The Mavericks are 10-3, putting them among the top teams in the Western Conference. Dirk Nowitzki, however, sees plenty of room for improvement. "We're winning. That's about the only thing," Nowitzki said. "We're playing some defense. Our defense has actually been really solid. On offense we're shooting in the low 40s, high 30s and that's suspect. We've got to get better." Dallas is figuring out how to pile up W's without Josh Howard, Erick Dampier and Shawn Marion in the lineup. The Mavs have won five in a row and lead the Southwest Division.
There's been a recommitment to defense, once the staple of former coach Avery Johnson, that has taken hold since training camp. Dallas leads the league with three wins when shooting 40 percent or worse. The Mavs are also in the top 10 in several critical defensive categories, including points allowed, opponent's field-goal percentage and rebounding differential.
"Last year coming into camp, after Avery, we focused so much on offense, opening up the offense, let (Jason) Kidd run a lot of stuff," Nowitzki said. "This year we said, 'Screw that.' We're going to do all defense. We worked a lot of defense and it's really paid off early, but now the offense is slacking a little bit."
Perhaps, but the Mavericks are still figuring out ways to win.
MAVERICKS 104, KINGS 102: Dallas had a fight on its hand Friday night, but had enough to hold off upstart Sacramento. The Mavericks improved to 10-3 with their fifth win in a row.
Even though Dirk Nowitzki struggled with his shot, he managed 20 points. Jason Terry scored another 20 off the bench, while Drew Gooden pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds, including a career-high nine on the offensive glass.
The Kings were clearly the aggressor, but the Mavs showed more poise down the stretch. Sacramento rookie Tyreke Evans led all scorers with 29. Kings coach Paul Westphal is a former Mavericks assistant.
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