GDT: Mavs @ Nuggets February 10th - 9:30 CST/10:30 EST

[Lor20]

11? well... sure.....


Hope dirk gets his touch back tonight.

Mavericks-Nuggets Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Feb 10 2011 3:00AM

The Dallas Mavericks enter Thursday night's game with the longest active winning streak in the NBA after escaping with another close win.

They'll have to get by one of the hottest scorers in the league, though, in order to extend their run.

The Mavericks will try for an 11th consecutive victory when they visit Carmelo Anthony and a Denver Nuggets team looking to avoid losing three straight at home for the first time in four seasons.

Following a tightly contested 99-96 win over lowly Cleveland on Monday, Dallas (37-15) held on for a 102-100 victory Wednesday night at Sacramento as Jose Juan Barea stepped up while Dirk Nowitzki was feeling the effects of a sore wrist.

"They kept giving me the ball and it kept working out," said Barea, who matched a career high with 15 fourth-quarter points, scoring 20 total. "I love it. I love having the ball in my hands and making things happen."

Barea also had 15 points in the fourth during a 103-101 loss versus Denver on March 27, 2009.

Nowitzki, scoring a team-best 22.8 points per game, injured his wrist in the first half Monday and finished with 12 points. He registered 10 on 4-of-14 shooting against the Kings and is likely to play through the injury.

The 10-time All Star is averaging 30.7 points in his last three games versus Denver. The Mavericks have taken 16 of 20 from the Nuggets when Nowitzki scores at least 25 points.

Anthony followed up his season-high 50-point performance Monday against Houston with 29 at Golden State on Wednesday night, but Denver lost both games. The star forward wasn't pleased how the 116-114 loss to the Warriors played out.

The Nuggets (30-23) had a chance to tie with eight seconds remaining but chose to continue play without calling a timeout, with Nene missing a fallaway.

"If we did call timeout, we had a chance to set something up," said Anthony, who is averaging 32.0 points on 53.4 percent shooting in his last six games. "We still had a chance to take a shot that we might have felt good with.

"To have seven or nine seconds left in the game, I feel pretty confident at that time with the ball in my hands to make something happen."

Denver has dropped five of seven overall, and although the Nuggets' 121 home wins since the start of the 2007-08 season are the most in the league, they're on the verge of losing a third consecutive contest at the Pepsi Center for the first time since Dec. 31, 2006-Jan. 6, 2007.

The Nuggets are averaging an NBA-best 110.3 points at home but could struggle offensively versus Dallas, surrendering just 96.2 points per game on its current winning streak.

The Mavericks, whose run includes five straight wins on the road, have lost five of seven when allowing more than 100 points.

Dallas was defeated in four straight at Denver prior to taking two of the last three - including a 102-101 win Nov. 3 as Nowitzki had 35 points and 12 rebounds.

Anthony had averaged 16.3 points - 8.4 below his career mark - in his previous four matchups with Dallas before scoring 27 in a 103-92 road win Nov. 6.

Denver point guard Chauncey Billups strained his left knee in the first half of Monday's 108-103 home loss to the Rockets and was sidelined Wednesday, but he is expected to play Thursday.

Nene returned to the lineup against Golden State after sitting out with the flu Monday and scored 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting. He missed both matchups with Dallas this season due to a groin injury.