/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/27426577/20140124_rnb_aa9_067.0.jpg)
BROOKLYN - The "red hot" Brooklyn Nets were once again at home, but this time the opponent wasn't a lottery-bound team, but a possible playoff-bound Western Conference squad in the Dallas Mavericks.
This one got a bit too close at the end, but on the back of a "red hotter" Mirza Teletovic and his career-best 34 points, the Nets continued to roll, beating the Mavs at home, 107-106..
Neither team started off strong in this one, plenty of mistakes and missed opportunities early on. Midway through the first the scored was tied at 6-6. The teams combined to shoot 5-of-23 from the floor to start the game. It doesn't get much uglier than that.
The Nets started to heat up a bit, with Deron Williams and Andray Blatche checking in off the bench. The offense started to take off a little, with Blatche once again being the main spark. But, once again, after a 6-0 run, they went cold. After one, the Nets trailed the Mavericks 21-18. Both teams shot 40 percent from the floor.
Teletovic caught fire to start the second quarter, hitting three straight threes and finally putting a little life into the Nets offense. He hit his first seven shots of the game, in six minutes, and went on to score 24 points in the second -- a career-high -- on 9-of-10 shooting. Teletovic was unreal. The second unit with Williams, Blatche, Teletovic, Andrei Kirilenko and Jason Terry was playing great basketball, thanks to the stretch that Mirza gave them, but much credit goes to how active they were on defense as well.
Brooklyn carried a 57-46 lead into halftime.
Deron Williams returned to the starting lineup in the second half, with Alan Anderson heading to the bench. The offense moved well, the defense lagged a bit, but the Nets were able to maintain a 5-point lead midway through the third. At that point, Jason Kidd returned Mirza Teletovic to the lineup to see if he can spark another run.
Teletovic only scored two points in the third, but the defensive adjustments made to close out on him opened up looks for his teammates. After three, the Nets had an 8-point lead, 78-70.
With the Mavericks closing to within three, Kidd went back to his second unit, who had carried the Nets in the second quarter, hoping that they would be able to put a little distance between them and Dallas.
That second unit built up a 9-point lead midway through the fourth, again, with Teletovic, Williams, Kirilenko and Blatche leading the way. Brooklyn from there went to close out the Mavs, responding to each run, and letting it nearly slip away at the end as the Mavs pulled to within two points with seven seconds to play.
In the end, however, Brooklyn picked up yet another win, their ninth in the 2014 calendar year, winning, 107-106.
Williams finished with 18 points and 11 assists off the bench, while Teletovic had a game-high 34 points making a career-best seven threes. He became the third Net to score 30 points in a game this season, along with Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson. Speaking of, Johnson had an off night, finishing with just five points in 29 minutes.
D-Will, always a big supporter of Teletovic, said of the King of Bosnia, ""It speaks a lot about (Teletovic). He was definitely frustrated last (season) with his lack of playing time," Deron Williams said. "He had been one of the top players in Europe for a long time, and it was little hit to his ego. He felt like he could contribute and help and he didn’t really get that opportunity. Now that he is, he’s making the most of it."
Old friend Vince Carter scored 19 points in 29 minutes. Dirk Nowitzki finished with 18 points.
Brooklyn has now won nine of their last 10 games and remain 2.5 games out of first place in the Atlantic, with the Raptors winning.
For more on the Mavericks, see: Mavs Moneyball
- Mavericks at Nets - January 24, 2014 - Box score - NBA.com
- Mavericks vs. Nets (Video) - NBA.com
- Blair Up and Under (Video) - NBA.com
- Nets on the Run (Video) - NBA.com
- Great Block, Great Pass (Video)Blair Up and Under (Video) - NBA.com
- Post Game Plus: Nets defeat Mavericks, 107-106 (Video) - YES Network
- Vince Carter on Jason Kidd & return to Nets (Video) - YES Network
- Shawn Marion on game vs. Jason Terry & Jason Kidd (Video) - YES Network
- Brooklyn Nets Brooklyn Blue Night Jerseys (Video) - YES Network
- Johnson talks bench's contributions (Video) - YES Network
- Kidd discusses Nets' win over Mavericks (Video) - YES Network
- Teletovic discusses his performance (Video) - Sarah Kustok - YES Network
- Game Thread: Brooklyn Nets vs. Dallas Mavericks, 7:30 PM - NetsDaily
- 2nd Half Game Thread: Nets vs. Mavericks - NetsDaily
- HIGHLIGHT: Mirza Teletovic Goes CRAZY! Hits 6 Threes, Scores 24 Points In One Quarter - The Brooklyn Game
- HIGHLIGHT: Paul Pierce does the Rajon Rondo - The Brooklyn Game
- Teletovic Scores 34 and Nets Beat Mavs 107-106 - AP
- Rapid Reaction: Nets 107, Mavs 106- Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- Mirza Teletovic's confidence soaring - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- Kidd, Cuban: Hatchet's buried - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- HIGHLIGHT: Paul Pierce does the Rajon Rondo - The Brooklyn Game
- In the Absence of Their Owner, the Nets Hang On - Andrew Keh - New York Times
- Mirza Teletovic drops career-high 34 points on the Mavericks as Nets hang on to win - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
- Mark Cuban takes veiled shot at at Mikhail Prokhorov for being an absentee Nets owner - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
- Mirza Teletovic scores career-high 34 to lead Nets over Mavericks - Andy Vasquez - The Record
- Nets notes: Cuban takes shot at Prokhorov - Andy Vasquez - The Record
- Mirza Teletovic scores career-high 34 points to lead Nets - John Jeansonne - Newsday
- Rick Carlisle, Jason Kidd have high regard for each other - John Jeansonne - Newsday
- Teletovic’s 24-point 2nd quarter lifts Nets over Mavericks - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
- Mark Cuban takes jab at Nets owner’s hands-off management - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
- In the Absence of Their Owner, the Nets Hang On - Andrew Keh - New York Times
- Scratching & Surviving: Nets 107, Mavericks 106 (GAME GRADES) - Devin Kharpertian - The Brooklyn Game
- The Morning After: Nets survive new test - Devin Kharpertian - The Brooklyn Game
- Final Score: Nets 107, Mavericks 106 - Jon Presser - SNY Nets
- Teletovic’s big night carries Nets - Gregory Hrinya - Examiner
- Rapid Reaction: Nets 107, Mavericks 106 - Bryan Gutierrez - ESPN Dallas
- Dallas Mavericks' Rick Carlisle: 'We weren't fighting hard enough' - Bryan Gutierrez - ESPN Dallas
- Dirk Nowitzki back for Mavericks, and so is the knee sleeve - Bryan Gutierrez - ESPN Dallas
- Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says absentee owners bad for game - Bryan Gutierrez & Mike Mazzeo - ESPN Dallas
- Mavs fall apart in second quarter, get torched for 34 points by Nets bench player - Eddie Sefko - Dallas Morning News
- Carlisle jokes about Jason Kidd stealing plays, Jason Terry talks about having ex-teammate as coach - Eddie Sefko - Dallas Morning News
- Nowitzki goes back to the sleeve because knee has been "a little stiff" - Eddie Sefko - Dallas Morning News
- Full-Court Press: Carlisle knew Kidd would turn around the Nets - Dwain Price - Fort Worth Star-Telegram
- Full-Court Press: Mavs went just 1-2 on promising road trip - Dwain Price - Fort Worth Star-Telegram
- Full-Court Press: Nets clipped the Mavs 107-106 - Dwain Price - Fort Worth Star-Telegram