Nuggets-Mavericks Preview

By ALAN FERGUSON
Posted Dec 28 2012 1:40AM

Denver coach George Karl said he's seeing more confidence from his team lately. The Nuggets' next opponent might have lost some during a miserable stretch.

While seeking to improve its lackluster road record, Denver will try to take advantage of the struggling Dallas Mavericks and end a three-game skid in the series Friday night.

The Nuggets (16-14) have had few problems at home with nine win in 10 games but they're 7-13 on the road.

Denver, though, might be carrying a different attitude into this weekend's two-game trip after handing the surging Los Angeles Lakers a 126-114 defeat Wednesday. Corey Brewer tied a career high with 27 points, and Kenneth Faried and Ty Lawson were among the other players who also shined.

Faried had 21 points and 15 rebounds, while Lawson contributed 17 points and had his best assist-to-turnover ratio in any game at 14:0.

"It was just good to see us shoot the ball and beat a good team with some confidence," Karl said. "I just think the last couple of games, we have been playing with a little more confidence and more awareness of how to win close games."

The Nuggets will try to use that confidence to avoid a third straight road loss when they face a Mavericks team that's dropped a season-high four in a row and seven of eight.

"(The upcoming road games against Dallas and Memphis) are really important for us," swingman Andre Iguodala told the team's website. "We have to focus in and take care of the first one in Dallas."

Darren Collison's 3-pointer at the end of regulation Thursday in Oklahoma City gave Dallas (12-17) a chance to snap its skid but it fell 111-105 in overtime.

Collison had a season-high 32 points but star forward Dirk Nowitzki scored only nine on 3-of-11 shooting in his second game back from knee surgery.

"I think that I'm a week or two away of really dominating the ball down the stretch and making some stuff happen," Nowitzki said. "I don't really have that bounce in my step yet, but I'll keep working. As long as the knee responds the right way, I think my legs will come back sooner or later."

Dallas used Nowitzki's 33 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for a 112-95 win over Denver in the most recent matchup March 19, but he scored only 12 points in the latest visit from the Nuggets on Feb. 15.

The Mavericks, though, prevailed 102-84 in that game as Shawn Marion had 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Dallas also held Denver to 35.7 percent shooting and a 6-of-27 performance from 3-point range while ending a three-game home skid in the series.

Lawson scored 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting in the final victory of that string, a 115-93 win on Dec. 26, 2011, but has averaged 10.0 points on 28.6 percent shooting (10 of 35) over the last three meetings. He's also missed 12 of 14 attempts from 3-point range over that stretch.

While the Nuggets have struggled on the road, the Mavericks are 8-4 at home and will try to use a return to their floor to avoid their longest skid since dropping six straight Jan. 6-17, 2011.

Dallas could use a better performance from leading scorer O.J. Mayo, who has scored a combined 29 on 10-of-40 shooting over the last four games. He's averaged 19.5 points on 55.4 percent shooting in his last four matchups with Denver.

Gallinari, Nuggets spoil Nowitzki's return, 106-85

By SCHUYLER DIXON
Posted Dec 29 2012 12:37AM

DALLAS (AP) Danilo Gallinari was the European big man hitting 3-pointers, and he spoiled Dirk Nowitzki's first home game for the Dallas Mavericks since coming back from knee surgery.

The Denver forward was 7 of 11 from long range and finished with a career-high 39 points as the Nuggets handed the Mavericks their fifth straight loss, 106-85, on Friday night.

"He was one of the best players in the game," Gallinari, a 6-foot-10 forward from Italy, said of the 7-foot Nowitzki from Germany. "So you always try to follow and learn from the best. I've watched a lot of videos from him."

Nowitzki, who missed the first 27 games after surgery late in the preseason, had five points in 17 minutes in his third game back. He made two of his first four shots after entering the game to a loud ovation midway through the first quarter. But he missed his last six shots and didn't play in the fourth quarter a night after an overtime loss at Oklahoma City.

"I was a step slow," Nowitzki said. "That was obvious. I had no lift in my jumper. Everything was in and out. That last little thing is still missing. Really, these are my first games in a long time. So it's ugly. I've got to keep fighting, keep working hard in practice days and eventually I'll be able to come back."

O.J. Mayo led Dallas with 15 points but was just 1 of 6 on 3-pointers. The Mavericks shot 38 percent and made just 5 of 25 from long range.

With the Nuggets up 50-47, Gallinari scored five points in the final 5 seconds of the first half, hitting a 3-pointer and scoring on a tip-in just before the buzzer after Denver knocked away a long inbound pass.

Gallinari, whose previous career high was 37 against the New York Knicks last January, opened the second half with a 3-pointer to put Denver up by 11, and Andre Iguodala followed with four from long range in the third quarter, including one after the Mavericks had pulled within five. Gallinari and Iguodala scored all 12 of Denver's points during a stretch that ended with the Nuggets up by 14 late in the third.

Iguodala finished with 20 and was 4-of-6 shooting from long range. Denver made 12 of 28 from behind the arc.

"When we make shots, I think we're pretty good," Denver coach George Karl said. "Iguodala made a couple of shots right at the end of the shot clock that were heartbreakers for them."

Nowitzki made a surprise return at San Antonio on Sunday and played 20 minutes, as planned. He was up to nearly 26 1/2 after playing briefly in overtime of a 111-105 loss to the Thunder on Thursday night. He missed his first two shots against the Nuggets, including his signature one-legged fadeway, before making a 3-pointer and a 19-footer.

A few of Nowitzki's six misses the rest of the night rattled in and out.

"It was too much tonight," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "It was back-to-back games and he isn't limping or anything, but he just can't give us what everyone expects him to give."

Kenneth Faried outrebounded the Mavericks by himself in the first quarter and finished with 19 rebounds and 11 points, his seventh double-double in the past 10 games. The Nuggets had 60 rebounds to 43 for Dallas, and outscored the Mavericks 19-6 in second-chance points in the first three quarters.

"It's a problem that isn't going to go away by talking about it," Carlisle said. "I know we can do it."

Mayo was a little better after a four-game slump punctuated by matching his season low with four points and missing two of three free throws with a chance to tie the score in the loss to Oklahoma City. But he had just two points and took just four shots in the second half.

Gallinari capped a 15-2 run in the first quarter with a 3-pointer and two free throws to give the Nuggets a 21-8 lead. The Mavericks, who fell to 3-10 against teams with winning records, answered with a 10-0 run in the second quarter and got as close as 40-38 on a 3-pointer by Vince Carter.

NOTES: The Mavericks were given a technical foul when Carlisle called a timeout with 3:02 remaining when he didn't have any timeouts left. ... Mavericks G Darren Collison fell three points shy of his career high with 32 in Thursday's 111-105 overtime loss at Oklahoma City. He had his career high at Dallas in February 2010. ... The Nuggets had double-digit 3-pointers for the second straight game after going the first 29 without one. They were 8-0 last year when they had 10 or more 3s. ... Nuggets G Ty Lawson had 14 assists and no turnovers against the Lakers, the first Denver player to do that since Nick Van Exel against the Mavericks almost 11 years ago.

Notebook: Nuggets 106, Mavericks 85

Dave Ivey, for NBA.com
Posted Fri Dec 28, 2012 11:41 PM - Updated Fri Dec 28, 2012 11:41 PM

THE FACTS: Danilo Gallinari sank seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 39 points Friday, powering the Denver Nuggets to a 106-85 victory over the struggling Dallas Mavericks. Andre Iguodala added 20 points and Kenneth Faried had 11 points and a game-high 19 rebounds for the Nuggets (17-14), who have won nine of their last 12 at the American Airlines Center.

The Nuggets made 12 3-pointers for the second straight game and enjoyed huge advantages in points in the paint (52-34) and rebounding (60-43). Gallinari's previous career high was 37 points at New York on Jan. 21, 2012. The Mavericks' only lead of the game was 2-0.

Dallas (12-18) has dropped five straight and eight of its last nine. Dirk Nowitzki was held to just five points in his 2012-13 home debut. O.J. Mayo led five players in double figures with 15 points and a career-high five steals. The Mavericks shot 20 percent (5-for-25) from 3-point distance and 37.5 percent overall.

QUOTABLE: "I was open tonight and I took my shots. I thank the Mavs' defensive game plan for leaving me open tonight."
-- Danilo Gallinari

THE STAT: This was the Mavericks' seventh defeat by 20 or more points this season. They only had four such lopsided losses all of last season.

TURNING POINT: Denver closed the third quarter with a 17-6 run to build an 87-70 lead. Gallinari scored 10 during that decisive stretch, including a 3-pointer and a three-point play.

QUOTABLE II: "Look, we're a long way from being a good basketball team. I know that. It's a lot of work."
-- Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle

HOT: Iguodala drained all four of his 3-point attempts during the third quarter. Iguodala and Gallinari each scored 13 in the third.

NOT: Nowitzki was 2-for-10 from the field and did not play at all in the fourth quarter. He finished with one rebound in 18:07. This was his third game back, his first at the AAC, since undergoing offseason surgery on his right knee.

QUOTABLE III: "That was my decision. It was back-to-back games. He isn't limping or anything, but he just can't give us what everyone expects us to give."
-- Rick Carlisle on Nowitzki sitting out the fourth quarter.

BAD MOVE: After trailing by as many as 15 points, the Mavericks had momentum and were within three points late in the first half. But after a 3-pointer by Gallinari with 5.9 seconds left, Andre Miller stole a sloppy pass by Vince Carter and fed Ty Lawson for a 3-point attempt. He missed it, but Gallinari slammed home the rebound at the buzzer to give Denver a 55-47 lead at the break.

ROOKIE WATCH: Mavericks forward Jae Crowder was 1-for-7 from the field, 1-for-5 from behind the arc, and tallied six points and three rebounds.

NOTABLE: Faried nearly had a double-double in the first quarter with nine points and 11 rebounds (three more than the entire Mavericks team). ... Miller had 11 points and nine assists off the bench. ... Denver is 8-2 when it scores 20-plus second-chance points (21 vs. Dallas). ... The Nuggets are 13-2 when allowing fewer than 100 points. ... Carter passed Glen Rice (1,559) for 13th place in NBA history in made 3-point field goals. ... Dallas is 2-6 in the second game of back-to-backs. ... This is the Mavericks' longest losing streak since a six-game slide in January 2011.

UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Sunday vs. San Antonio, Tuesday @ Washington, Wednesday @ Miami. For the Nuggets, Saturday @ Memphis, Tuesday vs. L.A. Clippers, Thursday vs. Minnesota.

• Nuggets: Chandler, Miller
• Mavericks: Cunningham, James

• Nuggets: --
• Mavericks: --

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• Officials: #48 Scott Foster, #47 Bennie Adams, #60 James Williams
• Attendance: 20439
• Duration: 2:10