SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Continuing a string of sluggish starts and furious rallies only to come up short once again Wednesday night while falling to a 102-88 defeat in Phoenix, the Dallas Mavericks know they’ll have to avoid an early hole during the second outing of their current four-game road trip Saturday in Sacramento.
Allowing an 11-4 Phoenix run to begin Wednesday’s game, the Mavericks (16-36) trailed 36-17 after the opening quarter. The Mavs then trailed by as many as 23 before making a hard charge in the final period. But after seeing his team limp to its fifth straight loss overall, 13-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki says the Mavericks must come out as the aggressors Saturday night in Sacramento.