NBA Game Summary - Charlotte at Dallas

03.19.2005

Dallas, TX (Basketball News) - Dirk Nowitzki scored 11 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and the Dallas Mavericks began life without Don Nelson by downing the Charlotte Bobcats, 104-93, at American Airlines Center.

Nelson stepped down as the Mavericks head coach earlier Saturday. Nelson, who has coached in the NBA for 26-plus seasons, cited family reasons for the decision, but will remain with the team as a consultant. Avery Johnson will take over head coaching duties on an interim basis.

Jason Terry posted 18 points and nine assists and Marquis Daniels added 17 points and seven rebounds for the Mavericks, who have won two straight and five of their last seven games. Josh Howard also collected 13 points and nine rebounds in the victory.

Keith Bogans poured in 27 points and Primoz Brezec added 16 for the Bobcats, who have dropped 10 straight and 20 of their last 22 contests. Emeka Okafor posted 12 points and 10 rebounds and Brevin Knight chipped in 11 points and 13 assists in the loss.

The Mavericks held a 22-11 lead midway through the first quarter, but Charlotte closed the period on a 17-4 run to take a two-point edge after 12 minutes.

The second quarter belonged to Dallas, as it outscored the Bobcats, 35-22, in the period to take a 61-50 lead into the locker room.

The Bobcats battled back in the third quarter and eventually took the lead at 69-68 after Bogans’ basket with 5:18 remaining. However, the Mavericks scored the next eight points to regain the lead for good. Dallas would hold a 79-73 advantage after three quarters.

Charlotte sliced the deficit to 81-78 early in the fourth quarter, but that was as close as it would get. The Mavericks would use a 9-2 stretch to open a 90-80 cushion. Terry’s driving layup capped the run with eight minutes left.

The Bobcats would get within 92-88 after a trey by Bogans with 4:31 remaining, but Dallas responded with a 9-3 surge to open a 10-point edge with under two minutes left. Nowitzki scored six points in the run and Terry made it a 101-91 game with just 1:54 left.

The Bobcats have dropped 12 straight road games...Dallas shot 45 percent from the field, while Charlotte made 42 percent of its shots...Shawn Bradley posted nine points and tied a season high with 10 rebounds for the Mavericks...Dallas outrebounded the Bobcats by a 49-33 margin.

Post your comment:

No profanity or inaproppriate remarks. All i.p. addresses will be saved and abuse/hate posts will be reported to providers and authorities as part of the anti-spam act of 2003, thank you for posting comments on the articles only.