Dallas Mavericks make history with sweep in LA

Posted Sunday, Nov. 01, 2009 Comments   (0) Print Share Share Reprints
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By EDDIE SEFKO

Special to the Star-Telegram

LOS ANGELES — Who would ever guessed that, on Halloween, the haunted house that has tortured the Dallas Mavericks for so long would become their home away from home.

The Staples Center was cozy enough to move into and the Mavericks found it the perfect venue to get their season jump-started with a franchise-first LA sweep by outlasting the Los Angeles Clippers 93-84 Saturday night.

Coupled with the thumping they delivered to the Lakers Friday, it was landmark weekend for the Mavericks, who put up some gaudy numbers in the two games.

The astounding thing is that they were all on defense.

  • They allowed just 82 points per game.

  • The Clippers and Lakers combined to shoot just 41 percent.

  • The Clippers were held scoreless on nine of their last 10 possessions. They were 1-for-9 from the field in that stretch and had four turnovers.

    That last bit of data was the one that seemed incomprehensible from previous Maverick teams.

    “We knew that the win against the Lakers doesn’t mean anything if you turn around and lose the next day,’’ Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki said. “I think the best thing is that we didn’t shoot the ball well. If you still find a way to win, that’s what good teams do.

    “We got like 10 stops in a row, which was pretty impressive. It was definitely a good trip for us.’’

    Especially considering the history. Anytime the Mavericks have played two in a row at LA, the results have been mostly pathetic. This was their ninth trip to LA when playing both the Lakers and Clippers back to back. They had been swept five times and split three trips.

    They had never swept LA until now.

    “Our concentration and attitude was great coming into this game,’’ coach Rick Carlisle said. “We were in this exact situation last year. They were winless and we were .500 and they got us and it sent us into a bad stretch. We wanted to get out of here 2-1.’’

    Indeed, the Mavericks knew before the game started that it would not be easy beating the Clippers, who fell to 0-4 and are desperate for a win. Last year, the Clippers were 0-6 before getting their first win of the season, over the Mavericks.

    This time, the end got a little tense until the defense tightened.

    The Mavericks led by nine going into the fourth quarter, but the Clippers roared back to make it 82-82 with under six minutes to go. Jason Terry uncorked a 3-pointer and a layup to put the Mavericks up 87-84 with under three minutes showing.

    After two Clippers misses, Erick Dampier &mdash a major force all night with 12 points and 10 rebounds &mdash got loose for a dunk and the Mavericks forced a shot-clock violation. They then got two offensive rebounds and the Clippers could do nothing to make a comeback.

    For the second time in two nights, the third quarter helped set up the Mavericks’ win. Both teams were stuck on 55 through two quarters and it was appropriate given the way they finished the first half. Let’s just say they matched each other meltdown for meltdown.

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