Dirk Leads Mavs Past Pistons
DALLAS (AP) -- Dirk Nowitzki had a season-high 42 points with 12 rebounds, carrying the Dallas Mavericks to an 88-84 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.
Jason Terry added 16 points and Caron Butler contributed 11 points and eight rebounds to help the Mavericks to their fifth straight win over the Pistons.
Tayshaun Prince scored a season-high 19 points and Rodney Stuckey also had 19 for the Pistons.
The Mavericks were lethargic for much of the night and trailed by as many as 12 in the third quarter. But they picked up the energy level down the stretch.
Nowitzki scored nine straight, capped by an 18-footer with 5:29 remaining for a 75-70 lead.
Terry hit jumpers on consecutive possessions for an 83-78 advantage with 2:35 left.
Richard Hamilton helped Detroit rally, making two free throws with 1:01 left to trim Dallas' lead to 84-82. Terry missed a long jumper, but Nowitzki pulled down the rebound, then drained four foul shots in the final 18.9 seconds to seal the victory.
Detroit held a 61-56 advantage after three quarters, with Nowitzki's 27 points keeping Dallas close.
The Mavericks, opening a stretch of four games in five nights, came out strong, but they couldn't sustain it.
Dallas rolled to an 11-0 lead in the first 4 1/2 minutes, capped by Nowitzki's 3-pointer. Detroit missed eight of its first nine field goal attempts with two turnovers as Dallas went up by as many as 14.
The Mavs led by seven after the first quarter but the Pistons outscored them 25-14 in the second to take a 42-38 halftime lead. Nowitzki had 17 points at the break, but none of his teammates could chip in with more than four.
The Pistons also will be busy during the holiday season as they entered a stretch of six games in nine nights.
NOTES: Dallas' 14-point second quarter was its lowest of the season for that quarter. ... The Pistons held a 16-5 rebounding edge in the second even with team rebounding leader Ben Wallace spending the quarter on the bench.
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