DALLAS (AP) ― Dirk Nowitzki scored 28 points and bailed out the Mavericks after they lost the lead following a 7 1/2-minute scoreless stretch to start the fourth quarter, and Dallas beat the New York Knicks 95-85 on Tuesday night.
Nowitzki made a 14-foot fadeaway jumper with 4:34 left, starting a game-clinching, 14-0 run by the Mavericks in which their All-Star forward scored nine points.
That was after the Knicks, who had trailed by as many as 19, scored the first 15 points of the fourth quarter and went ahead 78-77 when Amare Stoudemire penetrated to make a shot. It was their first lead since scoring the game’s first four points, and didn’t last long.
Stoudemire had 26 points.
Tyson Chandler, who got his NBA championship ring from the Mavericks before the game, had six points, eight points and a technical foul.
When Nowitzki made a short baseline shot with 2:27 left to stretch the lead to 88-78, Chandler was standing at the scorer’s table waiting to get back into the game. He was motioning for a travel call against his former teammate, and even tapped an official running by before Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni called timeout.
Chandler got called for the technical during the stoppage in play, and Nowitzki made the free throw.
Rodrigue Beaubois added 18 points for the Mavericks, while Jason Kidd had 15 points and six assists.
Jeremy Lin had 14 points and seven assists.
When the Knicks beat the Mavericks nearly 2 1/2 weeks ago before the All-Star break, Lin had 28 points and 14 assists. That ended a six-game winning streak for Dallas, and started the stretch of six losses in eight games before Tuesday night.
The Mavs, who lost at Oklahoma City on Monday night, wrap up a stretch of nine games in 12 days with three road games in three nights, starting Thursday in Phoenix.
Dallas fans were cheering loudly with 13 seconds left in the third quarter when Nowitzki, with JR Smith pushing against him, finally moved around and drew the foul while driving toward the basket. Nowitzki made both free throws to make it 77-63, but the Mavericks didn’t score again until he dominated in the game-turning spurt.
Heat take down Nets
MIAMI (AP) ― Chris Bosh saluted his grandmother. LeBron James made a halfcourt shot to end his easy night. Dwyane Wade stood with no pain afterward.
After a two-game slide, the Miami Heat got rolling again.
James scored 21 points, Bosh added 20 in his return to the lineup and the Heat led by as many as 40 points on the way to rolling past the New Jersey Nets 108-78 on Tuesday night.
“One good quality, of many qualities that we have on this basketball team, is the ability to own it,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And the last two games, we did not play the way we’re capable of. We certainly did not play to our identity on either end of the court.”
That was fixed in a hurry.
The Heat made 12 of their first 15 shots on the way to a 10th straight home win. James finished 9 for 11, adding nine rebounds and six assists, and the 78 points allowed matched Miami’s season-best.
About the only thing that didn’t go right for Miami turned out to be no big deal. Wade turned his right ankle late in the first half and did not return, finishing with 13 points. Wade missed six games earlier this season after spraining the same ankle, though said he would play against Atlanta on Wednesday and would have returned against the Nets if needed.
“Not worried at all,” Wade said.
Deron Williams, who was coming off an NBA season-high 57 points in a win over Charlotte, scored 16 for the Nets. MarShon Brooks scored 12 and Johan Petro added 11 for New Jersey, which lost to the Heat for the ninth straight time.
Atlanta 101, Indiana 96
Charlotte 100, Orlando 84
Boston 97, Houston 92
Detroit 88, LA Lakers 85
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
