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Thursday, Feb. 1 8:00pm ET
Mavs end 16-game skid against Heat

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DALLAS (AP) -- This is how far the Dallas Mavericks have come this season: Not only can they finally beat the Miami Heat, they can do it without point guard Steve Nash and with Dirk Nowitzki having a horrible game.

Michael Finley
With 26 points and 11 rebounds, Michael Finley helped the Mavs end 10 years of futility against Miami.

Michael Finley helped Dallas end a 16-game losing streak to Miami, scoring 26 points and hitting spectacular shots in key situations as the Mavericks recovered from a fourth-quarter collapse to beat the Heat 95-91 in overtime Thursday night.

"This was a big win for our team and for our organization," said Finley, who also had 11 rebounds in his first game since making a second straight All-Star game. "It was an ugly win, but we'll take it."

Wins over a team like Miami are what Dallas needs to build confidence and credibility. The Mavs, who are in a 10-year playoff drought, last beat the Heat in December 1991. The victory ended the longest winning streak of one team over another in any of the four major pro sports.

Miami also had been playing well, winning five straight, all by at least 10 points. The Heat are an especially good measuring stick because their half-court, defense-first style is the opposite of Dallas' wide-open approach.

Both streaks seemed likely to continue considering Nash left after one quarter with an aggravation of his strained left hamstring and Nowitzki, who averages 21.5 points, scored 10 points on 5-of-20 shooting.

Finley took over for both, usually running the offense and hitting lots of clutch jumpers. The Mavericks also were surprisingly effective inside, getting 13 points from Christian Laettner and 10 from Gary Trent.

Dallas' lead peaked at 81-67 with 9:17 to play, but Tim Hardaway led Miami's comeback by scoring the next 13 points, including three 3-pointers.

The Heat could've gone ahead with 11 seconds left, but Eddie Jones only tied it by making one of two free throws. Finley missed a long, off-balanced shot at the end of the fourth quarter.

Finley then opened overtime with a 3-pointer and Nowitzki scored his first basket since the third quarter to put Dallas up 92-87.

"Maybe it was time to get scared, but we didn't," Nowitzki said. "We stepped up and hit big shots."

Miami never recovered, partly because Hardaway was stuck on the bench the final 1:49. Heat coach Pat Riley had taken him out for defensive purposes, then was never able to put him back in.

"It's very frustrating when your go-to guy is not there at the end," said Hardaway, who had 21 points. "It hurts me. I know I can play defense, I know I can rebound and make plays that my team needs."

Said Riley: "It's probably my fault I didn't take the timeout on the last possession."

The game ended with Hardaway's replacement, Anthony Carter, shooting an air ball that fittingly was caught by Finley. Carter made only one of nine shots.

Anthony Mason led Miami with 23 points, but only two came in the last 24 minutes. Brian Grant had nine points and 15 rebounds.

"They played well and hit shots, but we hurt ourselves at the end," Mason said. "We took ourselves out of the game."

Finley hit a 3-pointer late in the first quarter to put Dallas ahead for the first time and regained the lead just before halftime with a left-handed finger roll around three defenders and a jumper over Jones.

Finley hit another last-second jumper to close the third quarter, then opened the fourth with two free throws to cap a 10-0 Dallas run that opened a 74-65 lead. He also had Dallas' last points in regulation, a jumper that made it 87-80.

Nash was playing his fourth game since missing six with the hamstring problem.

"He had a little hot spot in his hamstring and we didn't want to push it," acting coach Donnie Nelson said. "He is too important in the long haul.

Game notes
The Heat had won four straight on the road. ... Miami allowed its most points in 14 games, since a 110-102 victory over Detroit on Dec. 30. ... Dallas is 2-0 in overtime, Miami 3-1. ... The game featured a matchup of the NBA's top two iron men: Miami's A.C. Green, playing his record 1,157th straight game, and Finley. ... Technically, the second- and third-winningest coaches in NBA history also squared off: Miami's Pat Riley and Dallas' Don Nelson. Donnie Nelson is filling in for his father, who is recovering from prostate cancer surgery.


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RECAPS
Minnesota 90
Cleveland 81

Dallas 95
Miami 91

Philadelphia 87
New York 80

LA Clippers 101
Houston 84

Utah 87
Charlotte 76

Portland 100
Phoenix 92

Seattle 97
Chicago 91


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