Nowitzki helps Mavs keep Wizards winless on road

[February 01, 2011]  DALLAS (AP) -- Dallas coach Rick Carlisle had seen just about all he could take.

With his Mavericks playing down to the worst road team in the NBA, Carlisle ripped into his players during a second-quarter timeout.

They got the message.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points, Tyson Chandler added 18 points and 18 rebounds, and Dallas kept the Washington Wizards winless on the road with a 102-92 victory on Monday night.

"I was mad. Really, it was the maddest that I have been all year," Carlisle said. "At that point, we were playing a losing brand of basketball and they will tell you the same thing. We picked it up at both ends and we started competing better."

Jason Terry contributed 14 points and eight assists and Shawn Marion had 14 points and nine rebounds for Dallas, which has won five straight and six of seven following a six-game losing streak.

Jason Kidd had 11 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds for the Mavs.

Washington lost its fifth straight overall and slipped to 0-24 on the road, the third-worst road start in NBA history.

Dallas holds the record, dropping its first 29 on the road in 1992-93.

Rookie of the Year contender John Wall had 17 points and 10 assists, and Nick Young and Rashard Lewis had 18 points apiece for Washington.

The Wizards led by as many as 12 in the second quarter before the Mavericks fought back with a 10-4 run over the last 2:39 of the first half for a 50-49 lead at the break.

Carlisle burned a timeout with his team behind, 32-23, and 9:46 left in the second quarter.

"He was frustrated and he had a right to be frustrated," Chandler said. "We were making some mental mistakes out there, lack of focus, and we turned it up at the end of the first half and in the second half and ended up with a win."

Both teams shot poorly from the free throw line. Washington went 19 for 31 and Dallas was 25 for 37.

The Mavericks took control with a 14-4 third-quarter run capped by Kidd's 3-pointer with 2:24 left for a 72-64 advantage.

Dallas carried a 74-68 edge into the final quarter, and Nowitzki's four-point play with 6:51 remaining extended the lead to 91-81.

Nowitzki converted a layup, was fouled, and Washington coach Flip Saunders was slapped with a technical when he complained about the call, with Nowitzki hitting both free throws.

The Wizards pulled within 95-91, but Nowitzki swished an 18-footer with 2:13 remaining.

Kidd's 3-pointer from the left corner with 49.8 seconds left gave Dallas a 100-92 lead, closing out the Wizards.

Kidd had missed a 22-footer with 1:07 remaining, with the ball bouncing high over the top of the backboard. The Wizards thought the ball was out of bounds, but play continued, with Chandler coming away with the rebound.

Kidd cashed in on the extra possession.

"I thought it was out of bounds," Wall said. "They didn't make the call. Even though they didn't make it, you've still got to play until you hear the whistle. It was a big possession and they got the 3. It was tough for us to come back from there."

And so, the road drought continues. Washington nearly ended the streak on Friday night, losing 124-117 in double-overtime at Oklahoma City.

"You think about it every time you lose a game," Wall said. "You're disappointed and you've got to move on. We've got one more road game tomorrow (at New Orleans), and I think we're close to getting a win. We've got to learn how to finish and make the plays down the stretch."

NOTES: Former Mavericks F Josh Howard missed his 13th straight game for Washington with a sore left knee. Howard averaged 15.3 points and six rebounds in 431 games for Dallas before he was traded to the Wizards on Feb. 13, 2010. ... Dallas wrapped up a 4-0 homestand and is on the road for six of its next seven games. The last time the Mavs swept a four-game homestand was March 8-14, 2008. ... Washington F JaVale McGee was back in the rotation after missing two games with the flu. ... A contingent of Pittsburgh Steelers players and coaches took a break from Super Bowl preparations to watch the game from a luxury suite. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is a Pittsburgh native and Steelers fan. ...The Wizards had one first-half turnover, seven for the game.

[Associated Press]

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