The Mavs pulled off a stunning overtime victory Saturday night over the Rockets that saw gutsy play from the likes of Jason Terry (who apparently was signing autographs when Vince Carter was pulled for foul trouble) and Dirk Nowitzki, who seemingly willed the team to victory. In what is shaping up to be an incredibly competitive race for the bottom half of the Western Conference playoff picture, the Mavs would have dropped to ninth place with a loss against Houston. Instead, the defending NBA champions currently occupy the fifth seed with mere percentage points separating them from the slumping Clippers.
- There are doubters who don't believe the Mavs have the ability to replicate the same success that they achieved last season against Miami, says ESPN.com's Marc Stein, who cites an NBA scout as his source.
- In what can only be perceived as a bit of refreshing news, Mavs forward Brian Cardinal laughed off criticism about his rough play from newly-acquired Spurs forward Stephen Jackson by stating he was pleased to hear that Jackson actually thought Cardinal could actually once play in the league, writes Tim Griffin of Spurs Nation.
- Beyond leading the charge in a must-win game over the Rockets, Dirk Nowitzki surpassed his hero Charles Barkley to become the 19th-leading scorer in NBA history, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.