Barnes, Ferrell lead Mavericks past Hornets 115-111

By STEVE REED
AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Mavericks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. had a simple strategy in the fourth quarter when it came to Harrison Barnes.

"Give him the ball and get out of the way," Smith said.

Barnes had 13 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, Yogi Ferrell made seven 3-pointers and scored 22 points and the Mavericks fended off fatigue to beat a fresh Charlotte Hornets team 115-111 on Wednesday night. Barnes made all five of his shots in the fourth quarter and added 11 rebounds for the Mavericks, who won on back-to-back nights.

Barnes said he liked his matchup against Frank Kaminsky in the fourth quarter.

"I just tried to be aggressive and attack the rim," Barnes said. "I saw a few shots drop and I was kind of in a rhythm after that. Coach kept going to me and just kept on converting."

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle called Barnes' game "absolutely brilliant."

"He hit on a variety of shots - 2s, 3s, drives," Carlisle said. "Look that's what great players do. Really proud of him. He had a pretty good rhythm going all night. We just needed to get the ball in his hands."

Dirk Nowitzki added 19 points - one shy of his season high - and Smith had 15 points and six assists.

It was a crushing loss for the Hornets, who were coming off a 3-1 West Coast road trip that included a win over the Golden State Warriors.

Kemba Walker had 41 points on 16-of-28 shooting for the Hornets. Dwight Howard had 15 points and 12 rebounds for Charlotte, but was an anemic 5 of 18 from the foul line, which proved costly in a close game.

The Mavericks were playing their third game in four days, while the Hornets were coming off a four-day layoff. But Dallas showed no signs of wearing down in the fourth quarter, repeatedly thwarting Charlotte's attempts to take the lead.

Charlotte trailed by six entering the fourth quarter, but Jeremy Lamb buried a 3-pointer from the right wing to pull the Hornets even with 9 minutes left.

But the Hornets could never grab the lead.

The big play came with 2 minutes remaining when Salah Mejri ripped an offensive rebound away from Howard and kicked the ball out to Ferrell, who buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give the Mavericks a 5-point lead.

Barnes followed with a long 3 on the next possession.

"I told him, if you aren't getting the ball enough, let me know," Smith said. "I will do whatever it takes to get it to you, especially if you are in a groove like that. That's what he does, he closes."

TIP INS:

Mavericks: The team was awarded two-way forward Jalen Jones on a waiver claim. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. In a related move, the Mavericks also requested waivers on two-way guard Kyle Collinsworth.

Hornets: Hornets associate head coach Stephen Silas said backup center Cody Zeller is "not very close" to returning to action following his left knee injury. "He just started doing some spot shooting, but he's not very close," Silas said.

DIRK DOES IT AGAIN: Yes, it's painful to watch him run up and down the court, but Nowitzki still finds a way to be productive in his 20th season. He repeatedly hit big shots - both 3s and fadeaways - at clutch times.

"Dirk's really one of the most amazing athletes I've ever seen or been around," Carlisle said. "To perform like this at the advanced age of 39 in the NBA is just unbelievable."

HORNETS `DIRE' WITHOUT WALKER: The Hornets (15-24) are struggling, but Silas said things would be "pretty dire" to imagine the team without Walker, who is second in scoring among point guards in the Eastern Conference.

"He does everything," Silas said. "He comes up with big steals. He goes for charges. He makes every big pick and roll play, every shot, every play for everybody else."

UP NEXT:

Mavericks: Host Lakers on Saturday.

Hornets: Host Jazz on Friday.

Mavericks beat Magic 114-99, stop 3-game slide

By SEAN SHAPIRO
Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) -- Dennis Smith Jr. and Yogi Ferrell helped set the pace for the Dallas Mavericks in their 114-99 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.

It started with rebounding.

The 6-foot Ferrell led the team with eight boards, the 6-3 Smith had seven and the Mavericks used that spark to get offense going the other way.

"Me and Yogi run (after rebounding)," Smith said. "We find each other on the break pretty well, and when we can get into the paint it opens up the floor for everybody."

Ferrell said it was a result of the rest of the team boxing out, and he just benefited by grabbing the ball.

"Those guys do the hard part. We do the easy part and get boards," Ferrell said. "When we do that it gets our break started a lot quicker."

It also led to a balanced scoring output for Dallas.

Dirk Nowitzki and Smith each scored 20 points as the Mavericks stopped a three-game slide. Wesley Matthews had 16 points for Dallas, which got its first win since Dec. 31 against Oklahoma City.

Harrison Barnes and Ferrell scored 15 apiece, while J.J. Barea had 12 assists and eight points.

"Yogi came in and really changed the game," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "His impact on the offensive and defensive ends - his energy was great. In the first half, he was the one guy who was really battling on the boards for us, the shortest guy out there."

Carlisle earned his 708th career win, moving past John MacLeod for 17th in NBA history. Next up is Gene Shue with 784.

Aaron Gordon scored 19 points for Orlando, which has lost five in a row. D.J. Augustin had 18 points, and Marreese Speights finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The Magic have allowed at least 100 points in four of their last five games and have lost 14 of 15.

"They've just got to do better," coach Frank Vogel said. "We've got to figure that out."

The Magic led 48-43 at halftime, but Nowitzki and Smith helped the Mavericks rally with 15 points apiece in the second half.

With his team leading 66-64 and 4:04 remaining in the third quarter, Ferrell made a pull-up jumper and Barnes followed with another jump shot. The Mavs carried an 82-75 lead into the fourth.

"We didn't stick with the same energy that we had in the first half," Augustin said. "We didn't come out and execute like we were supposed to, like we did in the first half, and it kind of fell apart at the end."

The Magic pulled within four in the final period before the Mavericks closed the game with a 14-3 run over the final four minutes.

Dallas shot 51.8 percent from the floor. Orlando shot 45.6 percent and had 13 turnovers in a sloppy offensive performance.

OFF THE BENCH

Gordon didn't start after he violated team rules. Vogel didn't elaborate on what rule, but Gordon indicated it had to do with being late to a team function.

"Obviously, it hurts. I want to be on the floor as much as I can and starting," Gordon said. "I understand that time management is crucial. Being punctual is part of character. Having a high character leads into winning. It's the little things that matter, so I understand why they did it."

THE LOGO

Nowitzki went 7 for 7 from the free throw line and is tied with Jerry West for the sixth-most free throws in NBA history at 7,160. Michael Jordan ranks fifth with 7,327.

TIP-INS

Magic: F Wes Iwundu and C Kehm Birch were recalled from the G League.

Mavericks: Dallas has not lost a season series to Orlando since 1997-98. The final scheduled meeting between the teams is April 4 in Orlando.

UP NEXT

Magic: Visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

Mavericks: Visit the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.

Nuggets' road woes continue in Dallas

DALLAS -- The Denver Nuggets started a six-game road trip Monday night desperately trying to figure out how to win away from home.

It didn't happen as they fell behind by 25 points early in a 122-105 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.

Denver (13-10) fell to 3-8 on the road. With games coming up at New Orleans, Detroit and Boston on this road swing, the Nuggets could find themselves at .500 if they can't put together four solid quarters on enemy territory.

"We can't let teams hit us first," Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray said. "They hit us first, and we hit back too late. The game was already over."

Due to key injuries to starters Nikola Jokic (left ankle), whose return date is uncertain, and forward Paul Millsap (left wrist), who will be out the next several months, and the Nuggets are missing a pair that brings nearly 31 points and 17 rebounds a game.

Their absences make the upcoming road task look increasingly daunting.

The Mavs' offense had the Nuggets' heads spinning. Dallas (7-17) shot 56.8 percent in the first half to take a 64-47 lead into the locker room, and finished a season-best 57 percent. Driving to the hoop at will, the Mavs also produced a season-high 64 points in the paint.

Dallas fended off a couple of Denver hot streaks, including a 35-point third quarter, but never allowed their lead to dip below eight points when it was 88-80 with 2:11 to go in third period.

Dallas played its best overall game of the season and scored a season high in points with six players hitting double figures. Harrison Barnes' 22-point, 10-rebound effort led the Mavs, who also got 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting from rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr.

"There was a lot of energy in the air early, you know, with all the servicemen and women courtside and President (George W.) Bush being there," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said, referring to the Mavs' Seats for Soldiers promotion in which injured soldiers sit courtside. "Our guys, I think, really felt an obligation to be their competitive best."

Smith said the soldiers played a role in his team's motivation in getting a fifth win in eight games.

"Coming out at halftime, I met with a couple (of soldiers) and let them know I personally appreciate what they do and their sacrifice," Smith said. "They made sacrifices a lot of people weren't willing to make, so that was a little added motivation for everybody tonight."

Yogi Ferrell contributed 16 points off the Dallas bench, Wesley Matthews added 15 points, and Devin Harris had 14 points. Dwight Powell had 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists off the bench, while Dirk Nowitzki finished with nine points.

"When you can't guard their guards and they live in the paint for scores and they live in the paint for kick-out threes, they got everything tonight," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. "You're not going to beat anybody when you're giving up that kind of productivity in the paint and behind the arc."

Reserve Will Barton led the Nuggets, scoring 13 of his 23 points in the third quarter. Murray finished with 22 points and Gary Harris had 21, but Denver shot just 41.8 percent as a team.

NOTES: Nuggets F Wilson Chandler returned to the starting lineup after missing the previous three games, and four of the past six, with lower back pain. He finished with four points and seven rebounds. ... Denver C Nikola Jokic missed his second consecutive game with a sprained left ankle. He said Monday the injury is getting better but did not have a timetable for his return. ... The Mavs scored a season best for any quarter with 39 points in the first.

Irving's 47 lead Celtics past Mavericks to maintain streak

By DAVE JACKSON
Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) — Double-digit deficits are becoming just a minor annoyance to the Boston Celtics as they continue their winning ways.

Kyrie Irving scored 10 of his season-high 47 points in overtime as the Celtics rallied from 13 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Dallas Mavericks 110-102 on Monday night and extend their winning streak to 16 games.

The winning streak ties the fourth-longest in franchise history, and for the third game in a row, Boston trailed by double digits.

In contrast to recent wins over Golden State and Atlanta, this one required a fourth quarter comeback. For that, the Celtics turned to Irving, who delivered his best performance for his new team after Dallas had taken an 87-74 lead with 7:47 to play.

“For us it’s just about battling back when teams get a comfortable rhythm, whether it’d be in the first half or the second half,” Irving said. “As a group we continue just to stick together throughout anything and everything.”

Irving stole the ball from Dirk Nowitzki and fed Jayson Tatum for an alley-oop lay-up that hung on the rim for a full second before dropping through with 1:01 to play to tie the score at 96.

In the extra period, Irving scored his team’s first six points. Then after Jaylen Brown gave Boston a 104-102 lead with a jumper with 1:39 to play, Irving went to work on Yogi Ferrell, backing him down and drawing contact on a lay-up with 48.5 seconds to play. Though Irving missed the free throw to keep the score 106-102, Dallas never got closer.

“I don’t really see it as a pressure situation,” Irving said of his late-game play. “It’s just like playing basketball, man. It’s just like being in a park 7-7 and game is eight.”

Harrison Barnes scored 31 points and Wesley Matthews had 18 for Dallas, which came back from an early double-digit deficit as the Celtics went cold for much of the second and third quarters. Barnes missed a jumper with less than a second to go in regulation that could have won it for Dallas, which fell to 3-15.

“We just needed to make a couple more plays at key times,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “Probably just one more key play in the last minute or minute and a half. That would have been the difference.”

Brown finished with 22 for Boston. He and Irving combined to go 24-for-35 while the rest of the Celtics went 14-for-49.

The Mavericks fell behind by as many as 15 points in the first half, outscoring the Celtics 55-35 over the second and third quarters.

NO MORAL VICTORIES

Similar to recent home games against Cleveland and San Antonio, the Mavericks fought one of the NBA’s best teams until the end, getting their home crowd into it. But the Mavericks have three close losses to show for those efforts and perhaps are unfairly saddled with the league’s worst record.

“At the end of the day, it’s got to show up in wins and losses,” Barnes said. “There are no moral victories around here. Tonight was playing against a great team, and a great opportunity to win here in front of our home fans. We let it slip away.”

TIP-INS

Celtics: Marcus Smart came into the game shooting just 27 percent from the field, worst among NBA players with at least 10 attempts per game. And he shot 3-for-15 Monday as the Mavericks backed off and dared him to shoot. But Smart’s 3 with 1:24 to play in the game put Boston within 96-94. . Boston shot just 10-for-34 over the two middle quarters after building the early lead. ... The game was a homecoming for Boston rookie Semi Ojeleye, who played college basketball at SMU in Dallas.

Mavericks: Guard J.J. Barea won the NBA Cares Community Assist Award for October for the relief work he did in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in his native Puerto Rico. He was presented with the award at halftime. Barea has provided more than 100,000 pounds of supplies to the island, and he has raised nearly $750,000 in funds through his own efforts and a YouCaring.com fund drive.

UP NEXT

Celtics: At Miami on Wednesday. The Celtics beat the Heat on October 28 for win number four of their streak.

Mavericks: At Memphis on Wednesday for the team’s third meeting of the season. Each team won at home in a back-to-back series in late October.

Aldridge has 32 points, Popovich gets milestone in Spurs win

By DAVE JACKSON
Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) — The hometown kid ensured that San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich would get a milestone victory in Dallas.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored a season-high 32 points in his hometown and the Spurs beat the Mavericks 97-91 on Tuesday night.

Popovich became the fastest NBA coach to 500 road wins. He got there in 835 away games, 41 fewer than Pat Riley. Those two and Don Nelson are the only coaches to win 500 on the road.

Aldridge, a product of Dallas’ Seagoville High School, scored eight points during a decisive stretch of the fourth quarter. He’s averaging nearly 23 points per game this season while San Antonio has been without starters Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker.

“I think I’m definitely more confident and I’m playing my game more this year,” Aldridge said. “I think Pop definitely has tweaked some things where I can be myself more out there and play more confident, and it’s working out for us.”

Aldridge’s coach notices the change in the forward’s second year in San Antonio.

“He’s been our most consistent player,” Popovich said. “His effort level every night has been off the charts. He’s been a leader for us, helping the younger guys and new guys understand the system.”

Patty Mills added a season-high 19 points for the Spurs.

Rookie Dennis Smith Jr. led Dallas with a career-high 27 points, and J.J. Barea and Harrison Barnes had 16 each. The Mavericks are 2-13 for the second straight season and fifth time overall.

Just like in a loss to Cleveland on Saturday, the Mavericks cut a double-digit second-half deficit to one point, but couldn’t gain the lead.

“Every time we made a mental lapse, they got going,” Barnes said. “We know that is what they are going to do here and capitalize every time we made a mistake.”

After Dallas got within 62-61 early in the fourth, Mills hit a long 3 and a driving layup, then Aldridge scored eight of his team’s next 13 points to put the Spurs up 82-71 with 5:03 to play. Dallas never got closer than four points down the stretch.

The Spurs led by 11 during the third quarter, but Barea made back-to-back 3s and fed Salah Mejri an alley-oop pass for a layup as Dallas closed the quarter on a 9-0 run to get within 62-60.

Mills scored 13 points in the first six minutes of the second quarter, including three 3s. Aldridge was hit with a technical foul with 3:33 left in the second quarter for shoving the Mavericks’ Salah Mejri after a scrap under the Mavericks basket.

The Spurs led 44-39 at the break.

TIP-INS

Spurs: Popovich was asked before the game how he handles the rush of letters and emails responding to his political comments: “I do read everything and I try to respond. It takes time because there’s a lot of letters. The only ones I don’t respond to are the ones are so courageous in their negativity that there’s no address, just comments. That’s hard to respond to. But there are people who disagree and say why, and it’s erudite and intelligible and (I say), ‘Yeah, you’ve got a point.’ Those people deserve to be responded to.”

Mavericks: Dallas continues to play without guard Devin Harris, who missed his second straight game with bruised ribs, and Dorian Finney-Smith was also out Tuesday with left quad tendinitis.

UP NEXT

Spurs: Travel to Minnesota for the second half of a back-to-back Wednesday night. The Spurs have won 12 straight against the Wolves, dating to 2014.

Mavericks: Also face the Timberwolves next, at home Friday night. Minnesota won the team’s first meeting on Nov. 4.

Hood scores season high 25, Jazz beat Mavericks 104-89

By KAREEM COPELAND
Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Rodney Hood was determined to find his groove after two fouls in the first quarter earned him an early seat on the bench. He found it in the third quarter when a quick floater jump-started a Utah Jazz comeback.

Hood scored 15 of his season-high 25 points in the third quarter to help the Jazz rally to beat the Dallas Mavericks 104-89 on Monday night.

“Just aggressiveness,” Hood said. “My teammates were telling me to be more aggressive. The early foul trouble kind of threw me out of rhythm. Being more in attack mode.

“I knew I was going to get a chance to make an impact. ... I knew I was going to get into the flow.”

The Mavs hit nine of 14 3-pointers in the first half and the Jazz struggled to defend their drive-and-kick action. But Utah came alive in the second half thanks to Hood and a 25-4 run to start the third quarter.

The Jazz adjusted their defense in the second half and made things much more difficult for one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the league. The Mavericks were just 3 for 10 from behind the arc in the second half.

“That’s what they’re really good at, drive-and-kick to generate 3s as good as anybody in the league,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “The second half we did a good job of not over-helping. You’ve got to be able to guard your yard. When we do that and can defensive rebound, it gives us a chance to play offense in the flow of the game. When you’re taking the ball out of the net, it’s a lot harder.

“We did a better job of staying in front. Just man-on-man and being focused on it. Then Rudy’s rim protection.”

Dallas climbed back within five late in the fourth quarter, but an 11-0 run highlighted by a pull-up Hood 3-pointer from the top of the arc put the game away. Hood had just five first-half points.

“I’m not into moral victories about one good half played in an NBA game,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “You’ve got to bring it for the whole game or you get beat.

“The second half was not just bad, it was unbelievable.”

Ricky Rubio saw his shot begin to fall in the second half and finished with 20 points. Rudy Gobert added 17 points, 12 rebounds, six blocks and six assists.

Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavs with a season-high 18 points and J.J. Barea added 17 off the bench, all in the first half.

“We just got to figure things out,” Mavs guard Devin Harris said. “We got small things that turn into big things. Just have to play harder, smarter.

“We have to trust each other. We’re still trying to find out identity.”

TIP-INS

Mavericks: Rookie Dennis Smith Jr. played 17 minutes despite being listed as questionable with a left knee effusion. He was 1 for 7 for two points. ... Dallas began the night ranked No. 3 in the NBA with 12.9 made 3-pointers per game and No. 5 with a 37.8 percentage from behind the arc. ... The Jazz scored 33 points off 24 Mavs turnovers.

Jazz: Snyder had his birthday on Monday. He turned 51. ... Rubio entered the game as the second Jazz player, joining Deron Williams, to post at least 90 points, 45 assists and 30 rebounds through their first six games with the organization.

CLOSE BUT NO CALL

The Mavs came out as one of four teams to start the week with just one victory. Carlisle, however, likes the way they’ve lost.

“We’ve played seven and I think we’ve had five that have been one possession games,” Carlisle said before the game. “This league is about tight games and thin margins for error. We’ve just got to do a few things better each game to put ourselves in a better position.

“Rebounding has got to be better. Turn it over less. Make a few more shots. Pretty simple stuff, but it’s the NBA, so it’s hard. Teams are defending you. You’re in tough places like this and so, it’s hard work. But you’ve got to get it done.”

UP NEXT

Mavericks: Travel to face Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

Jazz: Host Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.

Smith leads Mavericks past Grizzlies for first win

By SEAN SHAPIRO
Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) — Dennis Smith Jr. took a major step forward in his fourth career game.

The 19-year-old point guard had 19 points and five assists to lead the Dallas Mavericks to their first win of the season, 103-94 over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

“I’ve been waiting for this,” Smith said. “I got tired of losing.”

Smith was at his best in the second half, with 14 points and four assists, as Dallas snapped a four-game losing streak.

“Well, Smith’s pretty clearly a gamer. He is unafraid,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “Tonight was the biggest amount of responsibility that we have put on him.”

Grizzlies guard Mike Conley, who went head-to-head with Smith, was also impressed by the rookie.

“I love his game. I watched a lot of film on him. He plays with a great pace, very patient,” Conley said. “He’s going to be something special in the league and they’ve got a good one. It’s fun to compete against him.”

Memphis had a season-opening three-game win streak come to an end in the opener of a home-and-home back-to-back between the teams.

Marc Gasol had 26 points for Memphis. Conley scored 21 points and Tyreke Evans had 13 off the bench for the Grizzlies.

Wesley Matthews added 16, Harrison Barnes had 15, J.J. Barea scored 14, and Dirk Nowitzki scored 13 points for Dallas.

“I think the ball is moving better,” Barea said. “Everybody is touching it. We are more active on offense.”

The Mavericks went ahead 8-7 with 8:30 remaining in the first quarter on a hook shot by Nerlens Noel and never surrendered the lead. Memphis pulled within three in the fourth quarter before Dallas went on a 9-0 run to regain control.

“We couldn’t get stops, it’s simple,” Gasol said. “When you don’t have enough stops, you won’t be able to get over the hump. ... We didn’t play enough good D and we were not disciplined enough in order for us to win.”

Dallas led by as much as 19 in the first half, but Gasol helped drag his team back into the game in the third quarter. Gasol scored 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting in in the period, cutting the score to 79-72 before the fourth quarter.

Both teams struggled at the free-throw line. The normally reliable Grizzlies made 16 of 24 free throws, and Dallas went 20-for-29.

Devin Harris played his first game since the death of his brother on Oct. 19 and had six points. Before the game, Carlisle said Harris wouldn’t travel to Memphis with the team on Thursday.

TIP-INS

Grizzlies: F Chandler Parsons didn’t play since he isn’t yet medically cleared to play in back-to-back games. Parsons, a former Maverick, is expected to play Thursday. ... Memphis will play 16 back-to-backs this season.

Mavericks: Barea played in his 700th career game. ... Dallas’ 32 points in the first quarter where a season-high. ... Nowitzki played in his 1,399th career game. He can become the seventh player in NBA history to reach 1,400 on Thursday.

NOT SO FREE

Gasol went 3-for-8 from the line. He entered the game having converted on 26 of 27 free-throw attempts, including a 10-for-10 night.

REBOUNDING

The Mavericks have struggled with rebounding this season and had been outrebounded 211-160 in their first four games. The Grizzlies had a 36-35 edge in total rebounds, but Carlisle felt his team won the overall battle because Memphis collected a few rebounds late once the game had been decided.

UP NEXT

Grizzlies: Have a chance to bounce back against the Mavericks on Thursday night.

Mavericks: Will try to win their third straight game in the all-time series against Memphis.

Everything’s cool: Warriors pull away from Mavs, 133-103

By SCHUYLER DIXON
Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) — Stephen Curry swished a floating one-hander and went to the floor after some contact, looking for a call that wasn’t coming.

This time, the Golden State star smiled and ran the other way.

Curry scored 29 points, Kevin Durant added 25 and the Warriors pulled away from the winless Dallas Mavericks in the second half of a 133-103 victory on Monday night.

Klay Thompson had 21 points as the defending champs got back to .500 four games into the season, two nights after losing their cool late in a loss at Memphis.

Curry was at the center of it, getting fined $50,000 for throwing his mouthpiece on a non-call in the final minute against the Grizzlies. There wasn’t much reason to get worked up this time, even after an 18-point lead early in the second quarter was cut to one before halftime.

Golden State never trailed in its seventh straight win in the series.

“I actually kind of liked that we struggled there for a while because we were making the same mistakes, turnovers, not talking on defense and not boxing out,” coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s good that we responded and turned it around in the second half.”

Curry made all five of his shots inside the 3-point line while going 2 of 10 beyond the arc. The most damage was at the line in his third straight game with at least 10 attempts. The two-time MVP was 13 of 13 and has made all 39 free throws this season.

“Been trying to finish at the rim, had people close out real hard on 3-point attempts,” Curry said. “Rest of it’s just being in the right place at the right time and trying to put pressure on the defense, whether it’s with my shooting and spacing ability or driving to the lane.”

Thompson had consecutive 3-pointers to cap a 15-2 run that turned a two-point lead into an 83-68 advantage in the third quarter, sending Dallas to its second straight 0-4 start. The Mavericks lost a franchise-worst five straight to start last season.

Wesley Matthews scored 19 points for the Mavericks. Harrison Barnes had 13 points against his former team, matching J.J. Barea and Yogi Ferrell. Rookie Dennis Smith Jr. had 10 points after missing two games with left knee swelling.

“We can’t put ourselves in the hole,” Smith said. “We bounced back into halftime we almost tied it. That was just effort. We’ve got to come out that way.”

Durant was 9 of 15 from the field and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc as the Warriors shot 56 percent.

The Mavericks trailed 42-24 early in the second quarter before Matthews made all four shots, including a pair of 3-pointers , in a 10-point quarter. Dallas was twice within a point but never had a chance to take the lead.

Curry hit two free throws for a three-point halftime lead, then made one before play started in the second half when the Mavericks were called for delay of game.

TIP-INS

Warriors: Curry became the eighth player to reach 20,000 career minutes for Golden State in the first quarter. ... The Warriors improved to 34-7 after a loss under Kerr. ... Curry and Draymond Green had eight assists apiece. Green scored 10 points with seven rebounds.

Mavericks: Curry’s younger brother, Mavericks G Seth Curry, has missed all four games with a stress reaction in his lower left leg. Coach Rick Carlisle ruled him out this week. ... G Devin Harris missed his third straight game since his older brother, Bruce Harris, was killed in a car wreck in Dallas last week.

TOO MUCH SHOW

With the game out of hand in the final minutes, Golden State rookie Jordan Bell was free on a breakaway and bounced the ball off the backboard before dunking it. Kerr told Carlisle after the game that he said something to Bell about not showing up an opponent. “That was a bit much, but it was just a rookie being a little excited there I guess. That’s on us,” said 39-year-old Dirk Nowitzki, in his 20th season with the Mavericks.

TAMPERING?

In the spirit of Curry’s fine, Kerr recalled the time he was fined as Phoenix’s general manager when LeBron James was a free agent before going to Miami in 2010. He was asked on a radio show if the Suns would sign James. “I laughed and I said, ‘Yeah, if he’ll take the minimum. We don’t have any cap room.’ Ten grand, wrote a check the next day. They didn’t like humor I guess. Tampering. And LeBron was close too. I really think he might have come there for minimum. It just didn’t work out.”

UP NEXT

Warriors: Home against Toronto on Wednesday.

Mavericks: Home against Memphis on Wednesday.

Recap: Smith Jr. leads unbeaten Mavs past Kings

Joel Bartilotta, RotoWire

Dennis Smith Jr.’s  strong shooting performance  led the No. 3-seeded Dallas Mavericks to an 83-76 victory over the No. 19-seeded Sacramento Kings in Las Vegas Summer League second-round playoff action on Thursday evening at Thomas and Mack Center.

The Mavericks (4-0) established the tone early by building a 23-15 first-quarter lead, an advantage that had grown to 41-31 by halftime. The Kings (1-4) were much more proficient offensively in the second half, as evidenced by their 45 points over the third and fourth periods. However, they lost the turnover battle by a 16-11 margin and ultimately fell short despite outperforming Dallas in all three shooting categories and rebounding. The 64-54 edge that the Mavericks entered the fourth quarter with – which grew to as much as 73-60 at the 6:32 mark of the period -- was key, as the Kings couldn’t get any closer than within five points, which came with 21.9 second remaining.

Smith, the Mavericks’ 2017 first-round pick, posted 25 points (7-15 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 7-9 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and three steals. Johnathan Motley posted 15 points, three rebounds and an assist to lead the bench. Carrick Felix, a 2013 second-round pick of the Cavaliers, tallied 11 points, one rebound, one assist, one steal and one block. Brandon Ashley managed nine points, four rebounds, an assist and a block. Dorian Finney-Smith followed with eight points, seven boards, two assists and two steals. Corey Webster was productive in a reserve role as well with eight points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Yogi Ferrell was notably scoreless over 27 minutes, coming up empty on 10 field-goal attempts. He did supply five rebounds, two assists and a steal.

First-round pick Justin Jackson paced the Kings with 25 points, which he supplemented with four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Luis Montero followed with 13 points, nine boards, a steal and a block. Jack Cooley paced the reserves with 10 points while adding three rebounds and a block. Promising second-year big man Georgios Papagiannis contributed a full line of six points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Naz Mitrou-Long registered eight points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. JaKarr Sampson, who boasts 147 games of NBA regular-season experience, mustered eight points, seven boards, one assist, four blocks and one steal in 20 minutes off the bench.

The Mavericks now move on to a Saturday quarterfinal matchup against the No. 6-seeded Boston Celtics.

Heat send McRoberts, pick to Mavs for Hammons

The Miami Heat completed a trade sending forward Josh McRoberts, a 2023 second-round draft pick and cash considerations to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for center AJ Hammons, the teams announced Friday.

McRoberts, 30, averaged 4.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 22 games with Miami last season. He joined the Heat as a free agent on July 14, 2014.

In 10 NBA seasons, McRoberts has career averages of 5.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 431 games between the Heat, Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers Orlando Magic and Charlotte.

Hammons, 24, was selected with the 46th overall pick of the Mavericks in the 2016 draft. He averaged 2.2 points and 1.6 rebounds over 22 games during his rookie season.

NBA notebook: Nowitzki close to two-year deal with Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks are in the process of finalizing a two-year, $10 million deal with Dirk Nowitzki, ESPN reported Thursday.

The Mavericks declined Nowitzki's $25 million team option on his existing contract, but there was never a doubt that the Mavs would re-sign Nowitzki, considered the greatest player in the team's history.

Dallas reportedly plans to re-sign restricted free-agent Nerlens Noel, and the team's moves suggest the Mavericks may not be pursuing any high-salary free agents.

The 39-year-old Nowitzki, who was the NBA MVP in 2007, played in 54 games last season, all as a starter, and averaged 14.2 points, his lowest since his rookie season in 1998-99.

--The Los Angeles Clippers have reached agreement with Serbian guard Milos Teodosic on to a two-year, $12.3 million deal, ESPN.com reported.

The flamboyant 30-year-old Teodosic is considered a creative playmaker. He had to pay an expensive contract buyout with CSKA Russia to move to the NBA this season.

Teodosic was named to the all-EuroLeague first-team three times and was the EuroLeague MVP in 2010. Teodosic averaged 16.3 points and 6.5 assists while shooting 54.2 percent from the field and 38.6 percent on 3-pointers while playing for Moscow last season.

--The Memphis Grizzlies showed their appreciation to Zach Randolph by announcing that the veteran forward/center will be the first player in franchise history to have his No. 50 jersey retired.

The Grizzlies announced the move in an open letter to Randolph, two days removed from the two-time All-Star ending his eight-year tenure with the club by agreeing to a two-year, $24 million deal with the Sacramento Kings.

Randolph ranks first in franchise history in rebounds (5,612) and is second behind Mike Conley in points (9,261). The 35-year-old excelled in a reserve role last season, averaging 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds.

--The Houston Rockets signed free agent forward P.J. Tucker and re-signed center Nene.

In his first season as a Rocket, Nene appeared in 67 games with eight starts, while averaging 9.1 points and 4.2 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game.

Tucker averaged 6.7 points, 5.8 rebounds 1.4 steals in 81 games for the Suns and Raptors last season.

--The Detroit Pistons signed free agent guard Langston Galloway.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the club for Galloway, but ESPN reported the contract was for three years and $21 million.

Galloway averaged 7.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 74 games last season with the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings.

--The Chicago Bulls re-signed forward-center Cristiano Felicio.

The move had been reported several days ago, but the team has now made it official. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but multiple media outlets reported the deal is for four years and worth $32 million.

In his two seasons in Chicago, Felicio averaged 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per game while shooting 57.3 percent from the field. Last season, he averaged 4.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game with a field goal percentage of 57.9.

--The Denver Nuggets signed rookie forward Tyler Lydon to a multi-year contract.

Denver selected Lydon with the 24th overall pick after trading down in the first round of last month's draft. The 21-year-old Lydon joined third-year forward Trey Lyles in the draft-night trade with the Utah Jazz for the rights to the 13th overall pick, which was Donovan Mitchell.

Lydon averaged 11.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 blocks in 71 career games with the Orange.

Mavericks close to deal with Nowitzki

The Dallas Mavericks are in the process of finalizing a two-year, $10 million deal with Dirk Nowitzki, ESPN reported Thursday.

The Mavericks declined Nowitzki's $25 million team option on his existing contract, but there was never a doubt that the Mavs would re-sign Nowitzki, considered the greatest player in the team's history.

Dallas reportedly plans to re-sign restricted free-agent Nerlens Noel, and the team's moves suggest the Mavericks may not be pursuing any high-salary free agents.

The 39-year-old Nowitzki, who was the NBA MVP in 2007, played in 54 games last season, all as a starter, and averaged 14.2 points, his lowest since his rookie season in 1998-99.

Romo basks in honorary day with Mavs before Nuggets' win

By SCHUYLER DIXON
Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) Coach Rick Carlisle draped his arm around Tony Romo as the crowd roared in the final minutes of the Dallas Mavericks' honorary game for the retiring Cowboys quarterback.

Fans desperately wanted to see the career passing leader for the storied Cowboys franchise get in for at least a few seconds in a meaningless 109-91 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night, and he was acting like he might actually play.

It just wasn't going to happen because Romo wasn't on the roster and didn't sign a contract. He showed his football No. 9 with a white "Dallas" across the front of the jersey just once - when he was introduced with the starters before the game.

"Obviously we knew we couldn't check him in," said star Dirk Nowitzki, who helped hatch the plan to honor Romo. "We were faking it and the crowd was loving it. And they wanted to see him out there so bad. We just couldn't pull it off."

Gary Harris scored 20 points in the first game for the Nuggets (39-42) since getting eliminated from the playoffs. Nowitzki led Dallas with 21 points.

With nothing at stake in a lost season that will be the worst for Dallas (32-49) since going 20-62 in 1997-98, the Mavericks followed through with an idea that Nowitzki and owner Mark Cuban discussed weeks ago at a party after the 19-year veteran reached 30,000 career points.

Even then, it was clear Romo wasn't returning to the Cowboys. Ultimately, he decided not to play for another team after losing the starting job he held for 10 years to rookie Dak Prescott following a back injury in the preseason last year.

Romo, who turns 37 this month, had his honorary day with the Mavericks exactly a week after he announced he was leaving football to become the No. 1 NFL analyst at CBS.

After going through the morning shootaround , pregame warmups and the pretend starter introduction, Romo took the floor to address fans at the end of a brief ceremony in which Carlisle and Nowitzki also spoke.

"This is an honor that I could never dream of," said Romo, who rose to fame as an undrafted player out of lower-division Eastern Illinois in 2003. "It's a little embarrassing, but I'll tell you what, I'm a very lucky guy. Thank you, Dallas. I love you."

Wearing a dark blue warmup top, Romo sat next to Cuban, who tried to persuade Commissioner Adam Silver to let Romo play. Instead, Cuban was the one pulling Romo back to his seat with the crowd roaring and chanting his name in the final minutes.

"I told him what I was going to do and said, `Fine me if you don't like it,'" Cuban said of his conversation with Silver. "But once he said the contract wasn't getting approved, then he kind of killed that."

The sidelines were packed with fans taking pictures and videos while Romo went through pregame warmups. He drew the biggest cheer when he hit a jumper over Devin Harris, and he hit a 3-pointer as well. But he couldn't match Harris' swish from midcourt, and shook his head over an airball on a 3-pointer.

"I feel like they're all 7 feet tall," Romo said after participating in the morning shootaround. "And they'll all long and lean. I look like a turtle out there next to these guys."

For Carlisle, the Romo plan was never about the former high school basketball standout in Wisconsin actually playing. He wanted to recognize a frequent front-row fan who always has a seat right behind where Carlisle roams the sidelines.

"There is a circus surrounding this because everybody wants to get a glimpse," Carlisle said. "We understand that. This is how we feel about a special guy who's been a very special competitor in really a very special sports market."

TIP-INS

Nuggets: Coach Michael Malone said four regulars wouldn't play in the final two games: Kenneth Faried (low back pain), Jameer Nelson (right calf strain), and Danilo Gallinari and Will Barton (rest). ... Mason Plumlee and Malik Beasley scored 16 apiece and Juan Hernangomez had 14.

Mavericks: Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews both were sidelined for rest, and Carlisle said Nowitzki wouldn't play the finale. Other regulars are likely to sit as well. ... The roster spot Dallas hoped would go to Romo ended up being DeAndre Liggins on a waiver claim from Cleveland. Carlisle said Liggins would play in the finale. ... J.J. Barea had 13 points and nine assists.

COWBOYS PARTY

At least a dozen of Romo's former teammates attended, including Ezekiel Elliott, the standout rookie running back who never got to play with Romo because of the 14-year veteran's injury. The NFL rushing leader for the NFC East champs was there in Romo's No. 9 football jersey.

Longtime friend and tight end Jason Witten had a seat in the first half behind the Dallas bench near Cowboys coach Jason Garrett and Romo's last offensive coordinator in Dallas, Scott Linehan.

UP NEXT

Nuggets: Finale at Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

Mavericks: Finale at Memphis on Wednesday.

Nowitzki lone star on court, Spurs top Mavs in backup battle

By SCHUYLER DIXON
Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) – Dirk Nowitzki was the lone star from the days of a Texas playoff rivalry to play a meaningless late-season game between teams that helped define the Western Conference postseason for more than a decade.

The big German and his Dallas Mavericks just wish they had the same reason to sit that the San Antonio Spurs do. Instead, the 2011 champs will go without a playoff series victory for the sixth straight season since hoisting the franchise's only trophy.

With Tony Parker never leaving the bench while Manu Ginobili stayed home along with Kawhi Leonard and some of the new star's sidekicks, Bryn Forbes scored a career-high 27 points and the Spurs ran away in the second half for a 102-89 victory after the Mavericks pulled most of their key guys Friday night.

San Antonio has done more than just maintain the longest active postseason streak in pro sports, which is at 20 seasons with the Spurs locked in as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference behind Golden State.

After adding LaMarcus Aldridge two summers ago and Pao Gasol this season in free agency, the Spurs (61-18) have consecutive 60-win seasons for the first time in franchise history. And this is the first year without 15-time All-Star Tim Duncan, who made the playoffs in all 19 of his seasons.

"They've done a great job with continuity there. That's no secret," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "They've done good work in free agency and they have a great young player in Leonard who is probably more important than any of those guys in kind of transitioning the thing forward."

The Mavericks (32-47) will miss the playoffs for just the second time in 15 years with the first losing record in the 17 full seasons that Mark Cuban has owned them. Dallas was eliminated from contention last week.

The Spurs and Mavericks played six times in the playoffs from 2001 to 2014, with the Spurs winning four series. Dallas was a heavy underdog three years ago but still took San Antonio to seven games in the first round.

"It's pretty much about Leonard," Cuban said. "But at the same time, they get credit for drafting him. You can do a lot of things when you put Kawhi out there. He's a superstar."

The Mavericks are where the Spurs were two to three years ago with Duncan in trying to move on from the Nowitzki era.

And this season could end up being a key, with an unexpected midseason roster overhaul that turned up a pair of potential keepers in guards Seth Curry - Stephen Curry's younger brother - and rookie Yogi Ferrell, along with a trade for young, athletic center Nerlens Noel.

"We didn't know Kawhi was going to be Kawhi the way he is now," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "And every team that loses a superstar like Dirk is going to be looking for other people to take over. That's just the way it has to be."

TIP-INS

Spurs: Outscored Dallas 52-28 after halftime after trailing by 16 points in the second quarter. ... Dewayne Dedmon, the only San Antonio starter to play, had 10 points and 13 rebounds. ... Danny Green was the other starter to stay home. ... Latvian rookie Davis Bertans scored 19 points and was 5 of 9 from 3. ... David Lee, who spent part of last season with the Mavericks, had 16 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.

Mavericks: Dwight Powell led Dallas with 12 points, and Ferrell had 11. Nowitzki and fellow starters Harrison Barnes and Noel scored eight points apiece. ... Nowitzki passed Jason Kidd, his point guard on the championship team, and tied Duncan for seventh on the career list with his 1,392nd game.

PLENTY OF TIME

Forbes, a rookie who had 64 points for the season with a game high of eight coming in, went 4 of 9 from 3-point range and also had career highs in minutes (29) and assists (six). "Yeah, I expected to play a little bit more," said Forbes, who has bounced between San Antonio and its NBA Development League team in Austin. "We really only brought eight guys and Coach Pop told me last game he was yelling at me saying `Shoot the ball, shoot the ball.'"

UP NEXT

Spurs: Fourth game in five nights Saturday at home against the Clippers.

Mavericks: At Phoenix on Sunday.

Clippers beat Mavs 112-101 behind 32 by Griffin

By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) Blake Griffin is rounding into form just in time to bolster the Los Angeles Clippers in the playoffs.

He scored 32 points - his third straight game of at least 31 - and the Clippers led all the way in beating the Dallas Mavericks 112-101 on Wednesday night. Los Angeles moved within a half-game of idle Utah for the No. 4 playoff seed in the West.

"We keep forgetting he missed a huge part of the season," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "He's getting ready."

Griffin returned Jan. 23 after missing 20 games while recovering from a procedure on his right knee.

"He's mixing it up and scoring every way," Rivers said. "He's shooting, driving and passing. When he faces up and goes, it is either a bucket or a foul. He feels healthy enough to do that more."

J.J. Redick added 25 points and DeAndre Jordan had 20 rebounds in the Clippers' fourth straight victory and eighth in 10 games. Chris Paul had 22 points and 11 assists.

Harrison Barnes led the Mavs with 15 points despite five fouls. They've lost six of seven with four games left in their season. Dirk Nowitzki was held to nine points - under his 14.4 average - a night after the 38-year-old forward sat out the Mavs' loss at Sacramento with a sore Achilles tendon.

The Clippers made their first nine shots of the game, with Luc Mbah a Moute narrowly missing a finger roll to end the stretch leading 22-6. They shot 61 percent in the first quarter and eventually led by 17.

"We made some jumpers, but we didn't break their rhythm or anything," Nowitzki said. "We just had some bad stretches there where we couldn't score. We had some bad miscommunication with defense, and they made us pay."

Dallas got within seven in the second before the Clippers extended their lead to 18 and went into halftime ahead 62-49.

Yogi Ferrell scored nine of the Mavs' first 18 points to open the third, cutting their deficit to six. The rookie guard played defense, too, stripping Paul of the ball on the baseline for a layup to complete back-to-back baskets.

"They just kept fighting," Rivers said. "They had a lot of reasons to say `game over' and that made us keep playing."

Ferrell finished with 14 points, matching JJ Barea.

The Clippers regrouped and closed on a 17-6 run, including eight by Griffin, for a 90-73 lead going into the fourth. The spurt featured Jordan making two straight free throws, something he hadn't done all game, and Paul hitting a step back jumper in the right corner with the shot clock winding down.

Marreese Speights opened the fourth with a 3-pointer that pushed the Clippers' lead to 20, their largest of the game.

But the Mavs weren't done yet.

Nicolas Brussino rallied them within 10 on a 3-pointer from the left corner as the shot clock expired. Griffin answered with a 3 of his own before Brussino made another 3 and the Mavs were down nine.

"He's just been crazy aggressive, crazy efficient," Paul said of Griffin. "He's just been our beast, that's what we call him and stuff like that, so we are going to keep feeding him."

They got no closer, with the Clippers making all six of their free throws over the final 2 1/2 minutes.

TIP-INS

Mavericks: Nowitzki tied former Mav Jason Kidd for eighth on the NBA's all-time games played list with his 1,391st. ... Rookie Ferrell made his 25th start of the season. He replaced Seth Curry, who missed his third straight game because of a left shoulder strain.

Clippers: Redick is six 3-pointers (194) from tying his career high and single-season franchise record of 200 made. He set the mark in each of the last two seasons. ... Coach Doc Rivers is two wins from passing Mike Dunleavy (215) for most regular-season victories in franchise history. ... They split the season series 2-2.

HE SAID IT

"We could take care of business in the next four and still not have it." - Rivers on possibility of his team moving up to the No. 4 playoff seed.

UP NEXT

Mavericks: Host San Antonio on Friday. The Mavs have lost two of three to the Spurs in the season series.

Clippers: Visit San Antonio on Saturday. The Clippers have won two of three so far.

Mavericks, Kings play out string but stay focused

Stats, LLC

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings won't have much on the line when they tip off Tuesday night at the Golden 1 Center, but the coaches and players for both teams insist that won't be noticeable.

"We're playing to win. I'm never going to not play to win," Dallas guard Wesley Matthews told the Dallas Morning News. "That's what this room is like, too. We love basketball, and that's what we're here to do."

The Mavericks (32-44) arrive for their only game this season in Sacramento's new area fresh off elimination from the playoffs for the first time since the 2012-13 season. They will miss the postseason for only the second time since the end of the 1999-2000 campaign.

Missing the playoffs is nothing new for the Kings (30-47), who will sit out the party for the 11th consecutive season. But they aren't playing with the effort that such a lousy history might suggest.

On Saturday, Sacramento overcame a 16-point deficit to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 123-117.

"Just keep attacking," Kings guard Ty Lawson said after the game. "It's mental."

The Kings are looking to the future. They received a mental boost to that end Monday, when guard Buddy Hield was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month.

Hield was the focal point in Sacramento's trade of All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans at the All-Star break.

"He's been working hard, trying to learn a new place and how to play in the league, and he's improving," Kings coach Dave Joerger told the Sacramento Bee. "He had one of his better games against Minnesota."

Hield, who scored 22 points against the Timberwolves, has averaged 14.1 points and shot 48.3 percent from the field in March. He also canned 42.5 percent of his 3-pointers and made a rookie-best 37 3s, adding this award to the one he captured in December with the Pelicans.

The Kings are 6-14 since the Feb. 19 trade but 3-2 in their past five.

"My role has changed, more of a scoring mentality," Hield told the Sacramento Bee. "(I'm) trying to figure out how to lead this team to wins, and that's the reason why the ownership ... brought me here, to try to get some wins."

The Mavericks already are assured of their first losing season since 1999-2000 and will fail to win 40 games for the first time in a full season going 20-62 in 1997-98. They selected Dirk Nowitzki with their first pick in the draft after the '98 disaster, and would pick ninth in this draft if the season ended, and they aren't seeking to move up.

"We have a lot of pride in this locker room," forward Harrison Barnes told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "We have vets who played in this league a long time -- won championships -- and we have younger guys who are trying to make a name for themselves ... and trying to get established.

"And to kind of throw it in and say, 'Oh, we're just not going to really care,' ... and get blown out every night ... is not the culture that we're trying to build."

Nowitzki is questionable to play against the Kings, as is former Sacramento guard Seth Curry. Nowitzki left Sunday's game against Milwaukee with a sore Achilles tendon. Curry aggravated a left shoulder injury against the Bucks.

Dallas will be playing the fourth game on a season-high five-game road trip, which will end Wednesday at the Los Angeles Clippers.

Davis, Cousins lead Pelicans past Mavericks 121-118

By BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer
NEW ORLEANS (AP) Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins are providing increasing proof that "tall ball" could work for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Davis had 30 points and 13 rebounds, Cousins added 29 points and 16 rebounds in his return from a two-game absence, and New Orleans beat the Dallas Mavericks 121-118 on Wednesday night.

"I know it's a small-ball era," Cousins said, referring to an increasing trend toward smaller lineups that rely on good shooting, speed and ball movement to create scoring chances. "I think we've got a chance to change things - you know, change the way the style of play of basketball is going right now.

"It's just a matter of time."

After losing six of their first seven games with Cousins in the lineup, the Pelicans have won four of the last five in which the 6-foot-11, 270-pound All-Star has played. New Orleans also has won seven of its past 10 games overall.

Returning from a right ankle sprain, Cousins played 40 minutes. His baskets included a 29-foot 3-pointer at the end of the first half and he was 10 of 12 at the free-throw line. Davis' highlights included an offensive rebound and dunk with 1:50 left to help New Orleans hold on. Davis' dynamism was on full display in the third quarter, when he leapt to deflect Wesley Matthews' pass and began breaking up court as Jrue Holiday corralled the loose ball. Holiday quickly flipped a pass ahead to Davis, who dribbled around Yogi Ferrell and finished with a soaring one-handed jam.

Speaking before the game, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle predicted that the longer Davis and Cousins played together, the harder they'd become to stop.

"They're both great players," Carlisle said. "If those two guys stay together long enough, they're going to figure it out and it's going to be murder dealing with them."

Apparently, that's already the case for some Pelicans opponents.

"They are a tough combo," said Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki, who led the Mavs with 23 points. "Once they have a full training camp under them next year, if they stay healthy, they are going to be a load."

Harrison Barnes scored 19 and Seth Curry 18 for the Mavericks, who have lost three straight. Dallas had a final shot to tie the game as time expired, but Matthews' 3-point attempt missed.

LOSING IT

Mavericks guard Devin Harris was ejected early in the second quarter for angrily protesting calls made by official Ben Taylor. Harris had to be restrained by teammates during a tirade in response to his first of two quick technical fouls.

"I've never seen him that upset," said Carlisle, who also was called for a technical foul after Harris' ejection.

Harris appeared bothered by being called for a personal foul after a collision with Pelicans guard Jordan Crawford that sent Harris crashing to the court. Earlier in the quarter, no foul had been called when Harris wound up flat on his back following a collision with New Orleans guard E'Twaun Moore.

"He was getting hit in some picks and took some elbows and he kept getting the fouls," Nowitzki said. "He just reacted - rightfully so."

Shortly after Harris' ejection, New Orleans built its first double-digit lead on consecutive 3s by Dante Cunningham, who finished with 15 points.

The lead got as large as 14 points when Holiday's 3 made it 57-43 late in the second quarter.

Dallas kept chipping away and briefly regained the lead when Ferrell, who had 15 points, hit a mid-range jumper to make it 100-99 with 7:42 left. But Holiday, who had 18 points, answered with a short jumper. And after Nerlens Noel missed an alley-oop dunk, Crawford added a 3 to give the Pelicans a 104-100 lead. Crawford capped his 15-point effort with a clutch 22-foot jumper with 47 seconds left.

TIP-INS

Mavericks: Carlisle announced before the game that he'd decided to rest 7-foot-2 center Salah Mejri because of right knee soreness. ... J.J. Barea had 11 assists for Dallas.

Pelicans: Davis now has at least 30 points and 13 rebounds in four straight games, making him the first NBA player to do so since Shaquille O'Neal in April 2000. ... Davis and Cunningham had an awkward moment when they chased a loose ball out of bounds. Cunningham dove over the scorer's table in a failed effort to get the ball while Davis, close behind also crashed over the table, landing in a prone position on top of Cunningham.

UP NEXT

Mavericks: Visit Memphis on Friday night.

Pelicans: Host Sacramento on Friday night.

Mavericks, Pelicans aim to stay in race

Stats, LLC
NEW ORLEANS -- The Dallas Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans are both long shots to grab the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

But whichever one prevails in their season-series finale Wednesday night at the Smoothie King Center will be in a slightly better position than the other.

The Mavericks enter the game in 10th place, a half-game ahead of the Pelicans, with nine games remaining. Dallas sits 4 1/2 games behind the eighth-place Portland Trail Blazers and 3 1/2 back of the ninth-place Denver Nuggets.

The Pelicans (31-43) will enter the game against the Mavericks (31-42) five games out of eighth place with eight games remaining.

"We've just got to play good basketball and we can't worry about anything else," New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry told the Pelicans' official website. "I'm not going to go in (the locker room) and say, 'Hey guys, time is running out.'"

But time is running out. The Pelicans helped their cause with a 115-90 victory Sunday at Denver, which New Orleans faces two more times, but then they lost 108-100 on Monday at Utah to finish 1-2 on a crucial road trip.

Anthony Davis had 30-plus points and 15-plus rebounds in all three games, but against the Jazz he had only 12 of his 36 points in the second half. Utah committed more defenders to Davis after halftime and slowed him down as the Pelicans played their second consecutive game without center DeMarcus Cousins, who has a sprained ankle. He is questionable for the Wednesday game.

"Obviously, (Davis) is our best player," Pelicans guard Tim Frazier told the Pelicans' official website. Obviously, the focus is to slow him down. ... I don't think that they stopped him or slowed him down, it was just shots that usually fall didn't fall for him."

While New Orleans is returning home, Dallas just left home to begin a crucial five-game road trip. The Mavericks completed a 1-3 homestand when they squandered a 15-point halftime lead in a 92-91 loss to Oklahoma City on Monday.

They know they can't afford any lingering effects from losing a 13-point lead while being outscored 14-0 by the Thunder in the final 3:30.

"We don't have a choice. No one is going to feel bad for us," Dallas swingman Wesley Matthews told the Mavericks' official website. "Maybe we need a little road, us-against-the-world mentality. We came out with the right attitude to start the game out. ... It was our game and they took it. We can't do (anything) about it. We've got to move on."

Dallas is last in the NBA in rebounding and that weakness showed against Oklahoma City.

"The rebounding discrepancy in the second half was the difference of the game," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told the Mavericks' official website. "We were up one rebound at halftime, and we ended up down nine. So that's 10 extra possessions of the ball that they got and they put it in the hole when they needed to."

The Mavericks hope to have guard Seth Curry back Wednesday after he sat out the Monday game to rest a sore left shoulder.

Dallas has won two of three games against New Orleans.

Westbrook, Thunder top Mavs 92-91 with 14-0 finishing run

By SCHUYLER DIXON
Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) Russell Westbrook rescued Oklahoma City with a stunning rally and guaranteed the first losing record for Dallas in 17 full seasons under owner Mark Cuban.

Westbrook hit a pull-up jumper with seven seconds left and the Thunder erased a 13-point deficit in the final four minutes for a 92-91 victory over the Mavericks on Monday night.

The six-time All-Star and current NBA scoring leader, whom Cuban steadfastly claims isn't a superstar, had his third straight triple-double with 37 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Westbrook scored 12 in a 14-0 run by Oklahoma City to finish it, but said he wasn't trying to convince Cuban, who was in the first row of seats just a few feet from the winning shot.

"Nah, man," said Westbrook, who has 37 triple-doubles and needs four in the final nine games to tie Oscar Robertson's NBA record set during the 1961-62 season. "I play every night the same way. Whatever he says doesn't even matter to me. He's going to do his job, and I'm going to do mine."

The Thunder gained possession on a replay reversal with 13 seconds to go and Westbrook hit the decisive shot from just beyond the free throw line over Wesley Matthews.

Dallas was out of timeouts, and Harrison Barnes missed a long 3-pointer before the buzzer. The Mavericks (31-42) last had a losing season in 1999-2000, Dirk Nowitzki's second year. Cuban bought the team in January that season, when Dallas finished 40-42.

"It just happened so fast," said Nerlens Noel, who scored 15 points along with Matthews to lead Dallas. "They were just playing more aggressive than we were late in the game."

The Thunder (42-31) won for the seventh time in nine games since a four-game losing streak that matched a season high. They are a game behind the fifth-place Clippers in the Western Conference and 2 1/2 in front of Memphis for the No. 6 seed.

Mavericks rookie Yogi Ferrell scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, capped by a 3-pointer for a 91-78 lead with 3:31 remaining. Dallas didn't score again.

Westbrook started the stunning run with a breakaway dunk, followed by a 3. After Steven Adams tipped in Westbrook's missed 3, the star guard hit a floater on a three-point play to get the Thunder to 91-88.

The Mavericks had possession with the shot clock off after Westbrook missed a jumper, but Dallas got stuck in the backcourt and called its final timeout. With just three seconds to get the ball past midcourt, an inbounds pass for J.J. Barea was tipped by Westbrook, who immediately signaled Oklahoma City ball even though the initial call went Dallas' way.

There were plenty of celebrating Westbrook fans when he pulled up on a backpedaling Matthews.

"That's about as good a shot as you're going to get," Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan said. "You're trying to take away something at the rim."

TIP-INS

Thunder: Went scoreless for the first 5:25 of the second and finished with 10 points in the period, their lowest total for any quarter this season. ... Victor Oladipo scored 15 points, and Taj Gibson had 13. ... Westbrook scored at least 30 points for the 39th time this season.

Mavericks: G Seth Curry was a late scratch with a left shoulder injury. He had started 34 straight games, and Dallas was 20-14 in those games after a horrid start for an injury-plagued team. ... Dallas went on a 31-9 run over more than a quarter in the first half.

TAKING OVER

The Thunder closed a game with at least a 14-0 run for the second time this season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. They had a 15-0 spurt in a 114-102 win at home against Memphis on Feb. 3. The rest of the NBA has combined for one such game-ending run this season, Elias said.

ZIPPING THE LIP

Rick Carlisle was visibly upset after Westbrook wasn't called for traveling while taking a long step and pulling the ball in after changing his mind on a dribble. The Dallas coach wasn't in the mood to address it after the game. "I didn't look at it so I don't have a real opinion on it," he said. "And if I did, it would cost me a lot of money, so I will pass."

GAME OF DROUGHTS

The Thunder won despite a six-minute scoring drought in the first half. They managed just two points in the last six minutes of the third quarter after nearly wiping out a 15-point halftime deficit in the first six minutes of the period.

UP NEXT

Thunder: At the Orlando Magic on Wednesday to finish a three-game trip in four nights.

Mavericks: At the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday to start season-ending stretch that features seven of nine on the road.

Ibaka, DeRozan lead Raptors past Mavericks, 94-86

By DAVE JACKSON
Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) The Toronto Raptors have been the NBA's comeback kids this season, though they're just as comfortable playing from ahead.

They're also getting comfortable representing the Eastern Conference in the playoffs.

DeMar DeRozan and Serge Ibaka scored 18 points apiece and the Raptors won their fifth straight game, 94-86 over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night.

With its 44th win, Toronto clinched a playoff spot for a franchise-record fourth consecutive year.

"Our goal is to play for a championship," Toronto coach Dwane Casey. "That's our goal in Toronto. Last few years, we've been taking those steps. It's been a little rockier this year just because of injuries, but we still need to continue to take those steps."

The Raptors lead the NBA with 19 comeback wins when trailing by double digits, and they came back from 15-point deficits to win each of their last two games. But Saturday they scored the first seven points and never trailed in dealing the Mavericks' playoff hopes a damaging blow.

"We've been fighting uphill for the last two or three games and that is something we wanted to make sure we fixed when we came out," Casey said.

Harrison Barnes scored 23 points for Dallas, which missed 18 of its first 22 3-pointers and finished just 7 of 28 from behind the arc.

The Mavericks fell four games behind Denver for the final playoff spot in the West. Dallas has made the playoffs in 15 of the past 16 seasons.

"We had some breakdowns and let them get some open shots," Barnes said of the team's early deficit. "But at the same time, they were making everything they were putting up. We kind of got caught between a rock and a hard place."

Toronto led by as many as 16 points in the first half and by 15 early in the fourth quarter before a 10-0 Dallas run made things more interesting.

Dorian Finney-Smith's free throws with 7:57 to go brought the Mavs within 79-74, the closest they had been since 7-2 early in the game. But Ibaka made consecutive jumpers to restore a nine-point lead, and Dallas got no closer than six after that.

TIP-INS

Raptors: Casey said he was hopeful that guard Kyle Lowry would return from wrist surgery before the end of the regular season. "I know he's doing a lot of conditioning, a lot of work to keep his body in shape," Casey said. "Just let him rehab, let him do his thing and trust our medical people." Lowry has missed the last 16 games. ... Toronto was also without starting forward DeMarre Carroll due to a sore lower back. P.J. Tucker started in his place.

Mavericks: Seth Curry with 11 points and Yogi Ferrell with 10 were the only other Mavs in double figures. . Nerlens Noel started his second game in a row at center for the Mavericks, who have gone to a big lineup. They've moved Dirk Nowitzki to power forward, Barnes to small forward and Curry to point guard.

TALKING POINTS

Patrick Patterson scored 14 points with 4-for-4 shooting from 3-point range. His final 3 from in front of the Mavs' bench with 59 seconds to play made it 92-83 and essentially put away the game. Patterson, as he had on a previous 3 from virtually the same spot in the third quarter, turned and said something toward the bench. Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle yelled right back at Patterson, and both were given technical fouls.

"I'm not going to let a guy unnecessarily taunt our bench," Carlisle said. "That's all there is to it. I don't think it's right; I take exception to it."

STREAK IN JEOPARDY

The Mavericks took their 41st loss of the season. Their next loss will end the NBA's second-longest streak of .500 or better seasons - currently at 16 seasons. Their last sub-.500 season was 1999-00, when they finished 40-42 and Mark Cuban became owner of the team in January 2000.

San Antonio has the longest streak of .500 or better seasons with 20, including this season.

ABOUT THURSDAY NIGHT

Cuban couldn't resist giving his opinion on Barea's ejection from the Mavericks' victory over the Clippers on Thursday night. Barea was called for a flagrant 2 foul for pushing Blake Griffin, a player with a 10-inch height advantage.

"I just feel bad for Blake," Cuban said. "It's hard to come back from a knockout like that. We sent flowers to his family, condolences. I can only guess that he's going to be drinking through a straw for a long, long time."

UP NEXT

Raptors: Host Orlando on Monday. The Magic have beaten the Raptors in two of three meetings this season.

Mavericks: Host Oklahoma City on Monday to end a four-game homestand. Dallas plays seven of its final nine on the road.