Dirk Nowitzki erupts with 33 points as Dallas Mavericks thump Denver Nuggets 112-95: NBA Recap
Dirk Nowitzki exploded for 33 points on a 12-of-19 shooting, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists as the Dallas Mavericks romped to a 112-95 win over the Denver Nuggets.
Denver entered the game, boosted by the inclusion of Wilson Chandler, and breathing just below the neck of the Mavs for the seventh seed in the Western Conference. However by the time the game ended, they were not only outplayed,
but also lost reserve guard Andre Miller - bruised right shoulder suffered in the second quarter - and Danilo Gallinari with broken left thumb.
The Mavs meant business tonight and made 10 of their first 13 field attempts to take a 23-14 lead. Behind seven points from Chandler however, the Nuggets caught up quickly in phase which saw the Broncos outscore the Mavs 16-10
to end the first quarter at 29-33.
Chandler had 13 points for Denver, who were paced by 24 from Aaron Afflalo. Al Harrington had 12 points and 9 boards as well.
Jason Terry started the second frame with a three, and some consistent shot making ensured that the reigning NBA Champions maintained a 47-38 advantage with 6:50 to go till the break. Back came the Nuggets though, with an 11-3
run, capped by a jumper from Ty Lawson to make it a one point game at 49-50.
The response from the Mavs was immediate and it came in the form of eight unchallenged points. Nuggets scored the next five in a row to slash the lead again, but Dallas forced their way to a 63-56 lead at halftime.
Nowitzki had 18 till the break. He then landed a triple in a 9-nothing Dallas spurt at the start of the second half which made it 72-56. Two minutes later, the Nuggets tried to inch back again with a 14-4 run, but Vince Carter
made a three and followed it with a couple from the line to nip the opposition push. Brandan Wright made a deuce to stretch the lead to 85-72 and a Nowitzki three ended the third at 92-78.
Dirk then scored five points in a 7-0 run at the start of the fourth and the Mavs never looked back after that.
Wright came off the bench for 15 while Rodrigue Beaubois and Carter chipped in with 14 apiece for the Mavs, who shot at 53.6 percent from the floor.
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