Steve Novak took a step forward in his battle for a roster spot, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 101-96 victory with 22 points on 8-13 shooting. Novak hit six of ten three-point shots and added five rebounds. His sidekick off of the Mavs bench, rookie guard Dominique Jones, saw more success in finishing his forays to the basket, hitting five of his nine shots and five more free throws. Jones also contributed a game high seven assists.
With Rodrigue Beaubois, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Caron Butler all sitting out, Dallas started a lineup of J.J. Barea, DeShawn Stevenson, Brian Cardinal, Shawn Marion and Brendan Haywood. After a string of poor shooting performances, the back end of the roster posted a 52% shooting night but was just 10-22 from the stripe.
Dallas will travel to Chicago Friday to take on the Bulls in the sixth of eight preseason contests.