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Mavericks take on new-look Bobcats

Dec 11, 2008 - 11:28 AM Charlotte (7-14) at Dallas (11-9) 8:30 p.m. EST

DALLAS (Ticker) -- The Dallas Mavericks hope a heartbreaking double-overtime defeat will be a bump in the road as they look to continue a torrid pace.

The Mavericks host what could be a shorthanded Charlotte Bobcats squad on Thursday.

Dallas had its four-game winning streak snapped Tuesday in a 133-126 loss to its old nemesis, the San Antonio Spurs.

Dirk Nowitzki led the way with 35 points while Jason Kidd and Jose Juan Barea added 24 and 21, respectively. The Mavericks have won nine of 11 after a 2-7 start to the season.

Charlotte completed a five-player deal with the Phoenix Sun Wednesday, sending Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley west in exchange for Raja Bell, Boris Diaw and rookie Sean Singletary.

It is unclear whether the trio will be available for the Bobcats, who suffered a 105-89 setback against the New Orleans Hornets Wednesday while playing shorthanded because of the deal earlier in the day.

"(Hornets head coach) Byron (Scott) took care of his old coach," Bobcats coach Larry Brown said. "He was real good to us. It was like the varsity and the JV. If it wasn't for him being so gracious substituting like he did, I don't know what (the final score) would have been."

D.J. Augustin led the Bobcats with 28 points. Charlotte, which already ranks fifth in the NBA with 93.3 points allowed per game, should received a boost on that end of the floor when Bell joins the team. He was an All-Defense selection each of the last two seasons.