dirk's mavs are on top

[Murphy3]

leading the NBA in wins..can they keep it up?
I'm looking for the mavs to end up second in wins, behind the lakers... but i do see them winning the midwest

[Murphy3]

Mavericks win their 43rd game -- most in NBA

March 8, 2002

AP

The Dallas Mavericks don't have the NBA's best record. For now, they have the most victories.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 35 points, Michael Finley had 25 and Steve Nash added 19 points and a season-high 15 assists, helping Dallas shoot 65 percent in a 122-103 victory Thursday night over the stumbling Toronto Raptors.

The Mavericks (43-18) have one more win than the Kings (42-17), but Sacramento has a better winning percentage, .712 to .705.

``I remember when our record was reversed,'' said Finley, who in his first full season in Dallas was part of a team that went 20-62.

In other NBA games, Detroit edged Washington 95-92, Seattle rallied past Charlotte 92-89 in overtime, Memphis downed Indiana 122-111, San Antonio edged Houston 99-97 and Denver defeated New York 104-93.

Finley, Nowitzki and Nash were especially dominant in the third quarter, scoring 29 of the Mavs' 33 points. Nash and Nowitzki had 10 each and Finley added nine.

The biggest surprise for the Mavericks was their accuracy one game after hitting only 37 percent and scoring a season-low 81 points. Dallas made 12 of 15 shots (80 percent) in the fourth quarter.

Dallas did it primarily by taking easy shots. The game was heavy on layups and dunks, rather than the mad-bomber style the perimeter-oriented Mavs often rely on. The Mavericks' offensive success enabled them to win despite being outrebounded 51-34.

``We're on the verge of something good,'' Finley said. ``Right now, we can't look at the standings and hope other teams lose. If we keep winning, I like our position.''

Toronto trailed by 11 in the first quarter, then led briefly in the middle quarters -- yet never by more than one. The Raptors scored only 23 points in the third quarter to fall behind by double digits and never made it close again.

The Raptors have lost 13 in a row, four shy of the franchise record, and held a team meeting after the game.

Vince Carter led Toronto with 19 points, but most came after the game was decided. One game after tying his season high with 43 points, he was shut out the first 10 minutes and had only one field goal in the first half.

Toronto's next two games are against Miami and Orlando, then the Raptors get New Jersey, Sacramento and Minnesota -- three of the top five teams in theleague.

[Murphy3]

Mavs are tops in wins
By Dwain Price
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DALLAS - In the hours leading up to Thursday's game against the Toronto Raptors, the Mavericks kept fretting about their offensive ineptness the previous four games.

They kept talking about how they had developed tired legs and about this being the dog days of the NBA.


But for the first time in nearly two weeks, the Mavericks looked like an offensive machine as they won in impressive fashion, 122-103. The Mavericks have an NBA-high 43 victories and moved into a virtual tie with Sacramento for the best record in the league.


The Kings (42-17) have a .712 winning percentage to a .705 winning percentage for the Mavericks (43-18).


Dirk Nowitzki poured in 35 points, Michael Finley scored 25 and Steve Nash added 19 points and a season-high 15 assists as the Mavericks torched the Raptors with a season-high 64.8 percent shooting from the field. Toronto left town with a 29-34 record, and also carried an embarrassing 13-game losing streak. The Raptors battered the Mavericks on the boards 51-34 but could never sustain any continuity.


A late basket from the corner by Shawn Bradley provided Dallas with a meager 55-54 lead at the half. Then the Mavericks took control in the third quarter when Nowitzki and Nash each popped in 10 points, and Finley added nine. Dallas entered the final period with an 88-77 advantage.


The Mavericks opened the fourth period with a 12-1 run, punctuated by a jumper by Eduardo Najera that pushed the lead to 100-78. Afterward, Mavericks coach Don Nelson said the stability in his offense that he's been searching for since the seven-player trade with Denver on Feb. 21 finally surfaced.


"It wasn't perfect, but it was pretty darn good," Nelson said. "I'd say the offense was clicking, for sure."


Nelson also had another piece of news that his players were more than happy to hear.


"For the first since the trade we deserved a day off," he said. "So we're going to have a day off [today], and it's well-deserved."


Raptors coach Lenny Wilkens said his team had difficulties keeping up with the Mavericks, who made the Raptors look like they were running in mud.


"They came out and they were running and shooting," Wilkens said. "They shot the ball extremely well, especially from the outside.


"In the first half, we hustled, we scrapped and we got back in the game. But in the third quarter our defense kind of fell apart. We didn't talk and help [on defense], and you can't do that against a team like this."


The Raptors had seven players in double-figure scoring, with Vince Carter leading the way with 19 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Carter, who scored 43 points during Tuesday's 112-109 loss at Houston, had only six points in the first half against the Mavericks.


Keon Clark turned in a solid performance for the Raptors as he finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds, including a vicious dunk right in Bradley's face late in the second period.


But this night belonged to the Mavericks, who led by 11 in the first period, lost the lead in the second, then blew away the Raptors in the second half.