The team announced prior to Wednesday night’s game against Denver that both Jason Terry and Rodrique Beaubois would not play.  Terry has a mildly strained quadriceps muscle and is expected to miss the next two games.

Beaubois’ father reportedly passed away suddenly earlier in the day so he may miss several games.

Then, during the first half of Wednesday night’s game with the Nuggts, Delonte West suffered a fractured and dislocated right ring finger.  No timetable has been set for West’s return.
(Copyright 2012 CBSDFW.COM. All Rights Reserved.)
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Marion had game highs of 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and the 6-foot-7 forward also helped to frustrate Denver’s top scoring threat as the Mavericks stretched their winning streak to five with a 102-84 victory over the Nuggets on Wednesday night.

Dallas once again often used Marion to help defend the opponent’s best offensive option. Ty Lawson finished with only three points on 1-of-8 shooting.

“Lawson’s penetration is something everybody in the league is trying to solve. … We had good concentration, kept him from shredding us on the inside,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “Marion’s versatility on the defensive end came up huge for us.”

Marion led six Mavericks who scored in double figures on a night when the team was already without two guards before Delonte West broke his finger in the second quarter. The defending NBA champions matched their longest winning streak of the season.

“Everybody who put on a uniform contributed,” Marion said. “We came out aggressive and attacked them and had them on their heels.”

Dallas jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the first 3 minutes and was never really challenged.

Lawson finished 13 points below his scoring average and the Nuggets shot a season-low 36 percent (30 of 84) with their worst-scoring half followed by their lowest-scoring quarter. They came in as the league’s highest-scoring team at 104 points per game.

The Mavericks’ winning streak, coming after a three-day break that followed three losses in a row, includes a victory Monday night over the Los Angeles Clippers when Carlisle had Marion guarding point guard Chris Paul to start the game.

“Dallas has turned into an incredibly good defensive team,” Denver coach George Karl said.

Vince Carter had 15 points for the Mavericks. Lamar Odom scored 14, Jason Kidd 13, Dirk Nowitzki 12 and Brandon Wright 10. All the starters played fewer than 27 minutes.

Rudy Fernandez led the Nuggets with 14 points. Al Harrington, another reserve, had 13.

“We struggled on offense and that affected our defense,” Harrington said. “They were just a better team tonight and we’ve got to move on.”

Kidd had consecutive 3-pointers, one from the top of the key and the other from the right corner, to cap a 16-3 run that pushed the Mavericks ahead 72-49 with 4:20 left in the third quarter.

Denver trailed 51-39 after its lowest-scoring first half of the season. The Nuggets followed that in the third quarter by scoring only 15 points, their fewest in any period this season.

“We were struggling to find points,” Karl said.

At the same time, Dallas had its highest-scoring third quarter of the season, piling up 32 points to push ahead 83-54.

Already without guards Jason Terry (strained right quad) and Rodrigue Beaubois (personal reasons), West went down with an ugly injury to his right ring finger.

Blood was clearly visible after he fractured and dislocated his finger while playing defense.

“He’s going to be out for a while,” Carlisle said.

While Terry’s injury isn’t thought to be serious, Carlisle had already said he would also miss Friday night’s game at Philadelphia because of a “personal situation.”

Denver was still without Nene (left calf strain), center Timofey Mozgov (left ankle sprain) and forward Danilo Gallinari (left ankle sprain).

In a sign of things to come for the Mavs, four players scored in the opening 9-1 stretch.

Carter had two free throws less than a minute into the game to put Dallas ahead to stay before Kidd converted a steal by Carter into a 3-pointer. Nowitzki and Marion followed with jumpers.

Odom’s putback of his own miss made it 11-4.

On the next Dallas possession, Odom became the first Mavericks player to score consecutive points when he hit a 3.

“Everybody’s getting better and better as far as their game and their conditioning,” Odom said. “We’re having fun playing together.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Christmas is coming early this year for those who like to celebrate another joyous event. “I can’t express how excited I am,” said a smiling Tony Todora.

Todora owns the Parkit Market and is breathing a sigh of relief now that Mavs’ owner Mark Cuban has saved the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. “This is like the best thing that could’ve ever happened. We are so excited,” Todora added.

The Dallas parade draws over 100,000 people, and for business owners, it’s a cash cow. “It’s the biggest day of the year for most of the merchants up and down Greenville,” explained Jorge Levy, president of the Greenville Avenue Business Association.

Revelers at Greenville Ave. parade

The parade cost roughly $100,000. Organizers had raised $60,000, but desperately needed someone to come up with the rest before a deadline of February 17.

It appeared the event, which began in 1979, was about to die until Mark Cuban stepped in. “It’s fun,” Cuban told CBS 11. “I’ve killed so many brain cells at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It’s become a Dallas tradition. I just couldn’t let it die,” the Mavericks’ owner added.

Cuban’s money will help cover the cost of barricades and added security.

Levy says Cuban also donated an additional $25,000 to the DISD Scholarship Fund sponsored by the Greenville Avenue Business Association.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wants the world to know that the league-owned Hornets, with NBA commissioner David Stern calling the shots as de-facto owner, screwed up in making that trade.

“You’re better off just taking the cap room, or whatever,” Cuban said.

“I don’t think it was about the Lakers, per se,” Cuban said before the game. “I think it was just the way they did the deal, which was ridiculous. I don’t think it was about which team. I think it was the fact that, even with the Clippers, we just went through this whole (collective bargaining agreement) and said the incumbent team still has the advantage and then the team the league owns (wimps) out. And look how it’s worked out for them.

“Bad management gets you bad results.”

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Shawn Marion of the Dallas Mavericks drives against Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers on February 13, 2012 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (credit: Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images)

DALLAS (AP) - The Dallas Mavericks went to a familiar script down the stretch, leaning on Dirk Nowitzki to supply crunch-time offense.

Nowitzki scored 22 points, 11 in the final 6-plus minutes, Shawn Marion added 16, and the Mavericks held on to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 96-92 on Monday night.

Clipper vs Mavs Photos

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle has praised his team’s balance on offense this season, but Nowitzki’s still the go-to guy with the game on the line.

“He’s the classic case of a great player and you just stay the course,” Carlisle said. “I played with Larry Bird for three years and there were nights when he’d go 2 for 13 and then hit the last three shots to win the game. Dirk’s the same kind of guy.”

Jason Terry, Vince Carter and Brendan Haywood all contributed 10 points for the Mavs, who’ve won 10 in a row at home against the Clippers and extended their overall winning streak to four games.

Caron Butler of the Clippers scored a season-high 23 points against his former team, and just missed a 3-pointer with less than 5 seconds left that would have put the Clippers in front. Teammate Blake Griffin added 20 points, but Griffin’s problems from the free-throw line cost his team as he missed seven of nine foul shots.

“He’s been shooting it real well,” Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. “I was surprised they went to foul him. … It was just one of those nights.”

LISTEN: Shawn Marion post game interview

Chris Paul had 16 points and nine assists for the Clippers, who completed a 4-2 road trip. They haven’t beaten the defending NBA champs in Dallas since April 19, 2006.

Dallas took control with a 7-0 fourth-quarter run capped by Marion’s layup with 4:48 remaining for an 86-83 edge.

Griffin had a chance to get the Clippers closer, but missed five straight free throws until connecting with 2:15 to play to pull his team within two points at 86-84.

Jason Kidd set up Terry for a layup with 2:02 left, and Nowitzki intercepted Griffin’s pass with 1:47 showing, and drained two free throws to extend Dallas’ edge to 90-84.

Griffin’s three-point play with 1:24 remaining and Kenyon Martin’s layup with 1 minute left narrowed the Mavericks’ lead to 90-89.

Nowitzki drained a 19-footer from the right wing and, after Marion stole the ball from Martin, converted two free throws with 21.2 seconds left for a 94-89 advantage.

“I had some looks I’ve got to make,” said Nowitzki, who missed five of seven shots in the final quarter, but got to the free-throw line seven times, converting six.

Paul’s 3-pointer with 17.8 seconds got the Clippers within two points, and Butler’s 3-pointer from the right wing missed with 4.5 seconds left.

“It felt real good,” Butler said of his final shot. “I had my feet under me. It just fell short. It would have been a great ending.”

LISTEN: Yi Jianlian post game interview

Delonte West made two free throws with 2.9 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Dallas’ defense came up big in the fourth quarter, causing seven turnovers and limiting the Clippers to 5-of-15 shooting from the floor and making it tough for Paul to pass his signature lob passes for dunks by Griffin.

“We take it to heart as a team,” Haywood said of the Mavs’ defense. “We don’t want teams coming on our home floor showboating. When a team comes in like this, we want to make it hard to get to the rim.”

Haywood worked inside for 10 of Dallas’ first 22 points and the Mavs carried a 27-19 lead into the second quarter.

Caron Butler get's his 2011 NBA Championship Ring prior to the Clippers vs Mavericks game at AAC, Feb 13, 2012 (Photo: D. Fallavollita, CBSDFW.com)

Butler, who received a championship ring from the Mavs in pregame ceremonies, got rolling early when he connected on his first three 3-point attempts in the first quarter.

Carlisle introduced Butler to the crowd before the game, and hugged Butler as the player tried on his ring.

“It was more emotional than I thought it would be,” Butler said.

The Clippers ended a 10-game overall losing streak against the Mavs on Jan. 18 with a 91-89 win in Los Angeles. Chauncey Billups hit the winning 3-pointer with 1 second left. Billups is out for the season with a torn left Achilles’ tendon sustained in a game on Feb. 6.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 18: Blake Griffin #32 of the Los Angeles Clippers dribbles against Brendan Haywood #33 of the Dallas Mavericks at Staples Center on January 18, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – The Mavericks cancelled their morning shootaround prior to their game against the Clippers Monday. That gave us plenty of time to spend with the Los Angeles team that is stealing some star power from that other team in the City of Angels.

It goes without saying that Blake Griffin is one the league’s best young stars. He’s also one of the most likeable. He’s an uber-talented, marketable, smart young man who is also a thoughtful, humble interview.

The Oklahoma graduate’s parents are staying north of the Red River tonight, but he will still have a long list of fans inside the American Airlines Center tonight. Griffin has family and ton of friends who live in Dallas.

“I’ll have a nice little ticket list tonight,” he lamented with a smile.

I asked him which team those family members cheer for.

“They root for the Mavs when we’re not playing,” he said. “But, you know, they’ve started to watch a lot of west coast games.”

Understandably.

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Dirk Nowitzki scored a team-high 20 points for the Mavericks, who led by as many as 14 points in the third quarter before allowing Portland to claw its way back into the game.

Jason Terry added 19 points off the bench in Dallas- third straight win.

LaMarcus Aldridge netted a game-high 33 points for the Blazers, including the game-tying bucket with 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Aldridge also pulled down 12 rebounds, while Jamal Crawford contributed 19 points for Portland, which dropped its third game in four tries.

“I thought our guys fought tonight to get themselves back into the game, and to give ourselves a chance to win the game,” Portland head coach Nate McMillan said. “We have opportunities, and we-ve had them all season long where you-ve got to make plays, you-ve got to make shots, you-ve got to get stops, and, again, tonight we don-t make shots when we have the opportunity.”

Dallas held a 43-32 lead at the half, but after a Jason Kidd three-pointer put the Mavericks ahead by 14 points, Portland recorded a 10-2 run to close the gap to 48-42.

The Mavericks, though, responded with eight straight points, capped by back- to-back treys by Lamar Odom and Vince Carter, to regain their 14-point lead.

But the Blazers would not go away, battling back with a 13-5 spurt to cut their deficit to single digits, 61-55, at the end of the third.

Dallas stretched its lead to nine, 68-59, early in the fourth before Portland stormed back again.

Seven straight points by Aldridge cut the Mavs-lead to two, and after Brendan Haywood made 1-of-2 free throws for a 71-68 Dallas lead, Raymond Felton dropped in a game-tying three-pointer with less than five minutes left in the fourth.

Dallas then held an 81-77 advantage with a minute remaining, but Crawford brought the Blazers within two with a driving layup. Nowitzki missed a long two-pointer at the other end, and coming out of a timeout with 29.7 seconds remaining on the clock, Aldridge-s turnaround jumper from the right elbow rattled in to tie the game at 81 with 12 seconds to go.

Nowitzki had a chance for the game-winner on the ensuing possession, but his jumper from the right of the foul line rimmed out at the buzzer, forcing overtime.

Nicolas Batum sank a jumper to open the extra period, giving the Blazers their first lead of the game.

That lead increased to 85-81 on a Crawford bank shot before Dallas scored six straight points to regain the lead as Portland missed its next five shots from the floor.

But an Aldridge hook shot from inside the paint tied the game at 87 with 24.9 left, and Nowitzki-s pull-up jumper from the left baseline bounced off the back of the rim at the other end.

Crawford-s three at the buzzer off an inbounds pass was no good to move the game into the second overtime period.

West then replaced Kidd on the floor for the second overtime and scored Dallas-s first six points to put the hosts on top, 93-89.

“The coaches have shown a lot of trust in me, putting me in in tense situations like that,” said West.

Portland managed to tie the game at 93 with less than two minutes to go, but Haywood-s putback with 45.3 seconds left in the second overtime put the Mavs on top for good, 95-93.

Crawford-s game-tying field goal try on the other end was no good, and Nowitzk nailed a fadeaway jumper from the foul line with 16.5 seconds remaining to give Dallas some cushion.

Dallas opted to foul Wesley Matthews on Portland-s next touch. He made the front end of two foul shots before missing the second. A scramble for the rebound ensued, resulting in a jump ball.

The Blazers grabbed possession, but Crawford-s off-balance potential game- tying three at the buzzer banked wide off the backboard, sealing the win for the Mavericks.

A back-and-forth opening three minutes resulted in an 8-8 tie before an 8-0 spurt by the Mavericks gave them a 16-8 advantage.

After trading baskets over the next 2 1/2 minutes, Dallas closed out the first with a 7-2 swing and carried a 25-14 lead into the second quarter.

The Mavs carried the momentum into the second, opening the frame with a 9-2 run to stretch its lead to 34-16.

Portland battled back with a 14-5 run to cut the deficit to 39-30 on Gerald Wallace-s three-point play, but Dallas recorded four of the final six points of the half and held a 43-32 advantage at the break.

Game Notes

Dallas improved to 10-5 at home, while Portland fell to 4-10 on the road…The Trail Blazers have dropped six straight games in Dallas…The Mavericks turned the ball over 23 times, resulting in 23 points for Portland…Dallas had 13 points off 15 Portland giveaways…Portland went 3-for-20 from three-point range…Dallas went 6-for-19 from beyond the arc.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 10: Kevin Love #42 of the Minnesota Timberwolves protects the ball from Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks during the game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Dallas Mavericks on February 10, 2012 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Dirk Nowitzki welcomed Kevin Love back from his two-game suspension with a season-high 33 points, winning the matchup of Western Conference All-Star power forwards and helping the Dallas Mavericks stave off a Minnesota rally with 104-97 victory over the Timberwolves on Friday.

Nowitzki topped 24 points for the fourth straight game by shooting 11 for 19 from the floor, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range. Love finished with 32 points and 12 rebounds, going 14 for 14 from the free-throw line, and sparked a late-third-quarter surge by the Wolves to slash a 17-point deficit to 78-75 on Nikola Pekovic’s putback to open the fourth.

But they missed a chance to sweep the season series from the Mavericks for the first time since 1995-96.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Dirk Nowitzki of the Western Conference All-Stars poses for a portrait prior to the 2011 NBA All-Star Game on February 20, 2011 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. (credit: Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images)

NEW YORK (AP) - Dirk Nowitzki’s streak survives, despite one of the worst seasons of his career.

Two other old stars are no longer All-Stars.

Nowitzki was chosen Thursday to his 11th straight All-Star game, with coaches overlooking the lowest scoring average since his second NBA season in favor of his long-term excellence.

“It was a tough road back to full health for me, but I am honored that the coaches thought enough of me to make me an All-Star,” Nowitzki said in a statement. “It has been a privilege to represent the Mavericks organization over the last decade and I look forward to doing it again in Orlando.”

Paul Pierce will join him despite his own slow start caused by a foot injury and was picked for the 10th time.

But Kevin Garnett wasn’t chosen after 14 consecutive selections, and Tim Duncan was left out after 13 in a row. Other All-Star regulars such as Ray Allen and Amare Stoudemire will be home, giving way to five first-timers among the reserves: Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol of Memphis, Andre Iguodala of Philadelphia, Indiana’s Roy Hibbert, and Chicago’s Luol Deng.

Also headed to the Feb. 26 game are NBA assists leader Steve Nash of Phoenix, Tony Parker of San Antonio, Russell Westbrook of Oklahoma City, Kevin Love of Minnesota, Chris Bosh of Miami, Atlanta’s Joe Johnson and Deron Williams of New Jersey.

Already voted to start by fans in the Eastern Conference were Orlando’s Dwight Howard, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade of Miami, Chicago’s Derrick Rose and New York’s Carmelo Anthony. The West starters are the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin of the Clippers, and Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant.

Coaches voted for the reserves, and they had a tough task in this lockout-shortened season, when they were given only about 25 games to evaluate players. That threatened to make it tough for Nowitzki and Pierce, whose bodies weren’t ready to go after the lengthy offseason and brief training camps, and have played below their usual standards.

“I think it’s too early. I’m sitting on my couch when they announced the rosters and I’m floored. I didn’t even know they had started the voting,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.

But the coaches picked Nowitzki, the NBA finals MVP, even though his average of 17.6 points is his worst since he scored 17.5 per game in the 1999-00 season. The Mavericks shut him down for a few games to work on his conditioning, and even he wondered recently whether his streak would continue, given the depth of players in his position in the West.

Pierce has been a little better, winning last week’s East player of the week award and hiking his average to 18.4 per game, but acknowledged during an interview on TNT before the Celtics played the Lakers that he was a little surprised to be picked.

But he’ll go alone from Boston, a year after Garnett, Allen and Rajon Rondo went with him. Duncan was there last year, too, having never missed an All-Star game since entering the league in the 1997-98 season.

“They’re getting older,” Rivers said. “It’s just, you know, change. It happens.”

Age didn’t stop Nash, averaging 10 assists and shooting 56 percent from the field. He became just the fourth player to earn an All-Star spot at 38 or older, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Karl Malone.

Coaches had to pick two forwards, two guards, a center, and two players regardless of position. They couldn’t vote for one of their own players.

They favored team success, with only Nash, Williams and Gasol getting picked from teams with losing records.

That left out All-Star hopefuls such as Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings, the Knicks’ Stoudemire — who misses a chance to play near his Florida home — the Grizzlies’ Rudy Gay, and Golden State’s Monta Ellis. Houston’s Kyle Lowry also fell short in the West, where coaches picked three other point guards.

Minnesota’s awful record last season nearly cost Love, though he eventually made it as an injury replacement. Putting up big numbers again and this time with the Timberwolves on the right side of .500, he was an easy pick.

“It’s a lot of joy,” Love said. “It’s really a respect thing. I’ve had a great season thus far and we’ve had some success as a team. For me, it’s definitely a big deal. I put in a lot of work these last three and a half seasons and I don’t intend on stopping.”

The snubbed players still have a chance if there is an injury. Commissioner David Stern chooses the injury replacements.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks looks to pass against the Denver Nuggets on February 8, 2012 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. (credit: Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

DENVER (AP) – Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points and the Dallas Mavericks snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the undermanned Denver Nuggets 105-95 on Wednesday night.

Vince Carter added 17 points, and Shawn Marion and Rodrigue Beaubois added 13 points each for the Mavericks, who defeated Denver for the first time in five tries.

Rudy Fernandez and Al Harrington each had 17 points off the bench to lead the Nuggets, who lost their fourth straight. Nene had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Ty Lawson had 16 points along with 10 assists for Denver.

Arron Afflalo (left ankle) and Nene (left heel) returned to the Nuggets’ lineup after sitting out Monday night’s loss to Houston, but Denver was still without leading scorer Danilo Gallinari (left ankle), along with Timofey Mozgov (left ankle). Corey Brewer took a leave of absence to be with his family this week following the death of his father.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

According to Eddie Sefko, the Mavericks beat writer for The Dallas Morning News, Dallas isn’t likely to make any trades before the deadline.

Like most teams, Dallas was forced this offseason to quickly adjust its roster, and while the Mavericks have a good group, trying to put together a blockbuster trade isn’t very feasible right now, nor is it very bright.

Cuban’s best bet is to stay put and wait for free agency this summer, when he has the potential to land Dwight Howard and Deron Williams.

Howard and Williams both have a list of preferred teams they’d like to play for next year, and the Mavericks are in the top three for each.

Read more on the Mavs trade-deadline deals from Bleacher Report.

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The Nuggets dropped their third in a row on Monday, suffering a 99-90 setback to Houston at Pepsi Center. Danilo Gallinari had 14 points to lead Denver in that one before exiting with a left ankle injury. Al Harrington finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

A CT and MRI on Tuesday revealed a chip fracture in Gallinari’s ankle, which the Nuggets said was from a previous injury that likely occurred prior to the start of Gallinari’s professional career. He is expected to remain in a walking boot for 3-to-5 days and will miss about a month of action and receive treatment for “a significant” ankle sprain.

In his first full season with the Nuggets, Gallinari, who recently signed a four-year, $42 million extension, is averaging a team-high 17.0 points per game.

“No one’s going to feel sorry for us except ourselves,” coach George Karl said. “If we feel too sorry for ourselves, we’re not going to bounce back.”

Gallinari is far from the only injury Karl is dealing with, however. Starters Nene (left heel), Arron Afflalo (left ankle) and Timofey Mozgov (left ankle) were all out against the Rockets, along with reserve forward Corey Brewer, who was dealing with the death of his father.

Nene and Afflalo are expected back in the lineup tonight.

The Mavericks have also dropped three straight, the latest of which was a 91-88 loss in Cleveland on Saturday.

Dirk Nowitzki had 24 points and eight rebounds for the Mavs in that one but Dallas turned the ball over 21 times, leading to 19 Cleveland points. Jason Terry finished with 17 points in the contest.

“Combination of points off turnovers, 19 points off turnovers and 17 second- chance points was the difference,” Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle said.

The Mavs are now just 1-6 when Nowitzki scores 20-or-more this season. The German star did pass Elgin Baylor for 22nd place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list in Cleveland and is now 23 points behind Adrian Dantley (23,177) for 21st.

Denver has won four straight over Dallas, including a 115-93 win in North Texas on Dec. 26.

Get more NBA news from The Sports Network.

(Copyright 2012 by The Sports Network. All Rights Reserved.)

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Dallas Mavericks forward Shawn Marion was so gracious and opened his beautiful home to our cameras to broadcast our Fan Sports Show live Monday night.  This meant a live truck, two photographers and a slew of lighting equipment and cables in his foyer to transmit our show from his home.

We also wanted to give viewers a glimpse of the estate.  It’s a new Mediterranean home with an elegant kitchen and fabulous gameroom all decorated in a contemporary vibe.  Think Italian wood cabinets, gleaming marble floors and luxuriously thick carpets.

We started shooting our tour right after 6pm which didn’t give us a lot of time to edit it for our 630pm broadcast.  We decided to shoot it as a “look-live”, meaning minimal edits and no “take 2′s”.  We had to slam this thing together quickly.

We could have spent an entire day highlighting his home but for brevity sake, we focused on his office, gameroom, bathroom and closet.  It’s the bathroom encounter that has me wondering if I’ll ever get invited into anyone’s house again.

Full disclosure: my mother sells luxury homes, ranches, estates and castles.  I grew up visiting ridiculously amazing homes from Montecito to Monte Carlo as well as Marion’s current neighborhood.  I know more about real estate than just about anything else and have seen my fair share of residential fabulocity.

Long story short, I made a fool out of myself when I saw the size of Marion’s tub.  Flat out fool.  See for yourself here.  Watch his reaction to me climbing in it.  It’s as if he’s thinking “she did NOT just climb in my bathtub!!!”  Yes, I did.

Bless him for his hospitality and warmth.  He was such a wonderful sport.  After watching that, I am surprised we didn’t get the boot.  Or Clorox bleach dowsed on me right then and there.

Read more of Gina Miller’s “That Sports Girl” blog.

DALLAS (CBS SPORTS) - After his demolition of the NBA last season and postseason, it’s kind of hard to picture an All-Star Game without Dirk Nowitzki. He was clutch, incredible, terrific and dominant as he carried the Dallas Mavericks to a championship and had people wondering if maybe the big German was one of the NBA’s three best players. But after a slow start that had him missing some games, Dirk doesn’t even think he should be on this season’s Western All-Star team. “But we’ll just have to wait and see. I think there is a lot of great young talent in this league that deserves to go,” he said. “There is a lot of talent at my position.”

Click Here To Read More From CBS Sports

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Irving, who is showing a knack for last-second drama in his first season, finished with 20 points and Anderson Varejao added 17 points and 17 rebounds for the Cavs.

After Irving’s second game-winning layup in a week, Jason Terry missed an off-balance 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left for Dallas. After a replay review gave the Mavericks a final chance, Brandan Wright missed a desperation shot at the horn. The Mavericks didn’t score a field goal in the final 4:13.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points and passed Elgin Baylor for 22nd place on the NBA’s scoring list.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

DALLAS (AP) — Paul George and the Indiana Pacers are getting more and more confident.

They should be with the way they’re playing — especially on the road.

George hit seven 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 30 points as the Pacers won in Dallas for the first time in eight years, beating the defending NBA champions 98-87 Friday night.

“Yeah, he’s oozing confidence, as is our whole team,” coach Frank Vogel said.

The Pacers have won four consecutive games, three of those on the road. Their 10 road victories are tied with Chicago for the most in the NBA this season.

Indiana took the lead for good with seven consecutive points in the first 2 minutes of the second half. George made a go-ahead running layup then had a steal that he turned into a dunk and a free throw.

“I’ve grown into a confident player. I feel like I can knock down any shot,” said George, the second-year post player from Fresno State. “I’ve got a comfort level out there right now.”

The Pacers had lost 11 of their previous 12 road games against the Mavs, winning only in 2004. This was their only scheduled meeting this year against Dallas.

There was also the impressive segment early in the fourth quarter when George blocked a fast-break layup attempt by Jason Terry. The Pacers got the rebound and quickly went the other way, with George hitting a 3-pointer.

George also had five assists, five steals and no turnovers in more than 41 minutes.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a performance like PG gave us from both ends of the floor,” Vogel said.

David West added 20 points for the Pacers, while Danny Granger had 16 and Darren Collison 13. Roy Hibbert, the other Indiana starter, had nine points and 14 rebounds.

Dirk Nowitzki scored a season-high 30 for Dallas on 12-of-17 shooting. That was a big boost for last year’s NBA finals MVP, who was playing his fourth game after a planned four-game hiatus to strengthen his sore right knee.

“At least Dirk was able to get into a rhythm tonight,” Shawn Marion said.

In the previous three games since returning, Nowitzki had scored only 28 total points while shooting 28 percent (11 of 39). That led to NBA analyst Charles Barkley saying during an appearance on ESPN Dallas radio this week that Nowitzki’s role as one of the league’s top players was fading fast.

“I had some good looks and knocked them down. I finally got into a good rhythm. The strength in my legs is coming back. Hard work always pays off,” Nowitzki said. “I couldn’t prove him wrong the last couple of weeks.”

Vince Carter added 14 points for Dallas, which has lost consecutive games at home for the first time since losing the first two games of the season back in December.

Dallas had a 53-52 halftime lead before Indiana’s quick second-half surge.

George had the quick layup, then a steal after a bad pass by Nowitzki. The Mavericks had two more turnovers before Collison’s 21-foot jumper made it 59-53 and Dallas coach Rick Carlisle called time out.

The Pacers stretched the lead to 69-59 on a 3-pointer by George. That ended a session when Hibbert missed inside, West got the rebound and pushed the ball outside to one wing before it went to George on the right side.

George’s seven 3s were one off the Indiana franchise record set by Reggie Miller in 1997.

“He’s a good player. We played a lot of zone tonight and we lost him a few times on the zone,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s a good 3-point shooter. He made shots and there were other plays we made mistakes on. He had a big night and they had a lot of other guys who played well too.”

The Pacers got off to a fast start, making their first eight shots and taking a 25-17 lead on Granger’s 3-pointer less than 6 minutes into the game. They finished at 43 percent (37 of 87).

Nowtizki had 20 points by halftime, when he was already 9-of-11 shooting.

Things were still going good for Nowitzki when, with 2 1/2 minutes left in the game, he was falling away from the basket and flung a ball up and in while being fouled. He added the free throw, but the Mavs still trailed by 11.

“Every day he’s moving better. At some point, this kind of game was going to be a reality,” Carlisle said. “It was great to see because he was doing everything. He was shooting the ball, he was driving the ball, rebounding. Overall, he was very active. Very positive.”

Notes: Mavericks 7-foot center Brendan Haywood used both hands to shove 6-6 Dahntay Jones when they were face-to-face and yapping at each other near the Dallas basket after a made shot with about 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. Officials conferred and called a double technical foul. … Dallas guard Jason Kidd missed his fourth consecutive game because of a strained right calf. He will also miss Saturday’s game at Cleveland, but said he is feeling better and could be back for the next game, Wednesday night at Denver. … The Pacers were without George Hill (chip fracture left ankle) and Jeff Foster (lower back). Foster hasn’t dressed for the last 10 games, Hill for the last two.

(Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Carlisle was fined $35,000 for kicking a ball into the stands with 9:34 left in the fourth quarter. He was ejected and apologized to Cuban and the fans right after the game. He said: “The incident where the ball got kicked into the stands, that can’t happen.”

Cuban was handed a $75,000 penalty for his critical remarks about the officiating following the home loss.
NBA executive Stu Jackson announced the fines on Friday.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Injuries are piling up all over the league. Stars like Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Paul Pierce have all missed time.

Timberwolves forward Anthony Tolliver thinks the rush to get ready after the lockout is partially to blame. He says the shorter training camp didn’t give players enough time to prepare for playing four or five games a week — and sometimes three games in three nights.

Veteran Celtics center Jermaine O’Neal says there was no way for players to be ready for such a grueling schedule. O’Neal says he sees players getting hurt every game, and it’s “more like football.”

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

DALLAS (AP) – James Harden had 10 points off the bench and Serge Ibaka anchored the Thunder defense with a career-high 10 blocked shots.

Oklahoma City limited Dallas to 8-for-38 shooting from the field in the second half as the Thunder bounced back from Monday night’s 112-100 road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers that snapped a four-game winning streak.

Jason Terry had 26 points for the short-handed Mavericks, who snapped a three-game winning streak. Dirk Nowitzki went 2 for 15 from the floor and finished with eight points for Dallas in his third game back after a four-game absence to deal with a sore right knee and conditioning issues.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Blake Griffin #32 of the Los Angeles Clippers goes up for a dunk against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Staples Center on January 30, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

It’s always uncomfortable — if not downright ignorant — to agree with blowhard Stephen A. Smith. But I’m with him on this:

What the Clippers’ Blake Griffin performed Monday night was: Epic. Jaw-dropping. Unprecedented. But, um, sorry, it wasn’t a dunk.

Griffin scored two points over the Thunder’s posterized Kendrick Perkins but his fingers barely grazed the rim.

His hand was never inside the cylinder. Griffin’s head was over the rim and he hung in the air for what seemed like three seconds, but what he did wasn’t a dunk, but more so an impressive shot of throwing the ball down through the basket.

The Mavs’ Dirk Nowitzki, who probably doesn’t have five dunks in his entire career, disagrees with me. He Tweeted of the play: Watched blakes dunk over and over again. Almost makes me wonder if me and him even play the same sport. What an athlete

Here at Super Bowl 46 in Indianapolis an audible roar spread through our hotel hallway as Griffin turned his trick. But I’ve been watching the NBA religiously since 1972 and Blake’s blam isn’t even among the top 5 dunks I’ve seen. And, please, don’t bring this week’s LeBron James alley-oop over John Lucas. James tipped down a perfect pass, by jumping over an unsuspecting point guard. Impressive? Not even close.

At this rate Blake Griffin might own the Top 5 all-time dunk all by himself before he’s done. But for now, he hasn’t wowed more than these:

5. Tom Chambers dunks on four Celtics

– Including the legendary threesome of Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale. Give me time, situation and defender over some high-flying, soaring score.

4. Michael Jordan over Patrick Ewing

– Jordan won dunk contests, but nothing compares to him slamming down over perennial All-NBA First-Team Defender Ewing in the ’91 Playoffs.

3. Vince Carter’s 7-foot hurdle

– Back when he had hair and hops, the Maverick dunked over a 7-foot-2 Frenchman in the ’00 Olympics.

2. Dr. J rocks the cradle

– At a key moment in the NBA Finals, Julius Erving punctuates a steal with an emphatic slam over Lakers’ Defensive Player of the Year Michael Cooper.

1. John Starks in Jordan’s mug

– Starks was a 6-foot-3 guard. He was right-handed. But in the final minute of a ’93 playoff game against Michael Jordan’s Three-Peat Bulls, Starks drove baseline and slammed — lefty, mind you – in the face of Horace Grant and His Airness himself.

The Dallas Mavericks mascot walks onto the court holding the team flag. (credit: Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

PHOENIX (AP) - The Dallas Mavericks, with their offense rolling in high gear, gave Phoenix fans a glimpse of how ugly life could be without Steve Nash.

With the Suns’ 37-year-old star point guard sidelined with a bruised left thigh, the Mavericks routed Phoenix 122-99 on Monday night, the third victory in a row and sixth in seven games for the reigning NBA champions.

“We caught a break with Nash not playing,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “I don’t think you can overlook that as a big factor in the game. We played and I thought our effort was even and consistent. We were able to keep fresh guys on the floor. We moved the ball well and made shots and our defense was good enough to win.”

Nash is certainly no defensive stopper, though, so his absence could not explain the Mavericks’ onslaught in Dallas’ eighth straight victory over Phoenix.

“They’ve always been tough for us,” the Suns’ Jared Dudley said. “It’s just a tough team to guard and once they start hitting shots, the flood gates really opened.”

A strained right calf sidelined Dallas point guard Jason Kidd for the second night in a row, but the Mavericks were just fine without him, amassing a season-high in points for a half (66) and for a game.

Delonte West scored a season-high 25 for Dallas on 9 of 12 shooting, including 5 of 6 3-pointers. Vince Carter, still being paid by Phoenix after the Suns waived him before the season began, scored 21 for the second night in a row.

“We have so many playmakers, so many guys who can put the ball in the hole,” West said. “We just have to trust each other and that was on display tonight. We didn’t have our leader, Jason Kidd out in the mix. He can knock down 3-pointers. We hope we can build on this and get him back as soon as possible and get him back in the flow of things.”

The Mavericks were 13-5 in January, wrapping the month up with wins on consecutive nights over San Antonio and Phoenix.

Carter was waived by Phoenix when the lockout ended, but his contract still guaranteed him $4 million. He would have made $18 million had he stayed with Phoenix. He had missed five games with a sprained left foot before returning two games ago. He has matched his season high with 21 points in each of his last two appearances.

“Just getting into the flow,” he said. “With the injury, I had some time to get my body right and focus on getting healthy. I was trying to do all the things I could to just to get back and step back in and continue to play.”

The 122 points surpassed Dallas’ 116 against Utah two games ago. It also was the highest score for a Phoenix opponent this season, topping the Bulls’ 118-97 victory at Chicago on Jan. 17.

Longtime Sun Shawn Marion scored 20 for the Mavericks, winners of three straight and six of seven.

Dirk Nowitzki had 10 points in his second game back after missing four games to rest his sore right knee.

Marcin Gortat had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Phoenix. Dudley added 15 points, Sebastian Telfair 13 and Grant Hill 12.

Dallas shot 55 percent, including 14 of 27 on 3-pointers.

Phoenix had cut Dallas’ lead to 55-47 on Gortat’s 9-footer with 1:56 left in the half, then the Mavericks finished the half with an 11-1 run, taking a 66-48 lead on West’s layup at the buzzer. Officials reviewed the play and called it good. West had a pair of 3-pointers to start the run.

The Suns got no closer than 16 early in the second half, with Dallas leading by as many as 28.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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LOS ANGELES (CBS SPORTS) - The field of potential next Dodgers owners has been narrowed, and the list no longer includes Mark Cuban, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. The Associated Press reports Cuban refused to say whether he was in or out while at his Mavericks’ game Friday night. Shaikin also has reported that “at least eight bidders have advanced in the bidding and are being called finalists, including the groups led by former Lakers superstar Magic Johnson, real estate developer Rick Caruso (his group includes Joe Torre) and hedge fund manager Steven Cohen.

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Terry put Dallas back in the lead to stay when he took a pass from Dirk Nowitzki for a 12-foot baseline jumper with 42 seconds left. After Shawn Marion stole the ball from Gary Neal, Terry had two free throws with 17 seconds left to make it 101-98.

Neal, who finish with 19 points, then drove for a layup and was fouled by Shawn Marion. But Neal missed a potential tying free throw that was rebounded by Ian Mahinmi, who then missed two free throw attempts.

After Neal got the rebound and the Spurs called timeout, Vince Carter knocked the ball loose. Danny Green grabbed it and threw up a shot that ricocheted off the front of the rim as the game ended.

Green and the Spurs thought he had a game-winner at the end of regulation, but his 14-footer was disallowed when replay clearly showed that shot didn’t get out of his hands before the buzzer sounded.

Dallas led by as many as 18 points in the third quarter before San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich decided to go with his reserves. The Spurs’ last 51 points after that came from bench players, and they went ahead by as many as nine in the fourth quarter with the help of a flurry of 3-pointers.

The Mavericks got even at 91 when Terry hit a 15-footer with a half-second left.

That was set up after Rodrigue Beaubois, starting for injured Jason Kidd, drove for a layup with 30 seconds left and then had a blocked shot on a drive by Neal.

San Antonio had one more shot, and Green swished a 14-footer off the inbound pass. But officials looked at the replay before ruling it didn’t count and sending the game to overtime.

Carter had 21 points, his most with the Mavericks, while Beaubois had had 14. Nowitzki, playing for the first time after a four-game hiatus to strengthen his sore right knee and do conditioning work, had 10 points on 5-of-14 shooting with 13 rebounds.

Richard Jefferson, Tim Duncan and Green each had 12 points for the Spurs.

Dallas (13-8) took over the Southwest Division lead, ahead of Houston (12-8) and the Spurs (12-9).

The Mavericks had a 67-49 lead after Terry’s basket with 3:48 left in the third quarter. That’s when San Antonio’s reserves took over.

There were seven consecutive points to cut the gap, that capped by Matt Bonner’s 3-pointer that helped ignite a frenzy of 3-pointers.

San Antonio opened the fourth quarter with a 17-2 surge that included five 3-pointers. Bonner’s trey from the right wing with 8:24 left in regulation put the Spurs up 75-71.

That was from about the same spot that Green had hit before a missed shot by Nowitzki.

San Antonio, which made seven 3s in the fourth quarter, led 84-75 with 5 1/2 minutes left when Neal stole the ball from Terry and had a fast-break jumper. It was still 89-81 only 2 minutes later when Neal made a 3-pointer.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Nowitzki started Sunday night’s game against San Antonio following a planned four-game hiatus to strengthen his sore right knee and do conditioning work.

The NBA finals MVP averaged 17.5 points and 5.4 rebounds a game in starting the first 16 games for Dallas. The Mavericks went 3-1 without their 7-foot star forward.

Nowitzki’s return came at the same time guard Jason Kidd missed the first game of what is expected to be at least a week out of action because of a right calf strain.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)