Without Brendan Haywood or Shawn Marion in the line-up, the Dallas Mavericks have had one of their most impressive offensive performances of the year, racing out to a 63-56 first half lead on the Denver Nuggets.

In a beautiful display of ball movement, Dallas has 23 assists on 26 field goals in the game's first 24 minutes.

Ian Mahinmi and Brandan Wright have given the Mavericks needed finishing ability at the center position, combining to score 18 points on 8-12 shooting.

Dirk Nowitzki, meanwhile, has taken advantage of the Denver Nuggets' lack of a true defensive power forward, scoring nearly at will in the first half with 18 points on 8-11 shooting.

After trading Nene for Javale McGee and picking up Wilson Chandler after the 6'8 small forward had spent the season's first four months in China, the Nuggets have played an extremely small line-up for long stretches.

Both teams have made a concerted effort to push the pace so far, resulting in a blizzard of open jumpers, a rare sight in what's been an ugly NBA season filled with tired legs due to the lockout.