The Dallas Mavericks got off to a quick start and lead the Denver Nuggets 51-39 at halftime. Dallas jumped out to an early 27-17 lead behind a balanced offensive effort from the Mavs.
Lamar Odom came off the bench to score 10 points to lead the Mavericks in the first half. Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, Vince Carter and Brandan Wright all added eight points. Dallas hit just under 49 percent of its field goal attempts and recorded 13 assists on 19 made buckets.
Rudy Fernandez did all he could to keep the Nuggets in the game scoring 14 points in the first half. Al Harrington added seven points and Corey Brewer added six.
Both teams are missing key contributors with Jason Terry and Rodrigue Beaubois sitting this one out for the Mavericks while Nene and Danilo Galinari are out for the Nuggets.
For more on the Mavericks, head over to Mavs Moneyball while Denver Stiffs has you covered for everything you need to know about the Nuggets.