Wizards-Mavericks Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Nov 14 2012 12:52AM

The Dallas Mavericks certainly are struggling, but their recent problems don't seem nearly as difficult to overcome as those facing the winless Washington Wizards.

Dallas looks to end a three-game skid by earning its fifth straight victory over visiting Washington on Wednesday night.

The Mavericks (4-4) won four of their first five games without Dirk Nowitzki, but they've lost their last three after falling 90-82 at home to Minnesota on Monday.

Darren Collison scored a game-high 21 points for Dallas, which shot a season-worst 36.3 percent.

"For one thing, on the offensive end, we're not making the shots that we normally make the last few games, and the result of all that is we're being too stagnant," Collison told the team's official website. "And then on the defensive end, we're just not buckled down and tied in like we need to be.

"We're not going to always win games shooting at a high percentage. Sometimes you're gonna have to win ugly games."

Coach Rick Carlisle was ejected after arguing a foul with roughly five minutes remaining Monday, and he wasn't pleased with what he saw before that.

"Our effort wasn't where it needed to be," Carlisle said. "I thought we tried hard in the second half and the results were still not good."

It's been hard to criticize O.J. Mayo much in his first eight games with the Mavericks. He scored 18 points against Minnesota and is averaging 24.5 over his last six, but knows his new team has room for improvement.

"It's not the end of the world," Mayo said. "But at the same time, we have to get back to getting better."

Shawn Marion will miss his fifth straight game Wednesday as he recovers from a left knee sprain, and Carlisle said there's a possibility he could alter his starting lineup to boost energy.

The most likely move would be replacing rookie Jae Crowder with Dahntay Jones.

"We've got to personalize our effort - individually and as a team - and right now, we've got to dig ourselves out of this losing streak," Carlisle said. "The way you do it is you start with a jump ball and you've got to dig in on every possession. Simple as that."

Washington (0-6) was more than lackluster during its 92-76 loss at Charlotte on Tuesday, shooting 29.8 percent - an NBA single-game low this season.

Trevor Ariza scored 19 points and was the only player in double figures for the Wizards. Rookie Bradley Beal finished with eight points and hit one of 11 shots from the field.

"We can't lose focus, and (Tuesday) we weren't focused," Beal said. "We came in lackadaisical, like we were 5-0 instead of 0-5. We didn't come in with the edge that we usually do."

Washington, which started a franchise-worst 0-8 last season, has yet to play with former No. 1 overall pick John Wall (right knee) or Nene, who is recovering from a left foot injury.

Nevertheless, coach Randy Wittman has yet to make any excuses for a team he says needs to make better decisions on both ends of the court.

"When you stand around and watch a guy dribble and dribble and dribble and take a bad shot, it takes away that effect (on defense)," Wittman said.

The Mavericks have won four straight meetings with Washington, though each has been decided by 10 points or fewer. The Wizards won 102-91 in Dallas on Oct. 27, 2009, for their only victory in the last seven matchups.

Kaman 23 points as Mavs beat Wizards 107-101

By STEPHEN HAWKINS
Posted Nov 15 2012 12:17AM

DALLAS (AP) Chris Kaman was a starter and finisher for the Dallas Mavericks.

Kaman started only his second game in Dallas, scoring 23 points with some key responses late as the Mavericks held on for a 107-101 victory over the winless but late-charging Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.

"I felt comfortable early. Our guards found me for some layups and got me going," Kaman said. "I was real disappointed and frustrated, myself included, in the team as a whole on the way we approached the fourth quarter. We finished the right way, but we were up (18 points) in the fourth quarter."

Dallas snapped a three-game losing streak since Kaman's only other start.

The Wizards (0-7) got close with a 15-0 run in about 3 1/2 minutes in the fourth quarter.

And they missed a tying 3-pointer in the final minute before Kaman, who also scored the opening basket of the game and finished 10-of-12 shooting, had a strong inside basket and made the free throw after being fouled with 17 seconds left to finally clinch the game.

"Kaman's scoring was terrific efficiency-wise," coach Rick Carlisle said.

The Wizards are the only team without a victory, and one short of the franchise-worst start set just last season when they lost their first eight games.

Detroit won for the first game earlier Wednesday, 94-76 at Philadelphia.

Cartier Martin capped Washington's big run with consecutive 3-pointers, swishing the second from the wing right in front of the Mavs bench and Carlisle to get within 88-85.

"The first three quarters were great. We'll take that effort and energy any night. But we got a little content with the lead," said O.J. Mayo, who scored 25 points. "We got into the mentality that they were going to quit and we'll go away with the win. ... It's all about stepping on an opponent when you have them down."

Kaman had a short hook on the Mavs' next possession. After Kevin Seraphin made a hook over Kaman, the Mavs' 7-foot center scored with his back to the basket when he tossed the ball over his shoulder.

A defensive rebound by Kaman led to a basket by Mayo that made it 94-87, and still that almost wasn't enough.

Seraphin had consecutive baskets and it was 101-98 with just under 2 minutes left. Seraphin then had a steal, but Jannero Pargo missed a potential tying 3.

"Hey, you want to fight. We fought, it's a learning process," coach Randy Wittman said. "We can't get down (in the game), but we did fight back."

Washington outscored Dallas 34-22 in the fourth quarter without a starter getting on the floor. Seraphin had 14 of his 16 points in that spurt and Martin had 14 points after not even playing the first three quarters.

"We have a tough group of guys on this team. Our record doesn't show how great of a group we are," said Martin, who made all four of his 3-pointers. "Everybody on this team can play. We're struggling right now, but we're going to continue to fight. We're not going to give up."

The Wizards made six 3s in the fourth quarter, but never went to the free-throw line while Kaman's closing three-point play made Dallas 9 of 10 from the stripe in the final 12 minutes.

"For whatever reason, this team doesn't get any respect," Wittman said. "We go to the rim, and had 11 free throws. These young guys just have to make a name for themselves. And it's just baffling some of the things that are said to me by the refs for why they don't call it."

Jordan Crawford led Washington with 21 points.

It was the first game in Dallas started together by Kaman and Elton Brand, Mavs newcomers who were past teammates with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Mavs are missing injured starters Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion.

Brand had 11 points and 12 rebounds. Jae Crowder, the rookie who had started the previous four games, scored 12 points off the bench.

The Wizards were within 37-33 when Emeka Okafor made a 7-foot turnaround jumper with just under 7 minutes left in the first half.

Brand then made a pair of free throws to start a 15-2 run. And the Mavericks made 10 of their next 12 shots for a 63-45 halftime lead.

It was the first 40-point quarter this season for the Mavericks.

NOTES: Wizards starting guard AJ Price sprained his right ankle. He finished with 11 points. ... Marion missed his fifth consecutive game because of a sprained left knee. Carlisle said Marion is getting closer to returning, but still isn't sure if he will make the trip for back-to-back games this weekend at Indiana and Cleveland. ... Nowitzki is still recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery before the season. ... Dallas has won five in a row against Washington since October 2009. ... There was an announced crowd of 19,560, which was the team's 437th consecutive sellout - despite obvious blocks of empty seats throughout the arena.

Notebook: Mavericks 107, Wizards 101

Dave Ivey, for NBA.com
Posted Thu Nov 15, 2012 12:03 AM - Updated Thu Nov 15, 2012 9:52 AM

THE FACTS: O.J. Mayo scored 25 points and Chris Kaman added 23 Wednesday night as the Dallas Mavericks survived a furious fourth-quarter rally to defeat the Washington Wizards, 107-101, at the American Airlines Center. The victory snapped a three-game slide by the Mavericks and left the Wizards as the only remaining winless team in the NBA at 0-7.

Down by as many as 22 points in the second half, Washington opened the fourth quarter with an 18-3 surge sparked by reserves Kevin Seraphin inside and Cartier Martin on the outside. Both scored 14 in the fourth, with Seraphin going 7-for-7 overall and Martin a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range. Jordan Crawford, who finished with a team-high 21, was the only other Wizard who scored in the final quarter with six points.

Washington pulled to within three points five times in the final seven minutes, but couldn't close the gap.

QUOTABLE: "A win's a win. We can take many positives from those first three quarters and learn from the fourth quarter." -- Mavericks forward Elton Brand, who had his first double-double for Dallas with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

THE STAT: The Wizards attempted 15 3-pointers and just one free throw during the first half, and that lone foul shot came after a canned 3-pointer by Martell Webster. Webster hit the triple and was fouled by Jae Crowder at the 11:21 mark of the second quarter

TURNING POINT: Down 101-98, Seraphin picked off a pass by Darren Collison and got the ball to Jannero Pargo for an open look on the wing. Pargo's potential tying 3-point attempt was off the mark with 54.9 seconds left and Vince Carter secured the rebound for Dallas. Mayo was fouled and sank his first free throw. He missed the second, but Carter was there to corral another clutch carom. He passed it off to Collison, who was fouled and hit two from the stripe to stretch the lead back to six.

QUOTABLE II: "Hey, you want fight. We fought. It's a learning process. We can't get down, but tonight we did fight back." -- Wizards head coach Randy Wittman.

HOT: The Mavericks erupted for 40 points in the second quarter, a season high for any quarter, by shooting 68.2 percent (15-for-22) and going 10-for-13 at the line. Dallas got 10 points from Kaman and 18 from its bench during the quarter. The Mavericks also posted a 10-0 advantage in fast-break points in the quarter.

NOT: Coming off a 1-for-11 shooting night in Tuesday's loss to Charlotte, Wizards rookie Bradley Beal remained out of sync and visibly frustrated with a 3-for-14 effort against the Mavericks.

GOOD MOVE: The decision by Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle to replace struggling center Brandan Wright with Kaman in the starting lineup paid off. Kaman was 10-for-12 from the field and added eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 32 minutes.

BAD MOVE: Wizards point guard A.J. Price, who has been starting for the injured John Wall, had to be helped off the court after spraining his right ankle early in the third quarter. He went to the locker room and had it re-taped, but did not return to the game. Price finished with 11 points and two assists.

ROOKIE WATCH: Losing his starting spot at small forward to Dahntay Jones didn't have much of a negative effect on Crowder. The Dallas rookie played 21 minutes and contributed 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting with three assists, two steals and two boards.

NOTABLE: None of the Mavericks' five starters played for Dallas last season. ... The Mavericks' last 40-point quarter came on March 10, 2011 in the second quarter against New York. ... Dallas has won five straight meetings with Washington, whose last victory in the series came on Oct. 27, 2009. ... The Mavericks improved to 4-1 at the American Airlines Center. ... Washington was out-rebounded 40-34 and outscored 46-28 in the paint. ... The Pistons (1-8) won their first game of the season earlier Wednesday against the 76ers.

UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Friday @ Indiana, Saturday @ Cleveland, Monday vs. Golden State. For the Wizards, Saturday vs. Utah, Monday vs. Indiana, Wednesday @ Atlanta.

• Wizards: Nene, Wall
• Mavericks: Marion, Nowitzki

• Wizards: Crawford, Okafor
• Mavericks: --

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• Officials: #49 Tom Washington, #42 Eric Lewis, #54 Nick Buchert
• Attendance: 19560
• Duration: 2:13