Indeed, Orlando put up quite the match from what it seems. Josh and Grant seemed to have had good games
Howard needs to get stronger. Hill just kept attacking Howard knowing he had a strength advantage. Didn't help with the refs though. Dallas wins.
Here is the recap. Mavs work magic in OT, 109-103 03:06 AM CST on Saturday, December 17, 2005 By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News The Mavericks had a legion of military men and women sitting courtside Friday night – and one aircraft carrier on display in front of them. Dirk Nowitzki stepped up huge in overtime, staying involved in every critical play, as the Mavericks overcame a persistent Orlando Magic team, 109-103, in overtime at American Airlines Center. They couldn't have had a better man in their foxhole than Nowitzki, who missed a potential game-winning jumper at the end of regulation, then came up with 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting, two assists and a steal in the overtime. "I know he wanted that one back at the end of regulation," Mavericks coach Avery Johnson said of Nowitzki. "So we got it back to him a lot in the overtime." The Mavericks' power forward finished with 31 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Much of the talk coming into the game was that Orlando's Dwight Howard is the NBA's prototype for power forwards of the future. But he was no match for the hybrid of the present. And Nowitzki got help from Josh Howard, who had 24 points before fouling out, Jason Terry with 22 points and Devin Harris with 18. They all bowed to Nowitzki in this one. "Vintage Dirk," Harris said. "We rode him all the way." Nowitzki put on a terrific show for the military personnel that occupied all the expensive seats as part of the Mavericks' Seats For Soldiers event. And the Mavericks needed Nowitzki's greatness because there was a manpower shortage going on. Already without Marquis Daniels, the loss of Howard made the Mavericks that much thinner. They went with Terry and Harris, both point guards, almost exclusively late in the game. [Click image for a larger version] TOM FOX/DMN TOM FOX/DMN Dirk Nowitzki gets tapped on the arm as he shoots over Orlando center Mario Kasun. The Mavericks couldn't shake Orlando in the first half – or in the second, for that matter. The combination of Grant Hill, Hedo Turkoglu and Steve Francis peppered the Mavericks, and it was Hill's three-point play with 1:06 to go that tied the score, 93-93. Howard fouled out on the play. Neither team could convert in the final minutes, and Nowitzki's jumper that clanked at the buzzer completed a run of seven consecutive missed field goal attempts for the Mavericks to close out regulation. They more than made up for it in overtime when they were 6-of-7 from the field, making all six of their shots after Harris missed on their first possession of the extra period. Tied, 99-99, the Mavericks got Harris' jumper with 1:47 to go, and when Jameer Nelson turned it over for the Magic, Harris converted again. On both baskets, he was fed by Nowitzki. Hill then missed, and Nowitzki's free throws with 15 seconds left put a lid on their seventh win in eight games. "We executed in overtime when we needed to," Terry said. "It was a gutsy win for us, definitely a team effort. We've been playing tough, close ballgames, but we've been gutting them out." The Mavericks also got standout showings from their centers. Erick Dampier was a presence at both ends and had eight rebounds. D.J. Mbenga, who had played sparingly all season, got into the game when DeSagana Diop had foul problems, and Mbenga responded with four points, two blocks and two rebounds in 10 minutes. E-mail esefko@dallasnews.com http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...e.21d532d2.html
Mavs 109 Magic 103, OT Grades: Dirk Takes Care of it in Overtime Actually, no grades since I haven?t been able to watch the taped game yet?.High School ball comes first! Howard: Josh is back to starting again and puts up 24 points before fouling out. +25 Nowitzki: Dirk missed a jumper that would have won the game in regulation. He didn?t miss in the overtime. +35 Dampier: Erick pitched in 4 points (2-5 FG) and 8 rebounds. +10 Terry: Jason scored 22 points to go with his 4 assists. Zero turnovers. +18 Griffin: Tough night for Adrian as he went 0-6 from the floor. Adrian did chip in 9 rebounds and 4 assists though. Zero turnovers. +8 Van Horn: Keith is not nearly 100%, but with Marquis out, Keith was scored 5 points to go with 3 rebounds and 2 steals. +6 Armstrong : Darrell was on the one tonight in 4 minutes: One point, one rebound, one assist, and one turnover. +1 Harris: Devin was the only other Maverick besides Dirk to score in the overtime on his way to 18 points for the night. Devin also led the team with 4 turnovers. +14 Diop: DeSagana had a frustrating night with his only 4 fouls to break up egg carton. +0 M?Benga: Didiers had a productive night with 4 points (2-2 FG) to go with 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal. +8 Marshall : DNP-CD. Powell: DNP-CD. Daniels: DNP-CD, Marquis is out with a neck sprain suffered in the Suns game. Podkolzin: DNC-CD, Pavel had surgery to repair his right foot and ankle and is expected to miss three months. Stackhouse: DNP-CD, Jerry was inactive, out with a sore knee. Typical Chef Ed Type
Yeah Orlando played one heck of a game. Dallas found a way to win. Orlando seemed tougher than the Timberwolves.
