AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- For a half, the Mavericks were trying to prove owner Mark Cuban wrong.
He had said Tuesday that the Mavericks are tanking while they are trying to win games.
In falling behind by 27 points at halftime to Detroit, the "trying" part was missing.
Instead, the Mavericks put themselves in a hole that was inescapable, despite a nice - if cosmetic - comeback that left them leaving the Palace of Auburn Hills for the last time with a 98-91 loss. The Pistons move into a downtown arena next season.
The Mavericks limp into the extended All-Star break with a 22-34 record and trailed Denver by 3 ½ games pending the outcome of the Nuggets game against Minnesota late Wednesday.