Getting back to work minus Avery

Assistant coaches Joe Prunty and Mario Elie presided over a scaled-back workout today, as the Mavs maneuver through a four-day break before Saturday’s visit from Seattle to American Airlines Center. The focus was some shooting, some lifting and more rest.

Avery Johnson and assistant Paul Westphal took the day off. Both will be back for tomorrow’s practice. Johnson typically lets his assistants run 2-3 practices a season depending on the breaks in the schedule.

Naturally, such a break has its good and bad.

“What’s good, it gives us a chance to rest a little bit and get our feet back under us,” Devin Harris said. “What’s bad is our last game we lost, so we have to sit with it for four days until our next one.”