Written by Ron Hitley, Hornets 24/7
DALLAS MAVERICKS
Recap Rewind: Three wins and a loss for the Mavs last week. They disposed of the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers and LA Clippers, but fell to the Nuggets in Denver last Friday. Dallas scored just 71 points in that one, a season low. Josh Howard turned his right ankle in the first quarter and did not return, while Dirk Nowitzki was just back from a one game absence due to food poisoning.
Notable News: The loss in Denver was unlucky thirteen for the Mavs this season, meaning they cannot become just the second team in NBA history to win 70 games. As of this writing, they are 64-13 with five games remaining... The Mavs may have caught a glimpse of their first round Playoff opponent when they hosted the Clippers on Monday. The Clips are battling with the Golden State Warriors and the New Orleans Hornets for the eighth and final Playoff spot in the Western Conference... Howard missed the Blazers game on Saturday with that ankle injury, but was back to score 16 points against the Clippers on Monday. The win assured that the Mavs will finish with the best record in the NBA for the first time in franchise history... Head coach Avery Johnson is looking to rest some of his key players as the Mavs finish out the regular season. Apparently Jerry Stackhouse and Dirk Nowitzki will not be making the trip to Minneapolis this week.
Fast Forward: The Mavs are in Minnesota on Wednesday to battle Kevin Garnett and the Timberwolves. They return to Dallas on Friday to meet the Utah Jazz, and stay home Sunday to meet the San Antonio Spurs.