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Carter: ‘We’re Clicking on All Cylinders’
In short, the Mavs are playing as well as anyone could have possibly hoped when this roster was reconstructed last summer, and have positioned themselves to climb up the bottom half of the West’s playoff bracket.
“We’re clicking on all cylinders on both sides of the floor,” said sixth man Vince Carter, who had an outstanding all-around game with nine points, eight rebounds and four assists in 25 minutes. “We’re just going to have to continue to work on consistency on both ends. I think we have slippage sometimes, but everybody’s on the same page. Everybody’s doing what needs to be done for the good of the team.”
“Chuck Daly, one of his favorite sayings was ‘Don’t trust happiness,’” (Coach Rick) Carlisle said, referring to the legendary former Detroit Pistons coach who was a mentor to him. “Especially in the NBA, because it can get you quickly if you start feeling too good about yourself. But I like the way we played.”
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Sources: Mavericks Gauging Trade Value of Kristaps Porzingis

The Dallas Mavericks set out to fortify their defense around Luka Doncic and their historic scoring attack this offseason.
Yet here the Mavericks stand, ninth in the Western Conference, ranking 27th in overall defense, and Kristaps Porzingis’ steady decline on that end of the floor appears to be the biggest dilemma this front office is now facing.
In fact, Dallas has quietly gauged the trade market for Porzingis, according to league sources, as the Mavericks have begun reevaluating whether the 25-year-old center can truly support Doncic as the second option on a contender. “They’ve kicked the tires on everybody on their roster that’s not named Luka,” one person with knowledge of Dallas’ thinking said. “You know [president of basketball operations] Donnie [Nelson]; they’re always tinkering.”
“They’ve definitely sniffed around on him,” an assistant general manager told B/R. “They’re taking the temperature, because they know at some point it’s gonna come around.”
Source: Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report
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Sources: Timberwolves Dismiss Ryan Saunders

The Minnesota Timberwolves have dismissed coach Ryan Saunders, sources tell ESPN.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have dismissed coach Ryan Saunders, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 22, 2021
Source: Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter
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Sources: DeMarcus Cousins, Rockets to Part Ways

The Houston Rockets and center DeMarcus Cousins are planning to part ways in coming days, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Houston wants to go smaller, younger in frontcourt when Christian Wood returns and this allows Cousins to find an opportunity elsewhere.
The Houston Rockets and center DeMarcus Cousins are planning to part ways in coming days, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Houston wants to go smaller, younger in frontcourt when Christian Wood returns and this allows Cousins to find an opportunity elsewhere.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 20, 2021
Source: Shams Charania on Twitter