Mavericks aim to end long homestand on a positive note

The final game of the longest homestand of the season for the Dallas Mavericks is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday when they play the Memphis Grizzlies at American Airlines Center.

And if the game bears any resemblance to Wednesday’s game against the Orlando Magic, it promises to be another long night for the Mavs.

Orlando did not have a lot of positives attached to its name. That includes having the fifth-worst record in the NBA.

When the Mavs compiled a 22-point lead early in the third period, it appeared as if the Magic would raise the white flag, fold their tent and call it a night.

Instead, Orlando got within 101-100 of the Mavs with one minute remaining in the game and was shooting for the lead a few seconds later.

The Mavs made 6 of 8 free throws down the stretch and held on for a 107-102 victory.

“We made a fun game into a hard one for us,” forward Dirk Nowitzki said. “But I’ve seen those kind of games turn into losses. At least we pulled it out. I’m a little disappointed that we made it hard on ourselves.”

Point guard Rajon Rondo, however, felt good about the victory.

“To me it’s not disappointing at all,” Rondo said. “They put their pants on just like we do. It’s tough to get wins in this league. The [San Antonio] Spurs lost to the [New York] Knicks [on Tuesday].”

Rondo then got at the root of the problem, saying: “It’s easy for teams to let their guard down. Give them credit. It’s not like we’re the best defensive team in the league. We struggled at times and they made plays.”

The Mavs (44-25) know those same missteps they made against the Magic likely won’t fly and probably won’t equal to a win if they repeat those missteps against a more formidable foe such as Memphis.

The Grizzlies have the third-best record in the NBA at 47-21 and make a habit out of chewing up opponents and spitting them out with their tenacious defense.

Memphis capitalizes on a team’s mistakes, such as the 20 turnovers the Mavs had Wednesday that Orlando turned into 29 points.

Rondo, in particular, turned the ball over a season-high eight times. The nine-year veteran prefers to refer to those turnovers as a miscommunication.

“A couple, I had loose-ball rebounds and I tipped it out and it went off my leg,” Rondo said. “A couple of passes where Dirk and I weren’t on the same page, but that’s just the way I play.

“The last one I needed Monta [Ellis] to get to the corner. But other than that I don’t think I made any reckless plays at all [Wednesday].”

The Mavs know they can’t fall behind the way they did when the Magic built a 70-48 lead with 10:19 remaining in the third quarter.

“I don’t know if you want to call [tonight’s game] a measuring stick, but it’s an important game for us,” center Tyson Chandler. “It’s one that we need to come out prepared and ready for.”

And one where they need to pay special attention to detail, and keep the fancy passes to a minimum.

“I’m not too down on myself or the team as far as how [Wednesday’s] game turned out,” Rondo said. “The end result is with a win.

“We found a way to pull it out down the stretch — that’s how I look at it. We didn’t choke the game, we didn’t give it away.”

This story was originally published March 19, 2015 at 8:29 PM with the headline "Mavericks aim to end long homestand on a positive note."