Mavericks look to take DC by storm

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Dallas heads into the nation’s capital looking to extend its win streak to five while stopping the much improved Washington Wizards and their three-game winning streak on Nov. 19 at the Verizon Center. Game tips off at 7 ET, 6 CT on FSSW and CSNB.

The Mavericks (8-3) are on a roll, having won their last three games by a combined 94 points (31.3 point average) after defeating the Charlotte Hornets 107-80 on Nov. 17.

Monta Ellis led six players in double figures with 18 points while Tyson Chandler added 14 on 7-of-7 shooting from the field. Chandler Parsons filled the stat sheet with 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists. He hit 4-of-9 from behind the arc. Jameer Nelson finished with five first-quarter assists on his way to a season-high eight.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 13, surpassing 27,000 career points, joining Karl Malone, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as the only players to score 27,000 points with one team.

Dallas used a 19-7 run to end the second quarter and took a 24-point lead into halftime. The Mavericks added a 13-0 run in the third to go up 82-52 and went up as much as 33 points to improve to 3-1 against Eastern Conference teams this year.

The Mavericks won by double digits for the third-straight time. They defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves by 14 on Saturday after beating the Philadelphia 76ers by 53 on Thursday.

Thanks to Chandler’s output, the big man joined league-leader Brandan Wright with 70-percent field-goal shooting. Wright stands at 75 percent while Chandler sits at 70.3 percent.

For the Wizards (7-2), they sit at second in the East after winning their third straight and second during a four-game homestand, 98-93 against the Orlando Magic on Nov. 15.

John Wall finished with 15 points, 10 assists and five rebounds while Nene and Kris Humphries scored 16 points each. The Wizards’ bench scored 48 and held the Magic bench to 13 points.

Wall leads the Wizards with 19.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. Marcin Gortat is nearly averaging a double-double with 13.3 points and 9.1 boards.

Washington is 4-0 at home this season where its averaging 102.3 points per game, but the Wizards have yet to play against a Western Conference team. Their defense is allowing 96.8 points at home and have allowed fewer than 100 points in three of four games.

The Mavericks, who have won eight straight against the Wizards, are averaging a league-best 109.3 points per game, 101.6 on the road (3-2).

HELLO OLD FRIEND

DeJuan Blair had a good one-year experiment in Big D, averaging 6.4 points and 4.7 boards in 78 games (13 starts). He shot 53.4 percent from the field. Blair left Dallas over the summer and signed with the Wizards, but has only seen the court three times this year. Seems like coach Randy Wittman doesn’t know how to use Blair or where he fits in his offense.

During last season’s first round against the San Antonio Spurs, Blair played in five games and recorded two double-doubles. He had 10 points, 14 boards and four steals in 29 minutes in Dallas’ 113-111 win in Game 6, but most of us will remember his play during a Game 4 loss. He had 12 points (5-of-5) and 11 rebounds in just 16 minutes before being ejected for kicking Tiago Splitter in the head. Had he stayed in, the Mavericks had a good chance at keeping their momentum and lead on their way to a win and 3-1 series lead.

SEASON SERIES

Dallas swept the season series with the Wizards last year, but Dirk Nowitzki averaged just 14 points in two games, tying his mark for lowest against any team last season (Brooklyn).

Monta Ellis scored 16 of his 23 points in the second half as Dallas squeaked out an 87-78 in Washington on Jan. 1. It was Dallas’ lowest output in a win at that point of the season. Nowitzki struggled from the field as he shot just 3-of-14 for a season-low nine points, but the Mavericks used a 17-4 run to end the game and keep the Wizards under .500. Vince Carter added 13 points. The Mavericks held the Wizards scoreless for the final four minutes as they shot 38.5 percent, holding Washington to 37.5 percent. Trevor Booker led Washington with 10 points and a career-high 19 boards.

Dirk Nowitzki passed Jerry West on the all-time scoring list as the Mavericks got a home victory over Washington, 105-95 on Nov. 12. Nowitzki scored 19 points to move to 16th all time, but the Wizards led in most categories. Trevor Ariza had a game-high 27 points, Marcin Gortat grabbed 12 boards and John Wall dished out 10 dimes. Ellis also scored 19 as the Mavs improved to 4-0 at home in the early season. The Wizards led in an offensively dominated opening quarter, 34-33 as both combine to shoot 60 percent. A few former Mavericks contributed as Vince Carter added 16 points while Samuel Dalembert scored 13 of his 15 in the first half. DeJuan Blair finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.

NBA RANK

NBA Rank – Mavericks | Wizards

Points For – 1 | 17

Points Allowed – 14 | 9

Rebounds – 22 | 18

Assists – 4 | 5

Steals – 11 | 5

Blocks – 5 | 16

Point Differential – 1 | 11

FG% – 2 | 9

3PT% – 14 | 22