Dirk Nowitzki, mired in a horrible shooting slump, shot the ball eight times and made just two field goals in the biggest game of the Dallas Mavericks' season.
He also made the defensive play of the game, a strip that dislodged the ball from James Harden's possession as the Houston Rockets' unstoppable foul magnet attacked the rim for what would have been a go-ahead layup with 5.4 seconds left in the game. Thanks to that play, Dallas escaped with a hard-fought 88-86 win.
Dirk? Defense?
Sure, why not?
Nowitzki's game-saving swipe (or obvious foul, if you live in Houston) is emblematic of the all-hands-on-deck attitude that has, somehow, helped Dallas win five straight and move a full two games ahead of the Rockets in the West playoff race. With Chandler Parsons done for the year, Deron Williams missing the Mavs' last seven contests with a groin injury and Nowitzki's shooting slump (he hit just 21 of his 76 shots in the four games preceding the win over Houston), Dallas should have been cooked long ago.
But J.J. Barea, who scored a game-high 27 points, has been on fire. And g ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Grant Hughes
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April 6th, 2016 by Grant Hughes Leave a reply »
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