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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SEATTLE (AP) -- This late in the season, it's not just about
winning, Dirk Nowitzki said. It's about how you win.
Nowitzki, who had 22 points and 15 rebounds in the Mavericks'
107-99 overtime victory over the Seattle SuperSonics on Sunday
night, was upset that Dallas let the Sonics come back to force the
extra period.
"We almost lost the game, and I think we deserved to lose it,
the way we played in the fourth quarter," he said.
"We didn't play real smart with our lead down the stretch,"
Dallas coach Don Nelson said. "We are very fortunate."
The Mavericks (51-29), who are in the playoffs this season after
an NBA-worst 11-year drought, led by at least nine for most of the
second half. But the Sonics closed to three points with 2.9
seconds left when Gary Payton was fouled by Howard Eisley on a
spinning 3-point attempt.
Payton hit all three free throws for the 94-94 tie, and Nowitzki
missed a 3-pointer at the regulation buzzer to send the game into
overtime.
Nowitzki hit a fastbreak dunk for a six-point lead with 44
seconds left in overtime, and Michael Finley hit two foul shots
with 33 seconds left for the final margin.
Finley finished with 26 points for Dallas. Shawn Bradley added
10 points and 13 rebounds, and Juwan Howard had 11 points and 12
rebounds.
Payton led Seattle with 23 points and 13 assists, Rashard Lewis
had 17 and Emanual Davis and Brent Barry each scored 15.
"We waited a little too late to come alive," the Sonics'
Desmond Mason said. "We were short some guys, but we had plenty of
opportunities to take it."
The Sonics started Mason, a rookie guard, at forward after
injuries knocked out forwards Vin Baker, Ruben Patterson and Jelani
McCoy.
The Mavericks closed to a game of Utah in the race for the
fourth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Jazz lost
107-100 to the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier Sunday.
Bradley said the Mavericks, who have just two games left, should
be playing sharper if they want to make a run in the postseason.
"We can't be passive and jump in the playoffs and say 'OK, now
we're going to play playoff basketball,"' he said.
"We didn't do a good job of closing them out," Nowitzki said.
"We let them hang around the whole game, and I think we should
have been up in the fourth quarter by 20 points."
"We went out and took them lightly in the first quarter," the
Mavericks' Vernon Maxwell said. "We knew we were in a dogfight
from then on."
The Mavericks went on a 9-2 run to open the second quarter and
take an eight-point lead after being down by as many as eight in
the first. Dallas held on for a 49-45 halftime lead.
Nowitzki had 11 points at the half for Dallas, and Finley added
nine. Patrick Ewing and Davis both had 10 for Seattle.
Ewing, logging a season-high 42 minutes, missed his first seven
shots in the second half before connecting on a dunk in overtime.
"That's a lot more than I've been used to here," said Ewing,
whose minutes have averaged in the mid-20s.
"In that second half," he added, "it just felt like somebody
took that rim and put a lid on it."
Game notes
The Mavericks' streak of missing the playoffs dated to the
1989-1990 season, before they clinched a spot April 3. Golden
State now has the longest run without a postseason appearance -- seven years. ... The Sonics' David Wingate was brought off the
injured list for the first time this season, while Jelani McCoy was
put on the list with a sprained left ankle. ... Seattle came into
the game leading the overall series 54-36, but the Mavericks are
3-1 this season. ... Seattle will miss the playoffs for the second
time in three years after a run of eight consecutive years in the
postseason. ... New Mavericks addition Wang Zhizhi, the first NBA
player from China, dressed for the game but did not play. ...
Seattle's Brent Barry came in leading the NBA in 3-point percentage
at 47.3 percent, or 106-for-224. He was 3-for-5 in the game from
3-point range.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Dallas Clubhouse
Seattle Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 89
New York 82
Boston 95
New Jersey 88
Cleveland 106
Washington 98
Orlando 90
Miami 73
Indiana 93
Chicago 86
Minnesota 107
Utah 100
Phoenix 88
Sacramento 86
LA Lakers 105
Portland 100
Charlotte 99
Detroit 90
Dallas 107
Seattle 99
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