Mavericks 102, Nets 89

Here we go again.

Same old story, right? Sort of. It was much closer in the fourth quarter than you are led to believe. Things really weren't decided until about 3 minutes left in the game. The Nets kept it close throughout, and I thought Mikki Moore in particular was very impressive. He got 20 points and his hustle was evident all night. Carter got his, you knew he would. I think I say that about every superstar, but that's the great thing about the Mavs. They don't attempt to clamp down on the superstars, to draw all their energy on stopping one guy. They let the star get his, and figure out other ways to win. Hey, they've won 16 straight using that strategy, so let's not knock it.

The night, though, belonged to Jason Terry. He led the way for the Mavs with 24 points. And not just that, but they were timely shots. They were well thought out and just smart plays. Fun to see. Nowitzki had 22 points and 11 rebounds, accumulating yet another double-double. The other one, Josh Howard, was not as evident, only scoring 10. Four other plays either matched or exceeded Howard's amount (Dampier, Buckner, Stackhouse, Harris), so it was clear that the team was spreading the ball around. Dampier in particular was EVERYWHERE tonight, getting 12 points and 14 rebounds. We need more of this from the guy, he definitely helped keep the edge tonight and made the tough moments of the fourth quarter more manageable. He was the star in that regard, while Terry was the more flamboyant superstar of the night.

Good game and now some time off.

P.S. Is anybody watching the Spurs? They've won 10 straight. Yikes.