The Mavericks pushed the Lakers around in this game as they built up a 78-60 lead heading into the 4th quarter. The Mavericks also played outstanding defense against the Lakers holding them to 39.5% shooting from the floor. Dirk Nowitzki led the way for the Mavericks in this game with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Shawn Marion was also solid for the Mavs in this game with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Jason Terry pitched in with 16 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. The Mavericks are now 1-1 on the season after this huge road win over the Lakers.

Quinton Ross is currently the starting shooting guard for the Dallas Mavericks, and he did not have a good debut for the Mavs in their loss to the Washington Wizards last night.  Ross has never been a full-time starter, with 45 starts being his high for a season (05-06′ Clippers).  I get Jason Terry is a great spark off the bench and still gets his minutes, but Ross doesn’t really seem to bring much to the table.  He played 19 minutes last night and finished with 2 points, 0 assists, 0 rebounds, and 4 fouls.  Terry didn’t have a good game either, going 4-12 from the field (1-6 3FG), but he is a much better player than Ross, especially offensively.  Ross is basically in there to play defense, but he did a terrible job of that last night with 4 fouls in 19 minutes.  If Ross doesn’t step his play up, then the Mavs need to start the undersized but talented Terry.

The Mavericks really laid an egg in the home opener last night against the Wizards. They were outscored 25-17 in the 4th quarter and they only shot 39.5% for the game and it’s very hard to win when you play that way. You can’t blame Dirk Nowitzki for this loss as he scored 34 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and he blocked 2 shots. Shawn Marion was solid in his first game with the Mavericks finishing with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Jose Juan Berea was electric off the bench in 23 minutes for the Mavericks as he finished up with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. The rest of the Mavericks played poorly in this game and that is why they start the season 0-1.

Adding Shawn Marion and Drew Gooden to the frontcourt will make the Mavericks a better rebounding and defensive team this season. That does not bode well for the rest of the teams in the Western Conference of the NBA. The Mavericks should be able to win 50+ games this season and earn a nice seed in the playoffs. Take the over with the Mavericks this year.

The Dallas Mavericks have released veteran center Jake Voskuhl. I’ll admit I was a tad surprised when Voskuhl accepted a training camp invite from a team that was so loaded in the frontcourt. He had to know that he wasn’t going to make the team unless the Mavericks suffered some injuries. Voskuhl will likely hook on with another team this season but the Mavericks won’t miss him due to the depth they already have at the positions that he plays.