The Mavericks won with defense last night as they held the T-Wolves to 32.6% shooting from the floor. Dirk Nowitzki led the way as usual for the Mavs last night with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocked shots. Shawn Marion pitched in with 15 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Jason Terry was effective off the bench in this game for the Mavericks with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. The Mavericks are now 6-3 on the year.

The Mavericks will be without starting shooting guard Josh Howard for a while as his ankle is still bothering him. Howard will be on the inactive list indefinately until he starts to feel better. Howard has played in 3 games (all starts) for the Mavericks this season and he is averaging 22.3 minutes, 12.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. The Mavericks will miss him big time while he is out.

The Mavericks only shot 35.4% from the floor last night and it doomed them in San Antonio. Dirk Nowitzki only shot 9 of 27 from the floor last night but he still finished up with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 1 assist. Jason Terry had another solid game off the bench for the Mavericks with 19 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Shawn Marion pitched in with 11 points and 9 rebounds last night. The Mavericks are now 5-3 on the year.

The Dallas Mavericks (4-2) found themselves down early against the Houston Rockets (4-2), giving up 37 points in the first quarter.  The Mavericks defense woke up after that and they went on to outscore the Rockets in every quarter from then on.  Eric Dampier was a force for the Mavericks, giving them 14 points, 20 rebounds, and 3 blocks.  He did pick up 5 fouls, but he was the main reason the Mavericks out-rebounded the Rockets 46-37.

Dirk Nowitzki had an off night from the field, going 6 for 15, but he was a perfect 10-10 from the line.  He had a good all around night, getting 23 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 blocked shot.  Jason Kidd did what he has always done in his career, dishing it out and finishing with 5 points, 11 assists, 1 steal, and 1 blocked shot.  The Mavericks did a good job bouncing back after that bad first quarter, and their defense settled in very well in the second half.  They gave up only 13 points in the 3rd quarter and cruised to an easy win in the 4th quarter.  The Mavericks cannot make a habit out of slow starts though, especially defensively.

Erick Dampier has really stepped up so far this season. Dampier has started all six games for the Mavericks this season and he is averaging 28.7 minutes, 8.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 2.5 blocked shots per game. The Mavericks will be very happy if Dampier can just keep up the averages he has in rebounds and blocked shots so far this season. He is bringing interior toughness to a team that pretty much lacks that skill on the roster.