Injury bug bites Mavericks again but cavalry off the bench saves the day

For the Dallas Mavericks, the injuries keep stacking up. But so have the wins.

The injury-prone Mavs lost point guard Deron Williams to a sprained left big toe late in the first half of Wednesday’s game against New York. But that didn’t prevent them from defeating the Knicks 103-95 before a sellout crowd of 19,750 at American Airlines Center.

The win was the fifth in the Mavs’ last seven games and improves their record to 16-29. The Mavs also were able to sweep their two-game homestand before heading into Thursday’s 7 p.m. contest at Oklahoma City.

Williams hobbled off the court with just 41.1 seconds remaining in the second quarter and did not return. And since the Mavs were already without shooting guard Wesley Matthews – he sat against the Knicks and will sit against Oklahoma City – the Mavs played the balance of the game without their starting backcourt.

But guards Seth Curry (20 points, five rebounds), Justin Anderson (11 points) and Pierre Jackson (four points, three assists) kept things running for the Mavs.

“I’m just getting the opportunity and I’m going out there trying to make the best of it,” said Curry, who was 8-of-19 from the field. “I’m going out there and I’ve been working on making a lot of plays on and off the ball, and I’m finding ways.

“I know I’m going to get my shots every single night, and I’m trying to take advantage, and I’m having a lot of fun playing out there.”

Coach Rick Carlisle praised the all-out effort by his guards. The Mavs are also without injured guard J.J. Barea.

“Jackson did a solid job starting the second half,” Carlisle said. “When he stated to attack the basket vertically instead of kind of horizontally, he made some game-changing plays.

“And Anderson really stepped up in the second half, and really guarded the heck out of (Carmelo) Anthony, made some key momentum plays on offense.”

Anthony poured in a game-high 30 points. But he went scoreless in the fourth quarter, thanks to the feisty defense by Anderson.

“He really took a quantum leap in the second half,” Carlisle said of Anderson. “Not coincidentally, Wes Matthews was in his ear during the timeouts helping him, so it was big.”

A driving basket by Anderson put the Mavs ahead 99-90 with 2:18 left. And a pair of free throws each from Anderson and Harrison Barnes with under 30 seconds remaining sealed the deal.

The Mavs bolted to a 30-25 lead after the first quarter, and also led 52-51 at the half, despite 21 points at that juncture by Anthony. Dallas widened its lead to 78-73 entering the fourth quarter, and then held off a furious rally by the Knicks (20-27).

Harrison Barnes led the Mavs with 23 points, Dirk Nowitzki scored 19, and the Mavs surprisingly outscored the Knicks in the paint, 42-36.

Meanwhile, Carlisle knows his team can still win games in spite of the injuries they’ve had.

“We’ve got a deep roster,” Carlisle said. “It’s deep with young guys, but young guys that have gotten some experience this year.

“These are moments that they should be looking forward to.”

Curry was.

“I feel like I’m an all-around scorer and I feel like I’ve been there,” Curry said. “I feel like whatever the defense is giving me, I’m trying to take advantage of it.”

This story was originally published January 25, 2017 at 11:53 PM with the headline "Injury bug bites Mavericks again but cavalry off the bench saves the day."