The Dallas Mavericks showed heart last night. A late nationally televised game on the west coast, things looked ugly from the start. Dirk went down with a ankle injury and didn't return, and the Mavericks found themselfs in a big hole early. Seattle came out hot and were shooting a blazing 72% in the first quarter and had a quick double-digit lead and were ready to send the Mavs back to Dallas early. Dallas could have given up when they lost Dirk, but they fought hard and showed some character.
With the Mavericks Nowitzki absent for most of the night, Dampier matched a season high with 22 points and grabbed a season-best 16 rebounds in Dallas' 103-95 win over Seattle on Wednesday. Dampier was a leader on the court all night. He filled the role of Nowitzki and played the best game he has EVER played as a Maverick.
This is what happened when Nowitzki went down with 2:05 left in the first. Seattle's Chris Wilcox jumped for the rebound of a missed free throw by Jerry Stackhouse and was bumped by DeSagana Diop of the Mavericks. Wilcox fell to the ground, his legs spreading and his left foot hitting Nowitzki just above his left foot, causing his ankle to roll.
Nowitzki was down on the floor for a few minutes, and could not put weight on the leg, but X-rays were negative. He was to be re-examined in Dallas, and Johnson said Nowitzki was day-to-day.
After trailing by 11 at halftime, the Mavericks erased most of the deficit by the end of the third. Dallas went on a 12-0 run, including a four-point possession that included a three-point play from Dampier and a technical foul free throw from Terry after Hill argued with officials.
Dallas could have given up, but Dampier played like a stud and lead the Maverieks to this win. There were points in the game were "Big Damp" looked like a young Shaq (i'm serious!). These tough games build character for a championship caliber team, and this is exactly what happened when the Mavs stepped up in a HUGE way to fill the void of Dirk. Overall great win!
- Big-D Sports
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2 comments:
that really was a great game. i watched the whole thing and the mavs really did show some guts. i really like dampier this year. he has given us another scoring threat and has been playing close to "amare" status DAMP FOR MVP!!!!!!!
dirk is a little pansy when it comes to ankles
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