AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – When working out Roddy Beaubois before the draft, the Mavericks went to great lengths to make sure they would be able to snag him late in the first round of the draft. Worried that another team might become infatuated with the young point guard from the French Indies, they suggested he allow competitors to think that he couldn't speak much English, even though he's better at the language than some Americans. When you see games like Sunday's, you know why the Mavericks were paranoid. The kid was big in tilting momentum to the Mavericks in the third quarter, hitting all six of his shots for a season-best 14 points. His perfectly timed pass to Shawn Marion for a fast-break jam was enough to make Jason Kidd jealous. That was the highlight of an eight-minute stretch to open the second half when the Mavericks turned a six-point deficit into a 58-57 lead. Beaubois scored or assisted on 12 of the Mavericks' 18 points in that stretch. "I'm really impressed with our rookie," Dirk Nowitzki said. "Every time he starts, he gives us scoring at the beginning of the game and the third quarter." That's by design. With Josh Howard out, the Mavericks need another hot hand to start halves. "They want me to be really aggressive at the beginning, so I try to put all my energy out there," Beaubois said. So far, it's hard to argue with the results. He's averaging 10.7 points and has shot 13-for-19 from the field in three starts.
