Mavs hold off pesky Bobcats

CHARLOTTE – The first half of the season ended just the way it started for the Mavericks, with a victory. And the 102-95 victory Wednesday night over the Charlotte Bobcats, in many ways, encapsulated those first 41 games.

The Mavs were dominating at times, running out to a double-digit lead before five minutes were played. And then the lull followed. The athletic Bobcats, led by Gerald Wallace and Jason Richardson, had a lot to do with it, but the Mavs admitted to losing some of their edge.

The periodic stretches of inconsistency weren’t enough to derail Dallas and, in the end, the Mavs found success. That’s pretty much been the recipe this season. For all the points that can be nitpicked, the team’s 28-13 record remains one of the NBA’s best.

On a team with two 20-point scoring All-Stars, it was Devin Harris emerging as the most consistent offensive threat. The lightning-quick point guard scored 23 on 8-of-12 shooting, including a pair of much-needed free throws giving the visitors a 92-87 lead in the final two minutes.

Harris’ foul shots followed two missed shots by Gerard Wallace – a jumper and reverse layup – with Charlotte trailing by three points. The Bobcats spent much of the evening in comeback mode, much as the Mavs did during Monday’s loss at Washington.

Each time the Mavs would threaten to pull away – they held leads of more than 10 on multiple occasions in all four quarters – Charlotte would mount a charge, usually by Wallace, Richardson or Emeka Okafor.

The Mavs finally put it away in the final two minutes to even their record at 10-10 on the road. As for the two All-Stars, Josh Howard scored 21 and Dirk Nowitzki added another 20. Jason Terry scored 16 off the bench.