Van Exel, a prep star from nearby Kenosha, Wis., watched as Avery Johnson, the Mavericks' third point guard, came off the bench ahead of him in the third period against the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks. The move sparked the fiery Van Exel, who scored all 17 of his points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and the Mavs opened their four-game road trip with a 112-106 victory at the Bradley Center, the first victory at Milwaukee since 1987.

Van Exel's scoring burst is exactly what Nelson has been waiting for since the deal that brought the former Denver point guard to Texas. "We almost had to force-feed him," Nelson said. "He's trying to be so conservative, and we keep telling him to be aggressive. I didn't think I could play him in the second half. I went with Avery Johnson."

Van Exel, playing with sore ribs, got the message.

"He did get my attention," said Van Exel, who played before about 20 family and friends. "I was very frustrated with myself. I was missing my bread-and-butter, my 3-foot jump shot. Those are the easy baskets for me. Those really get me going."