With numerous Mavericks struggling, Nowitzki again showed he can carry his team at 37 years old.
Advertisement
In a battle between two of the best players in the generation, Dirk Nowitzki will lead the Dallas Mavericks as they welcome LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to their homecourt in the National Basketball Association.
The Wolves cut the Mavs’ lead to 85-81 with less than two minutes remaining before Nowitzki had a three-point play to essentially put the game away.
“Well, they’re a good team”, 13-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki said with a great amount of respect for Cleveland’s star-studded roster. “It was classic Dirk, hitting shots from everywhere and making big shots and big plays”. His length and game play has made him one of the most iconic figures in the game and many consider him one of the best power forwards to ever play the game.
Nowitzki scored a game-high 29 points as the Mavericks edged the Timberwolves 93-87 Sunday at Target Center. “An extremely hard schedule, there’s no doubt about that”, Carlisle said. Williams should have an easier time finding his way to the basket against the Timberwolves, who have dropped five straight and were crushed 125-99 at home by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
Dallas started off 3-3 before a six-game winning streak in November. “The guys kept coming to me, and I thought defensively it was a good effort today”. Minnesota didn’t get much production from the perimeter, either, hitting four of 16 attempts from behind the arc.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (21-16): Dallas committed 10 of its 16 turnovers in the first half on Friday to let the Bucks race out to a 16-point lead at the break. Wiggins helped the Timberwolves close within five a couple of times late, but Nowitzki was fouled on a mid-range jumper with 1:30 left and hit the ensuing free throw.
Cleveland, which trailed by 16 points in the first quarter, never led until Irving made a 3-pointer with 10 minutes left in regulation to make it 75-74. The Cleveland Cavaliers have won seven of their last nine road games. Kevin Garnett, who was brought in over the offseason to provide some veteran leadership to the team, was a non-factor in the game, as he scored just two points with no rebounds and two assists. “When I limit his minutes like this it is because of a conversion he and I had, and he’s telling me how he’s feeling”, Mitchell said.
The Mavs were expected to rebuild following the summer heartbreak of snagging and then losing DeAndre Jordan, yet they continue to reinvent themselves and enter as the fifth seed in the West. Acquired from Milwaukee for a future second-round pick, Pachulia had 13 points and 11 rebounds Sunday for his 19th double-double of the season.
“He’s a guy that’s prepared himself for greatness virtually every night”, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said of Nowitzki. Dallas is 20-0 when leading after three quarters….
Advertisement
“They look at me as the leader of this team and I’ve got to be that way all year round”, he said.
