Leading Scorer: Dirk Nowitzki — 22 points

Quote: “We’re just not playing well enough to win games,” Mavericks’ forward Lamar Odom said. “The chemistry is not there right now. We’ll pick it up, this is a veteran team. Sometimes you have to take your lumps. We can bounce back.”

Next Game: Tuesday vs. Washington Wizards

With the Mavericks holding the seventh-best record in the Western Conference, make sure you confidently declare your allegiance for the Mavericks with the State Farm Nation, now live on Facebook to root Dirk and company on!

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You can also generate your NBA fan graph to see where your Facebook friends’ loyalties lie, and hopefully cheer them on as they host the Jazz on Saturday!

Brook Lopez scored 38 points in only his third game back from a broken right foot, and made the go-ahead free throws with 42 seconds left for New Jersey, leading them to a stunning one-point win over the Mavs 93-92.

The two free throws by Lopez came right after the Mavericks had taken the lead with a 13-2 run after missing 14 consecutive field goals.

Jason Kidd’s 3-pointer from the right wing only 6 seconds earlier had put Dallas ahead 92-91.

Jason Terry forced a turnover with 18 seconds left, and Dallas called timeout. Kidd then had the ball in the left corner, but it was knocked loose by DeShawn Stevenson. Kidd got it back but his desperate heave at the buzzer was short.

Lead Scorer: Dirk Nowitzki – 22 points.

Next: Wednesday at home vs. Denver Nuggets

Schedules and opponents are not yet set, the source said, but the Mavs are planning to open next season’s training camp a few days early to accommodate the trip.

“Averaging whatever, 15, 16 points, I don’t think you should be an All-Star,” Nowitzki said. ”

But we’ll just have to wait and see. I think there is a lot of great young talent in this league that deserves to go.

I think LaMarcus Aldridge has been stiff the last couple of years. He’s a great young player, fun to watch. You know Blake and Love are playing great.

There is a lot of talent at my position.”

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki will sit out the next four games to engage in a week of behind-the-scenes conditioning work to strengthen his sore right knee.

Carlisle said Nowitzki needs “an uninterrupted eight days of work to resolve some physical issues and conditioning issues.” He emphasized that the break is designed to help Nowitzki, who is expected to return Jan. 29 against San Antonio, get into better game shape.

The Mavs coach said Nowitzki would prefer to keep playing but coaches and training staff decided it would be better for the team if he is restricted from game activity for the next week. Carlisle stressed that “this is not a rest situation” but “quite the opposite.”

“I wasn’t thrilled at the beginning,” Nowitzki said. “We talked about it yesterday in the meeting and I just thought it was a good decision for everybody. I think I’m not helping right now anyway and the guys are better off if I’m not out there, so it just gives me time to really do some of the stuff that I couldn’t be doing. My knee was bothering me the last couple of weeks. I couldn’t lift or run and do the stuff I needed to do because my knee was swollen most of the time. So this week my knee feels better and this actually gives me some time to lift and really get back where I should be, and I look forward to coming back.”

The Dallas Mavericks have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with free-agent forward Yi Jianlian, according to sources with knowledge of the deal.

The deal is likely to be finalized within the next 48 hours, sources said.

It will take some time for Yi to make Dallas’ active roster after a teammate fell on his knee in a Chinese Basketball Association league game. Sources said Yi will join the Mavericks’ D-League affiliate in nearby Frisco on a rehabilitation stint with the Texas Legends before joining the Mavericks.

Dallas is using its 15th roster spot to sign Yi, who played in 63 games (11 starts) last season for the Washington Wizards, averaging 5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 17.7 minutes per contest.

The 24-year old, seven-foot Chinese forward was selected sixth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Jianlian posted career-bests of 12.0 points and 7.1 rebounds in 31.8 minutes per game in New Jersey during the 2009-10 campaign.

Backup center Ian Mahinmi scored a career-high 19 points and the Mavs overcame 30 points by Raptors’ center Andrea Bargnani.

“I know this was a career high in points for him, but the last two nights he’s given us a really high level of energy,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s given us a physical presence, he’s a combative guy, and he was really big for us tonight.”

Dallas was 28 of 38 from the charity stripe and imposed their will on Toronto to win their first game of the season.

Dirk had 18 points and an unusual four steals, while the bench gathered 56 points.

Next Game: Sunday at Minnesota Timberwolves, 6 CT.

Story lines galore.

At the forefront, you had rumors of Russell Westbrook feuding with Kevin Durant.

Even better, the defending champs were trying to avoid an 0-3 start.

Furthermore, it was a Western Conference Finals rematch, a meeting between two of the most exciting clubs in the Association — and it didn’t disappoint.

The game came down to the wire — like it did a few times this past May.

Back-and-forth entertainment, basketball at its finest, it gave us one of the most improbable and unlikely clutch shots from an unlikely source — Vince Carter — who hit a go-ahead three-point shot off of a Dirk Nowitzki pass with 1.4 seconds left to put Dallas up 102-101.

Next, it was an improbable clutch shot at its highest degree of difficulty, yet, from a likely source — Kevin Durant — who made the game-winning buzzer-beating fadeaway three-point shot to give OKC a 104-102 thrilling triumph.

Last year’s champs are now 0-3, while last year’s Western Conference runner-ups are 4-0.

Durant had 30 points, giving him his fourth straight 30-point night to start the 2011-12 campaign.

For the Mavs, Nowitzki led the team with 29 points.

Just like it was a crazy end to the game, it was also a crazy offensive night for the Thunder, who turned the ball over 26 times — leading to 33 Dallas points.

Westbrook had seven turnovers, but also had seven points in the final 3:16 of the game. Durant and Kendrick Perkins had six apiece.

The Mavs shot the ball 27 more times than Oklahoma City, who were an astounding 58.7% from the field.

This game had it all, including six technical fouls, but not to be outdone by the final 4:45 of the best game of the season so far.

At that point in the game, Jason Terry hit a three-point shot to give the Mavs their first lead of the fourth quarter, 91-89.

Next, James Harden, who had 15 points off the bench, for his fourth game to start the season in double figures scoring, hit two free throws to tie the game at 91-91.

The following possession led to a fastbreak dunk by Westbrook, who finished the play with a free-throw to complete an and-one after the foul by Terry.

With the Thunder up 94-91, Carter hit his first big jumper, this one from 18-feet away.

Westbrook followed Carter’s shot with a pullup mid-range J of his own, giving OKC the 96-93 edge with 2:40 left.

After a pair of Terry misses and a Westbrook misfire, Dirk got the ball in his hands and hit a 3 to tie the game at 96-all.

Durant then came into the picture, knocking down a 16-foot shot, and then a technical free throw complimentary of Nowitzki.

Following the freebie, Westbrook made it a five-point possession, cashing in on another mid-range jumper to give the Thunder a 101-96 lead with 46 ticks remaining.

Yet, the Mavs would not die.

Jason Terry hit a three, Durant missed a shot, Serge Ibaka bricked two free throws, and then that set the stage for the guy they used to call “Vinsanity.”

Carter, who came off the bench for Delonte West (15 points) in this game, connected one a wide-open three after Dirk drew the double-team and kicked the ball out.

With the Mavs up 102-101, everyone knew who was going to get the ball next with 1.4 seconds to go.

After a timeout, a well-executed play called for “Durantula” had him come off a series of screens to catch and fire on a 28-foot jumper as he was fading away from the hoop from left to right — it was money — sending the Oklahoma City faithful home in a frenzy.

Mavs Next Game: Friday December 30 vs. Toronto Raptors, 7:30 CT.