericks saw the return of two of their big men, Erick Dampier and Brendan Haywood. Haywood picked up where he left off, posting another double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, to go along with his two blocks, in just 24 minutes. And while Dampier had less of an impact (he only played four minutes), he did manage to grab two rebounds and one steal. Shawn Marion was once again everywhere the Mavs needed him to be, racking up his own double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, in addition to a team-high three blocks and one steal.

Already down two players at the guard position (Jet Terry, recovering from facial surgery, and JJ Barea, who sprained his ankle on Monday), Coach Carlisle was forced to play Jason Kidd some seriously extended minutes, especially once rookie Roddy Beaubois fouled out. Beaubois, one of six Mavericks in double figures, ended his night with 16 points and three assists in 26 minutes. And once again, Jason Kidd was instrumental in the Mavericks pulling out their eventual victory, 96-87. In the nearly 45 minutes of playing time Kidd logged, he not only led the team in scoring (20 points on 6-of-13 shots), but in assists (nine) and steals (four) as well. Kidd was 5-of-8 on threes and continued his streak of hitting at least one three pointer over the last 30 consecutive games.

The Nets did manage to put a scare into the Mavs late in the final frame when they scored 11 unanswered points to make it a one point game. But Caron Butler came through for the Mavericks down the stretch, scoring 10 of their final 15 points. Butler finished the night with 18 points on 50% shooting and boasted a perfect 4-of-4from the free throw stripe.

Even though the start of the game might not have appeared that way, “We want to win every game,” said team leader and future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd. On Wednesday night, Kidd definitely played like it.

Here’s hoping the win streak continues tonight as the Mavericks take on the New York Knicks. Let’s go Mavs!