Following the Mavericks' Christmas Day loss to the Miami Heat, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said that his team was still carving out its identity for this season. After one game and a half they are searching for any kind of defensive presence as they trail the Denver Nuggets by a score of 69-42.
The Nuggets have taken advantage of Dallas deficiencies on the defensive end of the floor making over 57 percent of their shots and more than half of their three point attempts. Ty Lawson has a game-high 21 points for the Nuggets going 8-9 from the field in the first half. Al Harrington and Andre Miller came off the bench to score 14 points each and Danilo Gallinari finished with 10 points and five rebounds.
Dallas once again slogged its way through a tough half offensively. Dirk Nowitzki finished the half with 10 points but got little help from his supporting cast. The Mavericks were out rebounded by a 26-15 margin in the first half in what is a reoccurring theme from the season opener.
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