NBA: Bucks formally announce signing of ex-Mavericks guard O.J. Mayo

Source: http://host.madison.com/sports/basketball/professional/nba-bucks-formally-announce-signing-of-ex-mavericks-guard-o/article_c7b7290a-83bc-58ae-96af-8353d5249fe2.html

One day after reportedly losing guard Monta Ellis to the Dallas Mavericks, the Milwaukee Bucks officially added free-agent guard O.J. Mayo to the roster.

In a deal in the works for more than a week, the Bucks on Saturday announced the signing of the former Mavericks standout. The news comes less than 24 hours after ESPN reported that Ellis will leave Milwaukee and sign with the Mavericks in deal reportedly worth $25 million over three years.

Mayo, 25, averaged 15.3 points and 4.4 assists for Dallas last season, when he was the only Mavericks player to see action in all 82 regular-season games. He shot 44.9 percent from the field, 40.7 percent from 3-point range and 82 percent from the free throw line in 349 attempts.

Originally selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the third overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Mayo was dealt to Memphis on draft night. He played his first four seasons with the Grizzlies before signing with Dallas as a free agent prior to the 2012-13 season.

The former USC athlete has appeared in 383 games in his five-year career, averaging 15.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per contest. Mayo’s 383 games played are the fifth-most in the league since the start of the 2008-09 season, and he’s avoided missing a single game in four of his five seasons thus far.

NBA's Howard makes decision, moves from LA - reports

The tug-of-war between five teams to sign Dwight Howard appeared to be over on Friday with multiple media outlets reporting that the seven-time All-Star center was heading to the Houston Rockets.

Howard, who joined the Los Angeles Lakers from the Orlando Magic in a blockbuster 12-player trade in August 2012, had been favouring a move to Houston, despite facing a substantial paycut by opting to leave the Lakers, reports said.

The 27-year-old, who had also been courted by the Dallas Mavericks, the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors, was eligible to sign for five years and $118 million with Los Angeles or four years and $88 million with any other team.

ESPN said on Friday that Howard had informed the Mavericks, the Hawks, the Warriors and the Lakers that he would not be signing with any of them, though the Lakers said they had not yet been given news about Howard's decision.

"He hasn't finalised his decision but we hope and expect him to make a decision today or tomorrow," Howard's agent, Dan Fegan, was quoted as saying by the Los Angeles Times.

Earlier in the day, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted: "While we are excited & cautiously optimistic @DwightHoward might choose Houston, we have not yet heard about his decision."

Free agent Howard, a three-time NBA defensive player of the year who is popularly known as 'Superman' because of his athletic prowess, consulted all five teams earlier this week.

The Lakers met up with Howard on Tuesday and their pitch focused on the future -- on how they would be able to embellish Howard's brand off the court while returning on-court greatness to a franchise that has piled up 16 NBA championship titles.

Lakers All-Star Kobe Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, played a key role in trying to woo Howard, telling him: "You need to learn how it's done first, and I can teach you here.

"I know how to do it and I've learned from the best - players who have won multiple times over and over."

However, Bryant and Howard did not always see eye-to-eye last season under the guidance of coach Mike D'Antoni before the Lakers were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs.

The prospect of being the kingpin on an ambitious Rockets team which also includes James Harden, Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lin and promising center Omer Asik was always likely to be an alluring one for Howard.

His arrival in Houston would instantly make the Rockets genuine contenders for the Western Conference championship.

Original post @ http://tvnz.co.nz/basketball-news/nba-s-howard-makes-decision-moves-reports-5495997

Nowitzki practices for first time since knee surgery

DALLAS (AP) -- Dirk Nowitzki has gone through his first full practice with the Dallas Mavericks since undergoing knee surgery that forced the 11-time All-Star to miss every game so far this season.

Following the practice Wednesday, Nowitzki gave no real timetable on when he might make his season debut, except to say "maybe any time after Christmas."

Nowitzki had arthroscopic surgery on his ailing right knee Oct. 19. It was the first knee surgery for the 7-foot forward in his 15th NBA season.

Nowitzki said he'll see how his knee reacts after the first day of stopping, pushing off and moving. He said he plans to have a couple of similar practice and will absorb some contact as well before trying to play in a game.

For the original post visit: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/12/19/mavericks-nowitzki-first-practice.ap/index.html

Mavs' Nowitzki still experiencing knee swelling

DALLAS (AP) -- Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki hopes to avoid surgery after experiencing more swelling in his troublesome right knee.

Nowitzki missed his second straight preseason game as Dallas beat Houston 123-104 Monday night. The 11-time All-Star said after the game he is going to reduce his workload over the next week and see if the swelling goes down in his knee, which has been drained twice over the past month.

The 2011 NBA Finals MVP said if there is no improvement over the next few days, he may have no choice other than to have surgery, which would probably sideline him into the regular season.

"I guess that it's obvious that I don't want (surgery) done," Nowitzki said. "If it's going to keep swelling up on me, that's not a way to go through an 82-game season and hopefully a long playoff run."

Nowitzki said the swelling wasn't as bad as it had been when he had problems before a preseason game In Spain last Tuesday. He practiced once the team returned to Texas and experienced more swelling afterwards.

It is the same knee and same issue Nowitzki dealt with early last season. The Mavericks held their perennial All-Star out for a four-game stretch in January to improve his game conditioning and give him time to strengthen his right knee.

Nowitzki said he is going to avoid practices and scrimmages, limiting his workouts to time in the pool and on the elliptical machine.

"It makes no sense to play in the preseason on a swollen knee," Nowitzki said. "So we'll see what's going to happen in the next couple of days."

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/10/15/mavs-nowitzki-rests-against-rockets.ap/index.html

Cuban confirms exchange led to Odom's end in Dallas

DALLAS (AP) -- Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had noticed Lamar Odom's uninspired play numerous times before, and kept hoping things would change.

It took one reply by Odom during a heated halftime exchange in his last game, when Cuban questioned the player's commitment to the team and Odom told him to quit playing games, to realize it was time for the two sides to part ways.

"Just his response to it. Everybody goes through ups and downs. Every player does. We tried to put him in a position to succeed. ... It didn't work," Cuban said Tuesday night, his first public comments since the team confirmed a day earlier that Odom was done in Dallas.

Their halftime exchange came after Odom played an uninspired four minutes Saturday night at Memphis.

"I just asked him, does he want to go for it or not. Is he in or is he out? I think he thought we were playing poker. I just didn't get a commitment. And that was the end," Cuban said. "This was a big game for us, and he wasn't connecting to that. And if you're not positive energy, you're negative energy."

When asked if that was the first time he noticed Odom having such a demeanor, Cuban responded, "No, but the first 17 times, I decided to try to help him and turn it into a positive."

That never happened.

Odom's averages of 6.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 20.5 minutes in his underwhelming 50-game stint in Dallas were career lows. He was also often late for team activities such as practices and meetings.

The Mavericks didn't release him and instead said Odom would be listed inactive for their remaining nine games. That started with Tuesday night's game against Sacramento.

"He didn't want to play. He decided to go elsewhere or do something else. Now we regroup and go forward," Cuban said. "We kept on hoping things would turn out right. It just got to the point where there weren't enough games in the season to try to find out."

The defending NBA champion Mavericks were only one game ahead of ninth place in the Western Conference standings going into the game against the Kings.

Dallas acquired the NBA's reigning Sixth Man of the Year from the Los Angeles Lakers just before the lockout-shortened season. It was a low-risk deal for the Mavericks, who gave up a first-round pick and the trade exception from a deal that sent Tyson Chandler to the New York Knicks.

The Lakers seemed compelled to move the 6-foot-10 forward, who made $8.9 million this season, after trying to send him to New Orleans in a Chris Paul deal that was nixed by the league. There were also the personal issues for Odom, whose 24-year-old cousin was murdered last summer only days before the player was involved in a fatal car accident that killed a teen pedestrian after the car he was riding in as a passenger collided with a motorcycle.

Cuban said the Mavericks knew about Odom's fragile emotional state when they got him.

"Yeah, but we thought we could fight through it," Cuban said. "We knew that's why he was available."

Cuban insisted that he failed in trying to make the situation work, and that he didn't have to talk to anyone else to know the end had arrived.

"If I'm going to be the guy who smiles with my hand on the trophy, I've got to be the guy who takes the responsibility," Cuban said. "It was just my initiative, just paying attention. ... I was working with him, tried to get him back on the horse. When I failed, it was my job to recognize it, and deal with it."

Odom, the husband and reality TV co-star of Khloe Kardashian, still has a year left on his four-year contract. Any team that has the 13-year veteran on its roster on June 29 must give him a $2.4 million buyout or be responsible for the full $8.2 million he would be due in 2012-13.

"The way his contract is structured, it will hopefully create some opportunities for us," Cuban said, acknowledging he thinks Odom is tradeable. "Absolutely. It's in his best interests to get his act together, and I'm sure he will. Lamar is still a talented basketball player. He just went through some issues this year. We thought we could work through them with him this year and we weren't able to. Next."

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/04/10/mavericks-odom-cuban.ap/index.html

NBA: Nowitzki drains jumper to edge Mavs past Magic

Dirk Nowitzki banked in a jumper with 5.9 seconds left and scored a game-high 28 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks past the Orlando Magic 100-98 on Friday night.

Jameer Nelson scored 24 points to lead the Magic. Ryan Anderson added 21, while Dwight Howard finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds.

The Mavericks trailed by 15 points in the third quarter before rallying in the final period, aided by a plethora of turnovers by the Magic. Jason Terry had 10 points in the quarter and 17 in the game. Delonte West and Shawn Marion each added 15.

Orlando had 16 turnovers, which led to 20 points for the Mavericks. The Magic lost to Dallas for the sixth straight time at home.

HEAT 113, RAPTORS 101 
In Toronto, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh scored 30 points each as the Miami Heat beat Toronto, marking their seventh straight win over the Raptors.

Wade scored a game high 30 points, but said he played with a "heavy heart" after learning his adult nephew had been one of six men shot during a shooting spree in Chicago’s South side on Thursday.

LeBron James had 26 points and nine assists, while Mario Chalmers added 14 points as the Heat won for the second time in two nights after beating Dallas at home on Thursday.

DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points and Andrea Bargnani had 27 for Toronto. Amir Johnson had 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Jose Calderon had 16 assists, one shy of his season high, but the Raptors lost for the sixth time in eight games.

Miami came in having lost six of eight away from home, but improved to 16-11 away from American Airlines Arena.

CLIPPERS 98, TRAIL BLAZERS 97 
In Los Angeles, Chris Paul made a driving layup with 5 seconds to go, lifting Los Angeles past Portland for their season high-tying fourth straight victory.

The Clippers trailed by two when Paul got the ball to Randy Foye, who hit a three-pointer with 47 seconds left to put the Clippers ahead 96-95. Jamal Crawford responded with a 22-footer and Portland led by one with 13 seconds left.

Paul dribbled around before driving to the basket for the winner. Wesley Matthews missed a jumper in the waning seconds for the visitors.

Paul, Blake Griffin and Randy Foye led six Clippers in double figures with 20 points each.

J.J. Hickson led the Blazers with a season-high 29 points and 13 rebounds.

WIZARDS 97, 76ERS 76 
In Washington, Cartier Martin tied a career-high with 20 points in his second game under a 10-day contract, as Washington built a big lead and held on to it for a change, breaking a five-game losing streak.

The loss knocked Philadelphia out of first place in the Atlantic Division, putting them one game behind Boston. The 76ers began the day tied with the Celtics, who beat Minnesota.

The Wizards had blown double-digit leads in their past three home games, but this time they did not let up.

Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young scored 14 apiece for the 76ers, who have lost six of nine.

CELTICS 100, TIMBERWOLVES 79
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kevin Garnett had 24 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in his return to Target Center as Boston outmuscled Kevin Love and Minnesota.

Paul Pierce had 21 points and nine rebounds, while Rajon Rondo had 17 assists for the Celtics, who have won four in a row and six of their past seven.

Love had 22 points and 11 rebounds, but succumbed to Garnett’s physical defense in a battle between the face of the Timberwolves past and present.

Luke Ridnour had 15 points and eight assists, but the Wolves turned the ball over 21 times to see their playoff hopes take a hit. They entered two-and-a-half games out of the eighth spot in the West.

In other games, it was:

‧ Bucks 121, Cavaliers 84

‧ Nuggets 99, Bobcats 88

‧ Rockets 98, Grizzlies 89

‧ Bulls 83, Pistons 71

‧ Kings 104, Jazz 103

‧ Nets 102, Warriors 100

Source: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2012/04/01/2003529221/1

Cuban says return to Miami isn't sentimental

MIAMI (AP) -- Mark Cuban says his return to Miami comes without much sentiment.

Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks made their first trip to the arena where they hoisted last year's NBA championship trophy, facing the Miami Heat on Thursday night. Cuban says he has barely worn his championship ring and that he didn't see a need to bring it on this trip.

Cuban also says it's "certainly more fun" to be defending a championship than it was to chase one for so many years. The Mavericks beat the Heat in six games in last season's NBA finals, turning the tables after a six-game loss to Miami in the 2006 title series.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/03/29/cuban-miami.ap/index.html

NBA Game Summary - Dallas at Miami

Final Score: Miami 106, Dallas 85 

Miami, FL (Sports Network) - LeBron James and Chris Bosh both scored 19 points and pulled down nine rebounds as the Heat blew past the Mavericks, 106-85, in a rematch of last year's NBA Finals. Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem contributed 16 points apiece while James, playing despite dislocating a finger on Monday against Indiana, handed out five assists and recorded two steals.

Miami snapped a two-game skid in its return home from a three-game road swing.

"You always want to defend your home court. Hopefully this will give us a bit of momentum," said Bosh. "As long as we keep elevating our play day by day, we will be in the right spot come April."

Dirk Nowitzki paced all scorers with 25 points, Lamar Odom finished with 12 and Vince Carter and Brandan Wright supplied 11 apiece for Dallas, which saw a two-game winning streak end in its first trip to Miami since hoisting the championship trophy in the city last June.

The Mavericks made 5-of-11 three-point attempts in the first quarter to take a 29-24 lead after one, but the Miami put on a veritable shooting clinic in the second quarter to take control.

Haslem made all four tries from the field, Norris Cole hit 4-of-5, Wade knocked down 3-of-4 and James converted his lone attempt. In all, the Heat shot an astonishing 75 percent (15-of-20) from the floor in the frame.

By the time the horn sounded on the fist half, the hosts had their largest lead of the game to that point at 60-53.

They went cold in the third, shooting just 21.7 percent, but still managed to win the quarter 20-19 behind a 9-of-10 mark from the charity stripe.

"It was disappointing because our start to the third quarter was strong and then they answered back," said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. "When we started, we had some real momentum. It was a tough loss."

Dallas never seriously threatened in the final stanza, trailing by at least seven throughout as Nowitzki missed all five of his shots -- part of an abysmal 15.8 percent clip by the Mavericks -- and the Heat rolled to victory.

Game Notes Mavericks guard Delonte West played for the first time since breaking a finger on Feb. 15. He finished with seven points in just over eight minutes...Cole scored 10 points while Mario Chalmers had 12 for Miami...The Heat held a 44-29 rebounding advantage and a 46-24 scoring advantage in the paint.

Source: http://scoreboards.canoe.ca/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=canoe&page=nba/scores/final/W16226.htm

Mavericks vs. Heat: Bold Predictions for NBA Finals Rematch

In the final regular season meeting of last year’s NBA Finals teams, the Dallas Mavericks will revisit the site where they won the franchise’s only championship.

The team enters the contest against the Miami Heat as winners in six of their past eight—with losses coming at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs.

The Mavericks close the season with nine games against playoff teams, so a win against last year’s Eastern Conference champions could go a long way in regard to their title defense.

After starting the week off with consecutive losses, the Heat find themselves four games behind the Chicago Bulls for the top seed out east.

The Heat managed to lose both contests by a combined 31 points—marking the first time in the Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh era where they have suffered back-to-back defeats of double-digits.

To make matters worse, James—the team’s leader in points, rebounds, assists and steals—suffered from a dislocated left ring finger in the first quarter of their most recent loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Although he won’t miss any time, you can certainly count on the injury to affect his play.

With all the preliminaries spelled out, it almost seems as if this match-up is tailor-made for a Dallas victory.

Wrong.

Not only do the Mavericks have one of the worst road records of all playoff-caliber teams at 10-14, but Miami also boasts the best home record in the entire league.

It’s true that Dirk Nowitzki was able to use South Beach as a platform in last year’s NBA Finals to cement his status as one of the greatest power forwards of all time. However, this year has been drastically different.

Aside from an in-season benching to improve his conditioning, Nowitzki and his teammates have looked completely out of synch on the road and just plain bad on offense.

The Mavericks are heavily reliant upon perimeter-based scoring and struggle to find interior points that don’t come off dribble-penetration.

Don’t expect this trend to change against a Miami defense that ranks ninth in points allowed and features the NBA’s best trio of outside defenders.

Mario Chalmers has looked bad against athletic point guards like Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook, but should have no problem staying in front of the aging Jason Kidd.

Regardless of Chalmers’ performance, I fully expect head coach Erik Spoelstra to tamper with his defensive assignments if this contest remains competitive until the fourth quarter. By switching LeBron onto the opponent’s primary ball-handler, Miami should be able to disrupt an offense that averages 92.7 points away from home.

If Dallas hopes to stand any chance, it will require newly acquired Lamar Odom to break out of his season-long funk that has him putting up the worst numbers of his 12-year career.

It will be up to Odom to exploit Miami’s glaring weakness on defense. If he can advance the ball from the perimeter into the paint whether it be by catching the ball in the post or driving off the dribble is irrelevant. All that matters is that he creates opportunities against a Miami defense that is susceptible to "scramble mode".

If this ballgame becomes a track meet early, look for the “Heatles” to run away in a blowout.

As the athletically superior team, Miami should look to push the tempo whenever they can and score easy baskets in transition.

Without a shot-blocking presence, Dallas will be exposed inside.

Once the Mavs become overwhelmed in their defensive one-on-one match-ups, expect Rick Carlisle to change the pace of the game by switching to the zone—which will test Miami’s patience and discipline on offense.

Due to an ankle injury, the Heat will be without Mike Miller, the league’s top three-point shooter and designated “zone-buster”. This will thrust Chalmers into Miller’s glorified role.

How he responds just might determine the entire outcome of the game.

While this NBA Finals match-up is full of unpredictable factors such as player performances, the only thing it can guarantee is that the outcome of the game won’t determine this year’s champion.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1124370-mavericks-vs-heat-bold-predictions-for-nba-finals-rematch

NBA Capsules: Thunder win fouth straight, 109-95 over Trail Blazers

PORTLAND, Ore. - Russell Westbrook had 32 points and eight assists, Kevin Durant scored 25 points and the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder won their fourth straight with a 109-95 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.

Reserve James Harden added 21 points for the Thunder, who built a 65-47 lead by halftime and led by as many as 20 points.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and eight rebounds as Portland fell to 3-4 under Kaleb Canales, who took over as interim coach when the Blazers fired Nate McMillan at the NBA trade deadline.

The Blazers, who were coming off a 90-87 victory over Golden State on Sunday, have not had back-to-back wins since Jan. 23-24 against Sacramento and Memphis.

LAKERS 104, WARRIORS 101

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Kobe Bryant, two days after getting benched late in a home loss to Memphis, made a pair of jumpers in the final 64 seconds and finished with 30 points to lead Los Angeles past short-handed Golden State.

Bryant missed his first two shots in the final period before twice rising over a pair of defenders for difficult fall-away jumpers from the corner.

Former Warriors forward Matt Barnes had 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Pau Gasol added 19 points and 17 rebounds to give Los Angeles its third win in four games.

David Lee had 23 points and nine rebounds for the Warriors.

SPURS 107, SUNS 100

PHOENIX (AP) — Tony Parker scored eight points in a 10-0 run early in the fourth quarter, helping San Antonio win its fifth straight and eighth in nine games with a victory over Phoenix.

Tim Duncan scored 17 of his 26 points in the first half and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Spurs, winners of 12 of their last 14 road games. Parker scored half of his 24 in the fourth quarter.

Shannon Brown, starting because Grant Hill was a late scratch with right knee inflammation, scored a career-high 32 points for the Suns. Marcin Gortat added 21 points and 14 rebounds in just the second home loss for the Suns in 10 games since the All-Star break.

MAVERICKS 90, ROCKETS 81

DALLAS (AP) — Jason Terry scored seven consecutive points in a minute to start a game-turning run for Dallas, finishing with 12 points and four assists in a win over Houston.

Dirk Nowitzki had 21 points despite shooting 5 of 17, Rodrigue Beaubois had 14 points and Brandan Wright added 13.

The Mavericks won 101-99 in overtime on Saturday night in Houston, which played at home again Monday and needed overtime to beat Sacramento.

Luis Scola had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Rockets, while Goran Dragic scored 17 points. Chandler Parsons had 15 points and nine rebounds.

76ERS 103, CAVALIERS 85

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jodie Meeks scored a career-high 31 points and Jrue Holiday had 19 to lead Philadelphia over Cleveland.

Evan Turner scored 12 points for the Sixers, who moved a half-game ahead of Boston and back into sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division. The Sixers have held the top spot in the Atlantic for all but a few days early in the season.

The Sixers romped without Andre Iguodala, who missed his second straight game because of left patella tendinitis. Meeks started in his place and was 7 of 10 from 3-point range.

Anthony Parker scored 14 points and Kyrie Irving had 12 for the Cavaliers.

BUCKS 108, HAWKS 101

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Monta Ellis scored 33 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, and had eight assists to lead Milwaukee to a win over Atlanta.

Brandon Jennings added 18 points for the Bucks, who moved within two games of the idle New York Knicks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Ellis, who has struggled since coming over in a trade from Golden State on March 14, tied a season low with four points against the Knicks on Monday. On Tuesday, he made 15-of-24 shots, including 7-of-9 in the fourth quarter, sealing it with a 15-foot jumper with 1:27 left.

Josh Smith led the Hawks with 30 points and 18 rebounds.

GRIZZLIES 93, TIMBERWOLVES 86

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Rudy Gay scored 21 points, and Dante Cunningham added season highs of 13 points and 14 rebounds to lead Memphis over Minnesota.

Cunningham, inserted into the starting lineup after All-Star centre Marc Gasol sat out with a sprained right ankle, was 6 of 9 from the field as all five Memphis starters finished in double figures.

Marreese Speights had 18 points, Tony Allen finished with 13, and Mike Conley had 12 points and eight assists as the Grizzlies won their second straight.

Kevin Love led Minnesota with 28 points and 11 rebounds.

Source:http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/nba-capsules-144496695.html

NBA At 2: Jet Psyching Out LeBron?

The NBA Finals are truly where legends are born, and after getting off to a slow start in the series Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry is starting to look like something of a legend.

After being stifled by the defense of Miami's LeBron James in the first three games of the Finals, Terry started running his mouth, more to get himself charged up than anything else. It worked, too. After saying he didn't believe LeBron could contain him for seven games "The Jet" scored 17 points in Game 4, including the two free throws that iced an 86-83 win for Dallas. He also scored eight of the Mavs' final 17 points, he was just getting warmed up.

Game 5 saw more of the same from Jet, who looked to upstage LeBron at every turn. Despite James' tough defense Jet again came up big in the fourth quarter, scoring eight of his 21 points in the final frame. None were bigger than the three he scored on a trey he somehow managed to drill while LeBron flew in his face, a shot that put Dallas up 108-101 with 33 seconds left and assured them of a 3-2 series lead as the Finals shift back to Miami.

"He played great," said Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle after the game. "He played great. During period where Dirk was out of the game, we were going to him, and he was delivering. Those are critical stretches because it's tough when Dirk is out of the game. But it's the total game that we've been preaching to Jet really since the playoffs began and tonight he did a terrific job."

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Bryant struggles and still leads Lakers over Mavs

DALLAS – Kobe Bryant overcame a sore ankle to score 16 points, helping the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks 96-91 on Saturday night.

Bryant shot just 6 of 20, but scored six points and assisted on the other basket in a 9-0 run by the Lakers late in the second quarter. That snapped a tie and put them ahead to stay.

After Bryant came down awkwardly on his left ankle late in the third quarter and left the game for a bit, the Lakers immediately scored eight consecutive points to stretch the lead to 10.

The Mavericks (47-19) are only a half-game ahead of Los Angeles (47-20) for second place in the Western Conference.