Associated Press
DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki went over 23,000 career points without having to play too much for the surging Dallas Mavericks.
The defending NBA champions are finally on a roll.
Nowitzki became the 23rd NBA player to score 23,000 points before he and the rest of the Dallas starters sat on the bench the entire fourth quarter in a 102-76 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night. The Mavericks have won four in a row.
“Milestones are going to be great when I look back on my career in 10 or 15 years,” Nowtitzki said. “But as of right now, I’m trying to help this team, and franchise, win as many games as I can. We’ve been playing better. That’s all I’m worried about right now.”
The Mavericks (7-5) started the season with lopsided losses at home on consecutive days nearly three weeks ago, then lost their first road game for an 0-3 start.
They have since won five in a row at home. They matched their season high in scoring against the Bucks, who had the lowest-scoring game by a Dallas opponent.
“The first two games were poor to say the least. After that, we were all embarrassed. We had to bounce back and kind of snap out of it,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We were in a two-game whatever you call it, hangover, Christmas funk. Reality hit us really quickly. … It helped us get our mindset in the right direction. We came out fighting after that.”
Jason Terry scored 17 points off the bench to lead the Mavs while starter Vince Carter had 16 for his highest-scoring game in Dallas. Roddy Beaubois had 15.
Nowitzki, a 10-time All-Star, has played all 1,005 of his career games over 14 seasons for Dallas.
He hit the milestone with 7:17 left in the first half. He played only 22 minutes and finished with 11 points, putting him at 23,008, third among active players behind Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett.
Brandon Jennings had 19 points and Shaun Livingston 15 for the Bucks (4-7), who are undefeated at home but now have an NBA-high seven road losses.
“We’ve been very energetic at home, but we board the plane and we’re half-asleep out there,” coach Scott Skiles said.
Milwaukee was without 7-foot center Andrew Bogut, who was out because of concussion-like symptoms.
Bogut fell backward and hit the back of his head on the floor while taking a charge during Thursday night’s victory over Detroit. Skiles said Bogut failed a pregame check for concussion symptoms and was ruled out in accordance with the league’s concussion policy.
With the Mavericks playing again at home Saturday night, before going to the West Coast to start a four-game road trip over six days, their starters got extended rest late with the game out of reach.
Carter had 11 of his 16 points while making his first five shots in the first 6 1/2 minutes of the game.
“I was just trying to give our team a little life at the start,” Carter said. “You have to hit first because we’ve seen teams hit us first and it’s effective.”
Carter, the 13th-year pro that signed with Dallas last month, had a slam dunk on the opening possession. He had a driving layup, another slam and a 3-pointer before a reverse layup with 5:36 left in the first quarter put the Mavs up 18-13.
Dallas pushed ahead 74-47 on a 3-pointer by Nowitzki that capped a 14-0 run over a 4-minute span early in the third quarter before Jennings made a jumper.
The Bucks had a spurt of 10 consecutive points to get to 77-61 with 2:18 left in the third quarter. That was the closest they got.
After Rick Carlisle called a timeout, Terry had a steal. He missed the breakaway layup, but Roddy Beaubois had a follow slam that started a 13-2 spurt. By the time Terry ended that run with a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter, Dallas led 90-63.
“They made a lot of shots, they got a big lead and they never looked back,” Jennings said. “We’ve got to get a least one road win. Geez.”
NUGGETS 117,
HEAT 104
DENVER — Ty Lawson returned from a sprained right foot to score 24 points, and the Denver Nuggets sent the Miami Heat to their third straight loss.
LeBron James had 35 points for the Heat, who have lost their last 10 games in Denver.
Dwyane Wade scored 12 points before landing awkwardly on his right ankle after trying to block a shot with 7:24 remaining. He lay on the floor for several moments before gingerly making his way to the bench. He did not return.
LAKERS 97,
CAVALIERS 92
LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant scored 42 points in his third straight 40-point performance, and the Los Angeles Lakers blew a big early lead before hanging on for their fifth straight victory.
Pau Gasol had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who won their eighth consecutive game at Staples Center since Christmas.
BULLS 88,
CELTICS 79
BOSTON — Derrick Rose returned from a one-game absence to score 25 points and help the Bulls hold off a second-half charge.
Rose, who missed Wednesday’s 78-64 win over the Washington Wizards with a sprained left big toe, scored 12 points after Boston cut the lead to one.
TIMBERWOLVES 87,
HORNETS 80
NEW ORLEANS — Kevin Love scored 34 points, Ricky Rubio hit the tiebreaking free throws in his first career start for Minnesota.
Rubio finished with 12 points and nine assists. Love had 17 points in the third quarter and also grabbed 15 rebounds for his 11th consecutive double-double. The Timberwolves finished 33 of 38 from the foul line and Love sank his first 17 before missing one in the last minute.
NETS 110, SUNS 103
PHOENIX — Deron Williams had 35 points, his most since coming to New Jersey at last season’s trade deadline, as well as 14 assists and the Nets held off the short-handed Phoenix for just their third victory in 12 games this season.
Phoenix, playing without Steve Nash and Grant Hill because of injuries, was down by three at the half before the Nets pulled away with a barrage of 3-pointers. A rally in the final minutes by the Suns fell short.
SPURS 99,
BLAZERS 83
SAN ANTONIO — Tony Parker scored 20 points to help San Antonio beat Portland and stay unbeaten at home.
Parker shook off a slow start as the Spurs (8-4) improved to 8-0 at home, their best start since the 2007-08 season when they started 13-0. Portland (7-4), meanwhile, lost its second straight game and for only the second time in its last 10 games against San Antonio.
76ERS 120,
WIZARDS 89
PHILADELPHIA — Jodie Meeks tied a career high with 26 points, Lou Williams had 19 and Spencer Hawes added 10 points and 10 rebounds to help Philadelphia improved to 5-0 at home.
The Sixers have six players averaging double digits, and Elton Brand entered just under at 9.7. Brand scored 13 and seven Sixers were in double digits, including Andre Iguodala (13), Jrue Holiday (12) and Evan Turner (12).
PACERS 95,
RAPTORS 90
TORONTO — Tyler Hansbrough made two key free throws with less than 15 seconds to play and Indiana overcame the ejection of leading scorer Danny Granger to win for the fourth time in five games.
Granger was ejected in the second quarter after being called for his second technical foul. Granger got his first technical for arguing a non-call three minutes into the first quarter, then picked up his second for staring down Toronto’s Ed Davis after a blocked shot with 29 seconds left in the half.
PISTONS 98,
BOBCATS 81
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jonas Jerebko tied a career high with 22 points and Detroit won the race to three victories against Charlotte.
Both teams entered the game with identical 2-9 records and on lengthy losing streaks.
ROCKETS 103, KINGS 89
HOUSTON — Kyle Lowry’s 25 points led five double-digit scorers and Houston used a strong third quarter to take the lead and Sacramento never really threatened after that.
Samuel Dalembert, who played for the Kings last season before signing with the Rockets on Dec. 26, had 21 points and 16 rebounds.
Associated Press
DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki went over 23,000 career points without having to play too much for the surging Dallas Mavericks.
The defending NBA champions are finally on a roll.
Nowitzki became the 23rd NBA player to score 23,000 points before he and the rest of the Dallas starters sat on the bench the entire fourth quarter in a 102-76 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night. The Mavericks have won four in a row.
“Milestones are going to be great when I look back on my career in 10 or 15 years,” Nowtitzki said. “But as of right now, I’m trying to help this team, and franchise, win as many games as I can. We’ve been playing better. That’s all I’m worried about right now.”
The Mavericks (7-5) started the season with lopsided losses at home on consecutive days nearly three weeks ago, then lost their first road game for an 0-3 start.
They have since won five in a row at home. They matched their season high in scoring against the Bucks, who had the lowest-scoring game by a Dallas opponent.
“The first two games were poor to say the least. After that, we were all embarrassed. We had to bounce back and kind of snap out of it,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We were in a two-game whatever you call it, hangover, Christmas funk. Reality hit us really quickly. … It helped us get our mindset in the right direction. We came out fighting after that.”
Jason Terry scored 17 points off the bench to lead the Mavs while starter Vince Carter had 16 for his highest-scoring game in Dallas. Roddy Beaubois had 15.
Nowitzki, a 10-time All-Star, has played all 1,005 of his career games over 14 seasons for Dallas.
He hit the milestone with 7:17 left in the first half. He played only 22 minutes and finished with 11 points, putting him at 23,008, third among active players behind Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett.
Brandon Jennings had 19 points and Shaun Livingston 15 for the Bucks (4-7), who are undefeated at home but now have an NBA-high seven road losses.
“We’ve been very energetic at home, but we board the plane and we’re half-asleep out there,” coach Scott Skiles said.
Milwaukee was without 7-foot center Andrew Bogut, who was out because of concussion-like symptoms.
Bogut fell backward and hit the back of his head on the floor while taking a charge during Thursday night’s victory over Detroit. Skiles said Bogut failed a pregame check for concussion symptoms and was ruled out in accordance with the league’s concussion policy.
With the Mavericks playing again at home Saturday night, before going to the West Coast to start a four-game road trip over six days, their starters got extended rest late with the game out of reach.
Carter had 11 of his 16 points while making his first five shots in the first 6 1/2 minutes of the game.
“I was just trying to give our team a little life at the start,” Carter said. “You have to hit first because we’ve seen teams hit us first and it’s effective.”
Carter, the 13th-year pro that signed with Dallas last month, had a slam dunk on the opening possession. He had a driving layup, another slam and a 3-pointer before a reverse layup with 5:36 left in the first quarter put the Mavs up 18-13.
Dallas pushed ahead 74-47 on a 3-pointer by Nowitzki that capped a 14-0 run over a 4-minute span early in the third quarter before Jennings made a jumper.
The Bucks had a spurt of 10 consecutive points to get to 77-61 with 2:18 left in the third quarter. That was the closest they got.
After Rick Carlisle called a timeout, Terry had a steal. He missed the breakaway layup, but Roddy Beaubois had a follow slam that started a 13-2 spurt. By the time Terry ended that run with a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter, Dallas led 90-63.
“They made a lot of shots, they got a big lead and they never looked back,” Jennings said. “We’ve got to get a least one road win. Geez.”
NUGGETS 117,
HEAT 104
DENVER — Ty Lawson returned from a sprained right foot to score 24 points, and the Denver Nuggets sent the Miami Heat to their third straight loss.
LeBron James had 35 points for the Heat, who have lost their last 10 games in Denver.
Dwyane Wade scored 12 points before landing awkwardly on his right ankle after trying to block a shot with 7:24 remaining. He lay on the floor for several moments before gingerly making his way to the bench. He did not return.
LAKERS 97,
CAVALIERS 92
LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant scored 42 points in his third straight 40-point performance, and the Los Angeles Lakers blew a big early lead before hanging on for their fifth straight victory.
Pau Gasol had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who won their eighth consecutive game at Staples Center since Christmas.
BULLS 88,
CELTICS 79
BOSTON — Derrick Rose returned from a one-game absence to score 25 points and help the Bulls hold off a second-half charge.
Rose, who missed Wednesday’s 78-64 win over the Washington Wizards with a sprained left big toe, scored 12 points after Boston cut the lead to one.
TIMBERWOLVES 87,
HORNETS 80
NEW ORLEANS — Kevin Love scored 34 points, Ricky Rubio hit the tiebreaking free throws in his first career start for Minnesota.
Rubio finished with 12 points and nine assists. Love had 17 points in the third quarter and also grabbed 15 rebounds for his 11th consecutive double-double. The Timberwolves finished 33 of 38 from the foul line and Love sank his first 17 before missing one in the last minute.
NETS 110, SUNS 103
PHOENIX — Deron Williams had 35 points, his most since coming to New Jersey at last season’s trade deadline, as well as 14 assists and the Nets held off the short-handed Phoenix for just their third victory in 12 games this season.
Phoenix, playing without Steve Nash and Grant Hill because of injuries, was down by three at the half before the Nets pulled away with a barrage of 3-pointers. A rally in the final minutes by the Suns fell short.
SPURS 99,
BLAZERS 83
SAN ANTONIO — Tony Parker scored 20 points to help San Antonio beat Portland and stay unbeaten at home.
Parker shook off a slow start as the Spurs (8-4) improved to 8-0 at home, their best start since the 2007-08 season when they started 13-0. Portland (7-4), meanwhile, lost its second straight game and for only the second time in its last 10 games against San Antonio.
76ERS 120,
WIZARDS 89
PHILADELPHIA — Jodie Meeks tied a career high with 26 points, Lou Williams had 19 and Spencer Hawes added 10 points and 10 rebounds to help Philadelphia improved to 5-0 at home.
The Sixers have six players averaging double digits, and Elton Brand entered just under at 9.7. Brand scored 13 and seven Sixers were in double digits, including Andre Iguodala (13), Jrue Holiday (12) and Evan Turner (12).
PACERS 95,
RAPTORS 90
TORONTO — Tyler Hansbrough made two key free throws with less than 15 seconds to play and Indiana overcame the ejection of leading scorer Danny Granger to win for the fourth time in five games.
Granger was ejected in the second quarter after being called for his second technical foul. Granger got his first technical for arguing a non-call three minutes into the first quarter, then picked up his second for staring down Toronto’s Ed Davis after a blocked shot with 29 seconds left in the half.
PISTONS 98,
BOBCATS 81
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jonas Jerebko tied a career high with 22 points and Detroit won the race to three victories against Charlotte.
Both teams entered the game with identical 2-9 records and on lengthy losing streaks.
ROCKETS 103, KINGS 89
HOUSTON — Kyle Lowry’s 25 points led five double-digit scorers and Houston used a strong third quarter to take the lead and Sacramento never really threatened after that.
Samuel Dalembert, who played for the Kings last season before signing with the Rockets on Dec. 26, had 21 points and 16 rebounds.