Mavs Tame the Bobcats

     The Mavs didn’t document too many style points Tuesday night but it was a gritty, hard fought win at home.

     Dirk struggled coming out of the gate, going 0-5 in the first quarter and just 1-10 through the first half. Monta Ellis managed to keep the Mavs within striking distance through the first half while Dirk was looking for his groove. Ellis had 10 of his 22 points in the first half and Jose Calderon, who was questionable for the game, had 9 points at the half including two big shots from downtown. Dirk wasn’t the only one struggling early for the Mavs. In fact, the Center position was struggling to merely stay on the court. Starting Center Sam Dalembert picked up two quick fouls and forced Coach Rick Carlisle to insert DeJuan Blair. However, it didn’t take long for Blair to pick up two fouls, which forced Bernard James into the lineup. Through a tough first half, the Mavs just trailed the Bobcats 42-39.

     The third quarter seemed to just make things worse for the Mavs as they fell behind by as many as 12 points. Every time the Mavs made a run, the Bobcats answered. Towards the end of the 3^rd period though, led by a momentum shifting and-1 from Jae Crowder, the Mavs closed the gap to 7 entering the fourth quarter.

     Two minutes into the 4^th quarter, Dirk hit a 3 pointer to close the gap to two points. A little bit later, Vince Carter nailed a 3 ball to close the margin to 1 point. With 4:24 left in the game, Dirk hit back-to-back shots as he caught fire and put the Mavs up for the first time in the second half, a lead they would not relinquish. Monta Ellis pitched in down the stretch to close the deal and Dirk had the dagger shot from the right wing 27 seconds left in the game to put the Mavs up 85-78.

    Side notes: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist left the game with a fractured hand and did not return….. It was Jewish Heritage Night for the Mavs, something very special for Mavs point guard Gal Mekel, a recent draft pick from Israel….Though the Mavs had plenty of defensive questions coming into the game, they held the Bobcats to 38.5 percent shooting, including 17.6% from 3-point range…The Bobcats were 76 percent from the free throw line while the Mavs were 88 percent...Before the game, Coach Carisle said Calderon had a "50-50 chance" to play. He provided a spark but had a limp at the end of the game.