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Mavericks look for 16th straight win, host struggling Nets

Mar 6, 2007 - 4:34 PM New Jersey (28-32) at Dallas (50-9) 8:30 pm EST

DALLAS (Ticker) - The Dallas Mavericks are in the playoffs. The New Jersey Nets are in disarray.

The first team to clinch a postseason berth, the Mavericks go for their 16th straight win and 23rd consecutive home victory against Tuesday against the Nets.

Dallas clinched its seventh straight playoff appearance when New Orleans lost to Utah on Sunday. The Mavericks have not played since Saturday, when they escaped with a 103-98 victory over Orlando.

Jason Terry had 29 points and a season-high 15 assists, Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points and fellow All-Star Josh Howard added 21 for Dallas, which has not lost anywhere since January 25 or at home since December 7.

There are plenty of bad signs for the Nets, including the fact that they have lost 12 of the last 13 meetings with the Mavericks. New Jersey was battered in a 92-75 home loss to Dallas on December 5.

However, New Jersey's current problems are more pressing. The Nets have lost two in a row to Boston and Philadelphia, two of the worst teams in the NBA.

After squandering a seven-point lead in the final minute of Saturday's overtime loss to Boston, the Nets raced to a 17-point first-quarter lead Sunday at Philadelphia before evaporating in a 99-86 setback.

New Jersey is on a six-game road trip that includes the "Texas Triangle" and could go a long way toward determining whether its secures its sixth straight playoff berth.

One bright spot over the weekend was Jason Kidd, who had 11 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists Sunday for his 10th triple-double this season and 85th career. However, superstar Vince Carter made just 4-of-20 shots and scored nine points.