Already fearful of his club getting rusty after sweeping the Grizzlies in four games, Avery Johnson gave the Mavs a grueling practice and a 12-minutes scrimmage on Thursday.

"We haven't played a game since Monday, so we needed to get the lungs blown out," Johnson said. "It was good. We needed to get some work in."

"We're trying to stay sharp, but at the same time rest," sixth man Jerry Stackhouse said. "We're trying to find that happy medium."