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Thursday, Apr. 6 9:00pm ET
Dallas 116, Denver 115 | |||||
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GAME FLOW
DENVER (AP) _ Dirk Nowitzki scored 32 points, including a driving layup with 14 seconds left in overtime, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Denver Nuggets 116-115 on Thursday night. Michael Finley and Nowitzki accounted for all of Dallas' points in the extra period, with Finley getting six and Nowitzki four. Finley finished with 23. Reserves George McCloud and Chris Herren scored 23 and 18 points, respectively, for Denver. Antonio McDyess had 18 points and 13 rebounds. Early in a wild fourth quarter, Dallas scored 12 straight points, including eight by Nowitzki, to produce a 94-85 lead with 5:59 left. The Nuggets countered with a 10-0 run _ five points by McCloud and five by James Posey _ for a 95-94 lead. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Hubert Davis and Finley gave Dallas a 106-102 lead with 45 seconds remaining in regulation. But Denver's Keon Clark made a layup and McCloud two free throws for a 106-106 tie. McDyess blocked Erick Strickland's shot in the lane as time expired. McDyess had three straight Denver baskets in overtime, giving the Nuggets a 115-114 lead with 51 seconds left. But Nowitzki drove on Clark, banking in the left-handed shot, and Nick Van Exel missed two shots in the waning seconds. Dallas has won three games in a row, five of its last six and 10 of its last 14. Finley scored 10 points in the first quarter as the Mavericks jumped out to a 35-20 lead. Leading 14-12, the Mavericks went on an 11-0 run that included four points by Strickland and three by Nowitzki. Denver chipped away at the deficit in the second quarter. Herren had eight points, including two 3-pointers, during a 17-6 flurry that got the Nuggets within 44-43. Nowitzki had eight straight Dallas points, padding the margin to 58-53 at intermission even though the Nuggets outshot the Mavericks 57 percent to 49 percent in the half. Dallas took a 79-77 lead into the final quarter. Chris Gatling's tip-in of a missed free throw by Van Exel put Denver ahead 85-82 with nine minutes to go, but Nowitzki promptly hit two 3-pointers to trigger the Mavericks' 12-0 run. Notes: Dallas guard Robert Pack, recuperating from oral surgery on Tuesday, did not play. ... The Mavs also were without Cedric Ceballos, who has a broken finger. ... It was Dallas' 17th road win of the season, its most since winning 17 in 1994-95. The Mavericks have won 13 of their last 20 road games. ... The Nuggets shot 51 percent from the floor, including 48 percent from 3-point range, compared to Dallas' 49 percent and 35 percent.
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Dallas 116
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