Mavericks handle Celtics, 104-94

The Mavs spoiled Jason Terry's homecoming.

The Celtics had no answer for Brandan Wright in the post, and his season high 23 points paced the Mavs 104-94 wire to wire victory over Boston.  Wright shot 11-16 from the field, including a number of uncontested dunks.  Dirk Nowitzki also scored 22 for Dallas, and Vince Carter chipped in 17 off the bench. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Brandon Bass had 16 points a piece for the C's.

The Mavs jumped out to an early 9-2 1st quarter lead, and never looked back.  Boston managed to keep the game close for much of the first half by going 17-17 from the free throw line, and trailed by just four (47-43) with two minutes to go in the 2nd quarter.  But a pair of Darren Collison FT's and a rainbow three from Nowitzki quickly pushed the Maverick's lead back to 9, and Dallas took a 55-44 advantage into halftime.

The two teams played even basketball throughout most of the 3rd quarter, and the Mavs still led by eleven (79-68) entering the 4th.  Seven quick points from Jordan Crawford trimmed the deficit to six, 83-77, but a pair of Collison jumpers had the margin back to 10 with just under eight minutes remaining.

A 9-3 Boston run made the score 97-92 with 1:55 to go, but an O.J. Mayo three put Dallas back up 8 with only 1:21 left on the clock.

Jason Terry received a warm ovation from the crowd and his former teammates when he checked into the game with 3:57 remaining in the first period; his first appearance back in Dallas since leaving the Mavs.  Terry scored 8 points in 22 minutes, but made just 3 of 9 field goals attempts, including 0-2 from downtown.

Courtney Lee left the game late in the 4th quarter with what appeared to be a sprained ankle.

Tonight Garnett managed to accomplish a feat usually reserved for Rajon Rondo, and occasionally Pierce in Rondo's absence: KG led Boston in points (16), rebounds (12), and assists (5).

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