Laberecke » mental aspect of the game got a lot

PHILADELPHIA -- The Dallas Mavericks had to work hard for an easy win. Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points, Shawn Marion had 22 and the Mavericks beat undermanned Philadelphia 124-112 Friday night, handing the 76ers their 10th straight loss. The Mavericks led from the start and never trailed, taking a 22-point lead and staying ahead by double digits most of the game. But they had to earn this one. "It was exactly the kind of game we expected," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "We expected it to be 48 minutes of hell with them chasing the ball all over the place. (Brett Brown) coaches his team harder than any coach in the league." A day after dismantling the roster and trading away Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes and Lavoy Allen, the Sixers had just eight players in uniform. Thaddeus Young scored 30 and Michael Carter-Williams had 25 for Philadelphia, which has looked toward next season and beyond since training camp. "They played hard," Brown said. "Were trying to identify athletes and how they compete." The Sixers, who have the NBAs second-worst record, made four trades before Thursdays deadline, giving up three players and a draft pick for five players and six second-round draft picks between 2014 and 2018. Theyre hoping for a top-3 draft pick and trying to clear space under the salary cap to make a run at quality free agents. "Were focused on building something for Philadelphia to put a program in a place to compete when it matters," general manager Sam Hinkie said. "And we feel that yesterday was just another step in that process." While the Sixers eye the future, the Mavericks are making a playoff push. Theyre in a tight battle with four teams for the final three playoff spots in the West. "They have a bunch of fast, athletic guys," Nowitzki said of Philadelphia. "Give them credit. They kept competing." Nowitzki hit consecutive 3s in the opening minutes. The Mavericks were up by 22 after Vince Carter nailed a 3 late in the first quarter, and made 16 of their first 21 shots. Sloppy play and a slew of turnovers by the Mavericks allowed the Sixers to make a run in the second quarter. They pulled within 55-50 following an 8-0 run and trailed 69-62 at halftime. "We knew they would make a run," Marion said. "They have talented guys. We kept our composure and were able to sustain the lead." After Philadelphia closed to within 77-73 in the third quarter, Nowitzki nailed another 3, the Mavericks scored nine straight and put the game away. At one point, Nowitzki and Marion were a combined 17 for 19 from the floor. Nowitzki made his first five from beyond the arc before missing two straight. Carter-Williams, a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, Young and injured rookie Nerlens Noel are cornerstones for Philadelphia going forward. Young was disappointed he didnt go to a contender, but wouldnt let that affect his performance. He had 13 rebounds and took a career-high 29 shots, making 12. "This situation, I dont know how much worse it could get," Young said before the game. Young became just the second player to have at least 30 points, 13 rebounds, seven steals and six assists since steals became a stat in 1973-74. Hakeem Olajuwon had 38 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and seven steals along with 12 blocks for Houston vs. Seattle on March 10, 1987. Turner, a former No. 2 overall pick, and Allen went to Indiana for veteran Danny Granger and a pick. Hawes was traded to Cleveland for Earl Clark, Henry Sims and two picks. Eric Maynor came from Washington along with two picks from other teams. Byron Mullens was acquired from the Clippers with a pick for a protected second-rounder. NOTES: Carter-Williams had his eighth game of at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists. All other NBA rookies have eight combined. ... The Mavericks have won 13 of last 16 games vs. Philadelphia. ... DeJuan Blair had 18 points and Jose Calderon had 10 assists for Dallas. ... Maynor was the only new player in uniform and available. ... The Sixers already waived Clark. ... Granger showed up to Pacers practice Friday to say goodbye to former teammates. ... The Mavericks had 39 assists, their most since 40 vs. New Orleans on Nov. 11, 2003. Cheap Stars Jerseys .ca. Hello Kerry, After watching Nino Niederreiter clobber Alex Burrows with an open-ice hit on Wednesday, do you think he should have gotten more than the two minutes for interference. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . Cincinnati has lost back-to-back games in overtime, wasting a chance to take a commanding lead in their division. http://www.cheapstarsjerseys.com/. The New York Rangers centre had a goal and two assists in a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators ending a 13-game goal-scoring drought. Cheap Adidas Stars Jerseys . Thaddeus Young scored seven of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, Evan Turner added 22 points, and the 76ers hung on for their first road win since Nov. 1, beating the depleted Los Angeles Lakers 111-104 on Sunday night. Cheap Stars Jerseys Authentic . 25 against Miami. Hillis left Browns Stadium about two hours before kickoff, a decision that has led to speculation he was upset over ongoing negotiations with the club on a contract extension.EDMONTON -- Walk into the Edmonton Eskimos dressing room, and odds are the first voice one will hear is that of receiver Adarius Bowman. The six-foot-three, 223-pound slotback, who missed the first nine games with a knee injury, has been an infectious jolt of energy in the room and on the field since he returned to the Eskimo roster three games ago. Watch the Toronto Argonauts vs. Edmonton Eskimos live tonight on TSN and TSN Mobile TV at 9pm et/6pm pt. The game can also be heard exclusively on TSN.ca/Toronto. Two of those games were wins, making the 28-year-old out of Oklahoma State the only Eskimo starter with a winning record this year. As the 3-9 Eskimos put their modest two-game win streak on the line Saturday evening against the 8-4 Toronto Argonauts -- who are on a three-game winning run, all on the road -- Edmonton quarterback Mike Reilly says Bowmans return has been huge. "Not just physically in what challenges he presents to defences on the field, which is his size and speed and ability," Reilly said Friday, "but his mental side of the game, the energy that he brings. "You can probably hear him right now in the room; the guy brings a ton of energy. He brings that into the huddle and its not fake, its genuine. When you get to know Adarius you know its not just for show, its not just for people to hear him, its truly how he feels about the game and that passion kind of bleeds over to everybody else. "So what he brings to our offence I dont think you can really measure it." In the three games since his return Bowman has caught 16 passes, including two clutch second-down receptions, for 199 yards and two touchdowns. Fred Stamps, the leading receiver in the CFL this season, smiles when asks what Bowmans return has meant. "Oh man, Adarius coming back was a big addition to our offence," he ssaid.dddddddddddd. "He can do so many things and once he has the ball in his hands, hes awesome running with the ball. Hes a high energy guy, makes our offence so much better. All our receivers are doing well, but since AD came back it just gives our offence that little bit more energy that we need." For his part Bowman, who has 65 yards after his catches, downplays his impact but admits that while sitting out was frustrating, it also gave him a chance to get a new look at the game. "I wouldnt say the fact of me sitting out was an advantage, but I learned some advantages from a lot of visual work on the field, got to do a lot of seeing rather than physical work so my mental aspect of the game got a lot better," he said after Fridays walk-through. "So I feel theres a small advantage there." Plus, hes fresh, his body is healthy and the knee is not presenting any issues. "No worries about anything," he said. "The biggest thing is waiting on the next game." That game is the rematch with the Argos, who beat Edmonton 36-33 in Toronto in a mid-August game that had nearly 1,300 yards total offence. The Argos can wrap up a playoff berth with a win while the Eskimos could pull into a tie with Montreal for a potential cross-over playoff spot. Bowman didnt play in that game and Edmonton coach Kavis Reed is hoping he can swing the outcome with his injection of energy, enthusiasm and confidence. "The way he presents himself on and off the field is absolutely one of confidence, one that says were going to overcome," said Reed. "So hes very important from a physical perspective, but the intangible perspective is immeasurable. When he came back to practice you could see the difference in the team knowing that Adarius, a big play maker, would soon be available to us." ' ' '