DALLAS --The Dallas Mavericks waited until 3:03 remained in the first half to play anything that resembled decent defense.
With the Rockets missing their final five shots, the Mavs scored the last 10 points of the half to trim Houston's lead to 61-57.
Maybe it just took the Mavs 21 minutes to figure out how to slow down Aaron Brooks and Co. The speedy point guard busted out for 19 points in the half, only 11 shy of his career high.
It definitely took that long for Dirk Nowitzki to get in an offensive groove. He scored six of his 14 points during the half-ending spurt. He was 1-of-5 from the floor before finishing the half with back-to-back driving layups.