DALLAS MAVERICKS
A couple of close ones for Dallas last week, but they sit atop the NBA with their 39-9 record.
Recap Rewind: Three games last week for the Mavs, and three wins as expected. Tuesday saw them handle the visiting Seattle Supersonics easily, Austin Croshere pouring in a career-high 34 points in the 122-102 win. Wednesday's trip to Memphis to play the League-worst Grizzlies was tougher than expected, as the Mavs had to use a late rally to win 95-94. Dirk Nowitzki overcame a slow start to score 16 points in the fourth quarter and lead the Mavericks with 26 total. Back home in Dallas on Saturday, the Mavs took care of their home court, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 94-93. Josh Howard and Jason terry each had 22 points, as Nowitzki again struggled from the field.
Notable News: The Mavs have won fifteen consecutive at home... Josh Howard missed the Seattle and Memphis games last week for the birth of his first child... Although Nowitzki was named as an All-Star reserve on Thursday, Howard didn't make the cut. He still has a chance to be named as a replacement for the injured Yao Ming or Carlos Boozer... Speaking of All-Star, Terry may be joining Nowitzki in Vegas for the Saturday night 3-point shootout... Head coach Avery Johnson wanted his team to get to the free throw line more. They had 29 attempts against Minnesota on Saturday, so I guess that's mission accomplished.
Fast Forward: Dallas host the Grizzlies on Wednesday, and the Houston Rockets on Friday. Next Sunday, they head back on the road, starting a three-game trip against the Philadelphia 76ers.
HOUSTON ROCKETS
Two wins out of three for the Rockets last week, but their coach ain't happy.
Recap Rewind: The Rockets kept rolling when they beat up on the visiting Sixers and Sonics this week -- both wins by double digits -- to bring their winning streak to four games. McGrady was the leading scorer in both those games, dropping 25 on Philly and 36 on Seattle. Saturday brought the New Orleans Hornets to the Toyota Center, and the Rockets spluttered to a 30-point first half and a 87-74 loss. Rafer Alston was ejected in the first quarter along with the Hornets' Desmond Mason for arguing after a hard foul by Mason on McGrady. T-Mac played on and led Houston once again with 18 points.
Notable News: Aside from the loss to the Hornets, the Rockets had been winning pretty consistently of late. However, Jeff Van Gundy is far from happy, saying recently: "I didn't like what I saw against Seattle. I didn't like what I saw against Denver at home. I think we're forgetting how hard it is to win, how hard it is to win when you're down a star player" ... Van Gundy also voiced his displeasure with Alston following that ejection: "What Rafer and Mason did was inexplicable really, that it was more important to get the last word in than it was thinking about your team's needs" ... Dikembe Mutombo is considering playing another season after this one... Luther Head continues to contribute some nice scoring off the bench, averaging about 13ppg in the three games last week... The Rockets are currently 29-17 on the season, good for the fifth seed in the West.
Fast Forward: Monday sees the Rockets wrap up their current homestand when they host the Timberwolves. Then it's back on the road for games in Memphis on Tuesday and Dallas on Friday. The Rockets return home on Saturday to host the Charlotte Bobcats.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
Some better basketball from the Grizzlies last week, but the losing continues.
Recap Rewind: The Griz stayed home all week, and picked up their only win Monday against the Sacramento Kings. Pau Gasol was unstoppable, scoring 34, rebounding 8 and blocking 8. He was 14-of-17 from the floor. Memphis also hung tough against the visiting Mavericks on Wednesday, but wilted down the stretch to lose, 95-94. Mike Miller scored 32 in that one, as the Grizzlies managed to keep an opponent under 100 points for the first time since December 16th. The Indiana Pacers were in town on Saturday, and a combined 56 points from Gasol and Miller couldn't prevent another loss, 116-110. The Griz are now an NBA-worst 12-36 on the season.
Notable News: Eddie Jones, who just two weeks ago was the hero in a win over Utah, was released by the Grizzlies early last week at his request. Jones has since signed with the Miami Heat... Rudy Gay will be in Vegas later this month for the Rookie Challenge... To make up for the departed Jones and the injured Kyle Lowry, the Grizzlies have signed Will Conroy from the D-League... Stromile Swift returned to action Saturday against the Pacers having missed several games with back spasms. He had 2 points and 6 rebounds in 18 minutes of action... Dahntay Jones may have been a bad boy.
Fast Forward: A pair of back-to-backs ahead for the Grizzlies this week. They host the Rockets on Tuesday, followed by a trip to Dallas to play the Mavs on Wednesday. They return to the FedExForum to host the T-Wolves on Friday, then travel to Oklahoma City to play the Hornets on Friday.