Mavericks get title defense on track with win

Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks holds up the MVP trophy after winning Game 6 of the NBA Finals basketball game against the Miami Heat Sunday, June 12, 2011, in Miami, Florida. The Mavericks won 105-95. Photo by David Phillip, AP

DALLAS—Dallas finally got their NBA title defense on track on Friday, with France’s Ian Mahinmi leading a strong showing by the Mavericks reserves in a 99-86 victory over Toronto Raptors.

Mahinmi led the Mavericks with a career-high 19 points on six-for-six shooting and grabbed five rebounds.

Dirk Nowitzki, Most Valuable Player of the NBA finals victory over Miami, scored 18 points as Dallas won for the first time after dropping their first three games of the lockout-shortened season that started on Christmas Day.

Jason Terry added 17 off the bench and Vince Carter contributed 10 as Dallas’ reserves delivered 56 points.

“Everybody had a hand in this one,” said Brendan Haywood, another reserve center who shared duties with Mahinmi on Friday.

Mahinmi had never before led the team in scoring. His previous NBA career high was 17 points, against Memphis last January.

The victory came a day after a 104-102 loss at Oklahoma City, where Kevin Durant’s buzzer-beating three-pointer doused the Mavericks’ hopes.

Dallas put that disappointment behind them as they jumped out to a quick early lead and led 50-46 at halftime.

After Toronto edged ahead early in the third, Dallas responded with a 12-0 scoring run as they took a 77-70 lead going into the final period.

Mahinmi, whose running hook shot with a minute and a half remaining put Dallas ahead 96-85, said he was getting more comfortable with more time on the floor — and with the personnel changes the Mavs have undergone since they won their first title in June.

“There are a lot of new pieces, and I’m getting more comfortable playing with those guys,” he said.

“And we were desperate for a win, so it feels really, really good to get out of this with a win, and on top of that, I had a good game.”