The Mavericks outrebounded the Kings 44-34 last night, but it didn’t matter as the Kings shot a red hot 50.6% from the floor.  Jason Terry led the way for the Mavericks with 23 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in 26 minutes on the floor.  Shawn Marion (14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal) and Dirk Nowitzki (13 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) also had solid games for the Mavs last night.  Ian Mahinmi pitched in with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 1 blocked shot in this game.  The Mavericks are now 23-19 on the year.

The Mavericks fell just a tad short last night against the Suns in Phoenix.  Dirk Nowitzki (18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal) and Vince Carter (18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal) led the way for the Mavericks in this game.  Lamar Odom also had a solid game with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 22 minutes on the floor.  Shawn Marion and Jason Kidd each pitched in with 12 points apiece for the Mavs in this game.  The Mavericks are now 23-18 on the year.

24-year old PG/SG Roddy Beaubois is playing pretty well when called upon so far this year.  He has played in 30 games (6 starts) for the Mavericks so far this year and he is averaging 19.5 minutes, 8.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  In his six starts, Beaubois is averaging 29.9 minutes, 13.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocked shots per game.  Beaubois could be trade bait in the next week, but I think the Mavericks should keep him and start playing him more.

The Mavericks turned up the D last night as they held the Knicks to 38.1% shooting from the floor, and it was a big reason for the nice home win.  Dirk Nowitzki led the way for the Mavericks last night with 28 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.  Rodrigue Beaubois also had a solid game with 18 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.  Jason Kidd had his best game in quite some time last night as he finished up with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal.  The Mavericks are now 23-17 on the year.

The Mavericks were outrebounded 45-36 last night and it did them in.  Dirk Nowitzki led the way for the Mavericks with 27 points and 5 rebounds.  Jason Terry also had a solid game with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal.  Ian Mahinmi (13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot in 28 minutes on the floor) and Shawn Marion (10 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals) also pitched in last night.  The Mavericks are now 22-17 on the year.

The Mavericks were up 74-55 on the Jazz heading into the 4th quarter and then they had to hold on for dear life to put them away.  Dirk Nowitzki led the way for the Mavericks with 40 points, 6 rebounds and 1 steal last night.  Jason Terry also had a solid game with 22 points, 2 assists and 2 steals off the bench.  Lamar Odom and Vince Carter pitched in with 9 points apiece last night.  The Mavericks are now 22-16 on the year.

The Mavericks were outrebounded 50-34 last night and it hurt them badly in New Orleans.  Rodrigue Beaubois led the way for the Mavericks last night with 25 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals.  Dirk Nowitzki also had a solid game with 19 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.  Vince Carter (14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) and Shawn Marion (11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal) also pitched in for the Mavs last night.  The Mavericks are now 21-16 on the year.

The Mavericks were outscored 49-36 in the second half last night and it did them in.  Jason Terry led the way for the Mavericks last night with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.  Rodrigue Beaubois also had a solid game off the bench with 16 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in 38 minutes on the floor.  Brendan Haywood pitched in with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.  The Mavericks are now 21-15 on the year.

The Mavericks only shot 36% from the floor last night and it killed them.  Dirk Nowitzki only shot 7 of 19 from the floor but he still led the way for the Mavs with 24 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals.  Brendan Haywood had a rock solid game with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 3 blocked shots.  Jason Terry only shot 4 of 14 from the floor but he still filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocked shots.  Shawn Marion (11 points) and Rodrigue Beaubois (11 points) also pitched in for the Mavericks last night.  The Mavericks are now 21-14 on the year.

The Dallas Mavericks got off to a slow start this year but they have caught fire lately.  The Mavericks are now 21-13 on the season which has them in second place in the Southwest Division, 3 games behind the Spurs.  The Mavericks are also #4 in the Western Conference so far this year.  Here is a look at the players that made the biggest impact for the Mavericks in the first half of the season in my opinion:

Team MVP:  Shawn Marion:  33-year old small forward Shawn Marion has played solid basketball for the Mavericks all year long.  Marion played in 34 games (all starts) for the Mavericks in the first half of the season and he averaged 30.4 minutes, 11.9 points, 6.4  rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

Biggest Surprise:  Vince Carter:  35-year old shooting guard Vince Carter has proven to have a lot left in the gas tank in the first half of the 2011-12 season.  Carter has played in 29 games (19 starts) for the Mavericks so far this year and he averaged 24.5 minutes, 10.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  Carter has also hit a very solid 44% of his shots from three point range so far this year.

Biggest Disappointment:  Lamar Odom:  32-year old SF/PF Lamar Odom has been a complete bust for the Mavericks so far this year.  Odom has played in 32 games (4 starts) for the Mavericks so far this year and he is averaging 21.4 minutes, 7.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.  Odom only has hit 35.7% of his shots from the floor, 25.9% from three point range and 57.7% from the free throw line so far this year.  Odom is likely going to continue to lose P.T. if he continues to struggle in the second half of the season.