Mavs trying to ride the storm out

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Mavs trying to ride the storm out
Nowitzki, Nelson say team must rise above recent doldrums

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

NBA coaches always say they learn more about their teams when things are going bad than when things go well. Don Nelson must be getting a good schooling.

Josh Howard and the Mavericks lost a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter against Kevin Garnett and Minnesota on Monday, the second loss of a three-game losing streak. Things are going south for the Mavericks. The schedule is throwing them up against some nasty competition. Injuries have demoralized everybody. The holiday season is not getting off with a bang.

Three consecutive losses after an 8-2 start have a way of tempering a team's enthusiasm. This is the first storm of the season.

"Right now is a gut check for us," point guard Jason Terry said. "We have to dig deep and fight through it. It's going to get better. Our focus is winning one game."

He's right, of course. This is the NBA, where nothing lasts forever. Change is inevitable, and the Mavericks don't expect to stay in this funk for long. Already, there are signs things are turning around.

Primarily, Dirk Nowitzki's left ankle sprain cost him only one game. He was sore after Wednesday's 14-point loss at San Antonio but was effective during the game.

Also, the Mavericks' play during the slide hasn't been bad. They played Minnesota down to the wire and, other than poor ball movement and shooting, they weren't bad for three quarters against the Spurs, particularly on defense. And San Antonio has been known to play defense, too.

"Give them credit," said Nowitzki (23 points). "Every shot was contested. It was a tough night. We need a win [today] for sure."

A rare noon tipoff will afford the Mavericks a chance to snap their skid against a Trail Blazers team that is 2-0 on this trip.

"This whole week has been tough," Josh Howard said. "And we've got two hard games left [they visit Memphis on Saturday]. I'm sure Portland is going to come in thinking that we're not ready to win. We've got to go to work."

As the injuries heal, that should be easier to do. Said Nelson: "Hopefully, we'll get this thing back on track when our guys are 90 percent to 100 percent healthy instead of 70 to 80 percent."

Long-range blues:

The Mavericks' 3-point shooting has been awful the last five games. Since hitting 42 percent in the first eight games, they are 12-of-58 (20.7 percent) in the last five. But nobody is particularly alarmed.

"If your best 3-point shooters aren't playing, then your 3-point shooting is going to go down," Jerry Stackhouse said.

Dirk Nowitzki sitting out one game and Michael Finley now having missed eight no doubt have been contributing factors to the lame shooting beyond the arc.

"It's hard to get blood out of a turnip," Don Nelson said. "People who aren't good 3-point shooters, you can't expect them to make them just because you need them."

Perhaps the shooting eyes are about to sharpen. Going 3-of-9 at San Antonio was the best percentage from 3-point range in a week.

Half and half:

Mark Cuban is a master of cross-promotion, but he probably won't go this far.

A fan at SBC Center on Wednesday night was wearing an Avery Johnson jersey, with the left half of AJ as a Spur and the right half of him as a Maverick. The fan had bought a jersey of each team, cut them in half and sewed the pieces together.

Briefly:

Dirk Nowitzki attributed his quick return from a sprained left ankle to his body's recuperative power and his pain threshold. "I tried it before the game and the pain was something I could play with, although it was not 100 percent," he said. ... Explaining the Mavericks' eight assists against San Antonio, a season low, was not easy. "I'd rather not comment on that," Don Nelson said. Rookie guard Devin Harris shed some light, however: "We had a lot of isolations, and guys were getting good looks." They couldn't have been too good, because the team shot 38.9 percent.

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MAVERICKS NOTES
Injury doesn't keep Nowitzki out

By Art Garcia
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Did the Mavericks' losing streak rush Dirk Nowitzki's return to the court?

The All-Star power forward admits it factored into his decision to return three days after spraining his left ankle.

"We've got to get back on track sooner or later," Nowitzki said. "I always want to play as soon as I can. I don't like to wait until I'm 100 percent. And I'll always put pressure on myself. I want to help the team. I want to be out there. I don't want to sit out too long."

Nowitzki missed only six quarters after he was injured Sunday night at Denver. He sent a charge through the Mavs early Wednesday night at San Antonio, but the Spurs pulled away in the second half to win 94-80.

The Mavs' losing streak has reached three games going into today's noon tipoff against Portland at American Airlines Center.

The Mavs (8-5) last suffered a four-game losing streak in December of last season.

Nowitzki's ankle held up during a pregame workout, leading to his decision to play.

"It's not 100 percent, but it's pain that I can live with and play with," Nowitzki said.

"Looking back at the game now, I really didn't help do anything. I might as well have sat that one out."

Nowitzki might have been too hard on himself. He was the only consistent Maverick against the Spurs, notching team-highs in points (23) and rebounds (11).

The rest of the team struggled to find any offensive rhythm. No player had more than two assists and the Mavs finished with only eight in the game, coming within two of the all-time franchise low.

"We're not the hottest team right now," point guard Devin Harris said.

"We had some good looks at the basket. They're just not falling for us."

In each of their past three losses, the Mavs haven't scored more than 82 points or shot better than 40 percent.

"We're just out of sync," guard/forward Jerry Stackhouse said.

Getting healthy

The Mavs knew the stretch of six games in nine days would be tough, but not having a full squad has added to the frustration.

"I wish we had the whole team for it," Dirk Nowitzki said. "If we had been healthy, this would have been a hell of a week for us. We could have competed with all these teams. We had a great shot in Denver [on Sunday] ... We had a great start. We should have beat Minnesota [on Monday] without me."

The Mavs are 1-3 during the schedule crunch, including three losses this week.

The Mavs finish the stretch with today's home game against Portland and at Memphis on Saturday.

"Hopefully we'll get this thing back on track when we can play at 90 or 100 percent instead of 70 or 80," Mavs coach Don Nelson said.

Nowitzki (ankle), Erick Dampier (hip), Jason Terry (ankle) and Michael Finley (ankle) have each missed games in the past week. Nowitzki, Dampier and Terry are playing despite not being completely healthy. Finley remains on the injured list, though he's making progress.

However, the thought of those players getting back to 100 percent this season could be wishful thinking. Even those without any listed ailments are dealing with a sprain, strain or some other ache.

"Ain't nobody going to be 100 percent, ever," Jerry Stackhouse said. "Not at this point. Guys that are injured are pretty much going to stay injured all season. You just have to deal with it. That's just how it goes."