The Mavericks have an excellent opportunity to finish 2008 on a high note and head into an appealing start to 2009.
Now that Devin Harris is out of their systems, Dallas (15-11) faces just two teams that are above .500 in the next nine games. The string starts Tuesday at home against Memphis. Then comes the most demanding portion of the stretch with back-to-back games at Portland (9-2 at home) on Christmas and at Utah (10-4 at home), followed by a Sunday matinee at the Los Angeles Clippers. The calendar year ends with Minnesota in Dallas on Dec. 30.
The Mavs open 2009 with games against Philadelphia, Memphis, the fourth and final meeting with the Clippers and the New York Knicks.
If all goes well, the Mavs could be a season-best nine games over .500, at least by Jan. 9.
Still, that 24-point loss to Harris and the Nets, plus close calls against Charlotte and Oklahoma City have taught the Mavs a valuable lesson.
"At this point, where we are in our season with our team, we've got to come ready to play against anybody or we're liable to lose," Dirk Nowitzki said. "But if we come ready to play and have a good game from the beginning, we can beat anybody."
MAVERICKS 97, WIZARDS 86: Jason Terry continued his dream season off the bench with a team-high 25 points despite a bit of a slow start. He drained eight of 18 shots from the field, including four of eight from 3-point range. Dirk Nowitzki added 23, and Josh Howard had 17 points in 27 minutes. The Mavs sealed the win by limited Washington to 18 fourth-quarter points.
