The Mavericks had been doing a wonderful job of keeping their focus with the All-Star break so close they can smell the sand and sea already.
That changed on Monday when the woebegone Washington Wizards stepped into American Airlines Center and had the Mavericks on the ropes virtually all night. The team with the second-worst record in the NBA was working with an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
The Mavericks rescued themselves from the premature thoughts of sun and surf just in time.
The Mavericks came alive with a sharp fourth quarter and that was enough to overtake the Wizards and ring up a 112-104 victory in the next-to-last game before the break.