Nowitzki, Butler Lift Mavericks Past Bulls
DALLAS (AP) Dirk Nowitzki was in regular-season form with 30 points and 10 rebounds, Caron Butler scored 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Chicago Bulls 88-83 on Thursday night.
Butler's 22-footer with 5:22 left gave Dallas (1-1) the lead for good at 76-75. He scored his team's next seven, capped by a 3-pointer with 3:14 to play that extended the Mavericks' advantage to 83-75.
Derrick Rose scored 17 points for Chicago (0-2). Center Joakim Noah, who agreed to a five-year, $60 million contract extension on Sunday, had 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Nowitzki's 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left in the second quarter gave Dallas a 45-44 edge at the break. The Mavericks carried a 66-63 lead into the final quarter.
Updated October 7, 2010
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