Mavs win big

It would be nice to say that coach Rick Carlisle was peeved with the defense in the first quarter and a half Tuesday night. But for that to happen, there would have had to be some defense played by the Mavericks. If ever they needed a crystal-clear illustration of what defense means to this team, it was on display as the Mavericks pulled together late in the first half, then smothered the Houston Rockets in the second for a xxx-xx victory at American Airlines Center. The Mavericks were invisible on the defensive end until a spirited finish to the first half. After that, they clamped down hard on the Rockets, who out-everythinged the Mavericks early, but were manhandled late. When Dirk Nowitzki swished a 3-pointer with 3:20 to go, the Mavericks had turned a 17-point first-half deficit into a 110-91 lead, improving to 5-2 on the young season heading into a tough back-to-back at San Antonio tonight. It was amazing to see the defensive turnaround. The Rockets were shooting nearly 60 percent with three minutes to go in the half. They were up by 17 in the second quarter and still had a 61-47 advantage when Carlisle was asking his starters to get the Mavericks back into the game midway through the second quarter. And so they did. They held the Rockets to 0-for-5 shooting down the stretch with two turnovers and scored the final 10 points of the half. Down by just four, they took a load of momentum into the third quarter. J.J. Barea helped break things open in the third quarter with eight points and the Rockets shot just 5-of-22 in the quarter. The Rockets were absolutely snuffed until garbage time. From three minutes to go in the first half until 3:18 left in the game, they were 9-of-38 from the field. The Mavericks, meanwhile, had their second consecutive solid offensive game, shooting well over 50 percent and spreading the wealth with six players in double figures. Erick Dampier was huge with 20 rebounds to go with 14 points and no missed shots. Jason Terry had 24 off the bench and Nowitzki added 23. The Rockets got 22 from Aaron Brooks, but 19 of them came before halftime. All-Star doings: Jason Terry was thrilled to find out he was on the NBA All-Star ballot, released Tuesday at American Airlines Center. It might be a long shot for a sixth man to make it to the game Valentine's Day at Cowboys Stadium, but Terry plans on being there no matter what. "This is going to be special,'' Terry said as the ballot was unveiled. "I'll announce the team. I'll put on Champ's uniform (Mavs' mascot). Whatever I have to do, but I will be in attendance participating.'' Terry would seem like a natural to be in the 3-point contest as he not only shoots a lot of them, but makes a lot, too. Terry, Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion are the Mavericks on the ballot for the Western Conference. They were the first to fill out ceremonial ballots, along with owner Mark Cuban and Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert. Annually, who doesn't make the ballot always causes ripples. This year, it was Erick Dampier who was the odd man out. The committee that selects the players that go on the ballot must select at least three players from each team, which might explain why Sacramento center Spencer Hawes is on it and Dampier is not. Dampier said: "Those things are political.'' But coach Rick Carlisle had a pointed outlook. "The people responsible for making that decision have got to be pretty embarrassed about it the way he played,'' he said. "It appears to be the wrong decision.'' --Eddie Sefko