Close games become a thorn in the Mavericks' side
Last season, the Dallas Mavericks feasted on close games, going 17-11 in games decided by five points or less. They've been far less fortunate this season.
Dallas' 123-121 triple-overtime loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday night dropped the Mavs to 10-13 in games decided by five or fewer points and it was their second in a row including Sunday's overtime loss at the Los Angeles Lakers.
Since the third game of the season, when Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to down the Mavs, they've seen the opposition nail big shots against them in the waning moments. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle was beside himself after the loss that saw Utah make several clutch baskets, including a late go-ahead three-pointer by Devin Harris.
"It's just beyond me the kind of shots that teams are hitting against us this year," Carlisle said. "We're playing our (tails) off, but I tell you what -- night after night, we've just got to hang in, we've just got to hang in and keep guarding.
"But it's something to see. It's something to see."
The Mavs closed out their four-game road trip 2-2 and they fell into seventh place in the West and with just one fewer loss than both Houston and Phoenix. The Rockets, losers of four in a row and desperate now to stay in the hunt, come to Dallas on Wednesday night.
