Dirk Nowitzki scores 42 points to help the Dallas Mavericks beat the Detroit Pistons
The Dallas Mavericks (9-4) got an 88-84 victory against the Detroit Pistons (5-9) on Tuesday 23 November at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Former league MVP Dirk Nowitzki had a dominant performance, finishing with 42 points and 12 rebounds in 40 minutes. The power forward went 13-for-23 from the field, including 3-for-3 from
three and 13-for-16 from the free throw line. Jason Terry had 16 points, four assists, and three steals in 35 minutes off the bench while Caron Butler recorded 11 points and eight rebounds. Starting point guard Jason Kidd scored only seven points on 2-for-9
shooting but did notch a game-high 10 assists.
Tayshaun Prince had 19 points and five rebounds for the Pistons, with Rodney Stuckey chipping in with 19 and five as well. Jason Maxiell shot 5-for-7 from the field to finish with 10 points
and seven rebounds while Ben Gordon had 10 points off the bench. Starting shooting guard Richard Hamilton shot only 1-for-7 on the night, finishing with five points.
Dallas scored the first 11 points of the contest while Detroit went 1-for-9 to start the game, helping the Mavericks to a 24-17 lead going into the second quarter. But the Pistons outscored
them 25-14 in the second to hold a 42-38 lead at the break.
The Pistons’ lead grew as large as 12 points in the third quarter but the Mavericks managed to keep it close, entering the final quarter down five points. Dallas upped their energy level
in the fourth, with Caron Butler scoring their first six points of the quarter. Later in the frame, Nowitzki scored nine straight points to give Dallas a 75-70 lead with just over five minutes remaining. Hamilton made a couple of free throws with 1:01 remaining
to bring the Pistons to within two but Nowitzki connected on four free throws down the stretch to clinch the win for Dallas.
What they said
Nowitzki had his best game of the season and Terry told reporters after the game they couldn’t have done it without him. "It was winning time and the big German was hot. He was tremendous.
It never ceases to amaze me the way he's able to fill it up."
Nowitzki admitted it wasn’t a pretty win but he liked how his team fought back in the fourth quarter. "Caron got us started with some drives. We really had to grind this one out. It wasn't
pretty for a while, but [Terry] got hot there at the end and made some big baskets."
Prince was frustrated that his team wasn’t able to hold on to the lead. "This is a tough loss because we controlled the game pretty much throughout. We knew it would come down to Jason
Terry and Dirk making plays at the end. It's a tough combination to try to stop."
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