Before their 119–118 overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets last Wednesday, Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle expressed disappointment with his team following their struggles and even hinted about removing players from the roster.
Carlisle vented his frustrations after Tuesday's 103–99 loss to the Toronto Raptors where the Mavs had a lackluster performance in the first half, before turning up the energy in the second half with the reserves playing well only to come up short.
The 56-year-old coach, who earlier last month signed a five-year extension with the organization, called the defeat "embarrassing," but praised the guys off the bench who kept the game competitive in the fourth quarter.
But Carlisle also exclaimed according to The Dallas Morning News, "If it's going to be like that, these guys aren't going to be Mavericks very long. I can promise you that."
Currently, the Mavericks are fourth in the Western Conference standings with a 16–13 record, identical with the fifth-placed Los Angeles Clippers.
In their most recent win over the Nets, the Mavericks stepped up and were led by starting point guard J.J. Barea who had 32 points, one rebound, 11 assists, and one steal.
Following Barea was franchise star Dirk Nowitzki who tallied 22 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
Nowitzki also achieved a milestone with his scoring production as he surpassed Shaquille O'Neal for the sixth spot in the all-time scoring list.
Along with the feat, the 37-year-old franchise star also made the game-winning basket with only 19.2 seconds left in the extra period.
"That's what I play for, is to compete at the highest level for this franchise, for this team," Nowitzki said, according to the Associated Press following the game.
"Obviously No. 6 in the bigger picture is a lot bigger than this win in Brooklyn in December, but when you're out there you don't think about that. You want to get this win bad and fight out there against a talented team," he added.
After Christmas Day, the Mavericks open a three-game home stand taking on the Chicago Bulls.
