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Saturday, Nov. 27 8:00pm ET
Nowitzki pulls Mavs away from Bulls | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
DALLAS (AP) -- The Dallas Mavericks returned to their preferred hectic offensive pace in the third quarter, and went on to deal another loss to the reeling Chicago Bulls. Dirk Nowitzki scored seven of his 17 points during a 17-4 spurt at the start of the third quarter as the Mavericks ended a five-game losing streak with a 95-83 victory Saturday night over the Bulls. Chicago controlled the pace for much of the first half and Dallas clung to a 47-46 lead at the intermission. But the Mavericks opened the third quarter with more energy on the offensive and defensive ends to extend the Bulls' losing streak to seven games. "We knew the way it was going to be," said Mavericks guard Erick Strickland of Chicago's deliberate pace. "We had to bring it to them. We're happy with the win but we felt we should have extended it in the second half better than we did." Michael Finley paced the Mavericks with 24 points, and Shawn Bradley had a season-high 17. Hubert Davis added 12 points and Cedric Ceballos 10 for Dallas. "It's good to win one," said Mavericks coach Don Nelson. "They lulled us into playing slow in the first half. I didn't like the first half, but the third quarter was a good quarter for us." Rookie Elton Brand's 18 points led the Bulls. Dedric Willoughby and Randy Brown added 12 each as Chicago fell to 1-12. Nowitzki hit two baskets early in the decisive third-quarter run, then added a three-point play with 5:49 left in the third quarter for a 62-50 lead. Bradley scored six points during the run. Finley's dunk with 5:27 left in the third quarter pushed the Mavericks' advantage to 64-50. The Mavericks, behind Nowitzki's 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting, outscored the Bulls in the third quarter 22-10. Chicago's record low for any quarter is six. "It was a must win for us," said Bradley, who had five blocked shots. "In the third quarter, I needed to do my job, which is defense and rebounding." Dallas started the night as the league's worst defensive team, but the Mavericks were No. 5 in scoring. Chicago was last in the league in offense, No. 17 on defense. "We know we can score," Strickland said. "But we've got to stop the other team sometimes." Chicago was unable to get any closer than 10 points in the fourth quarter. The Bulls didn't shoot a free throw in the second half. "We struggled with the fact that we couldn't get ourselves to the (foul) line," Bulls coach Tim Floyd said. "The margin of fouls was 27-12 and turnovers was 19-13. Those are things we ought to be able to control and do a better job of." Game notesCeballos (flu) and Steve Nash (ankle) both returned to the Mavericks' rotation after each had missed three games. ... Chicago forward Toni Kukoc was not on the trip because of back spasms. ... Bulls guard Hersey Hawkins played in his 524th consecutive game. ... Bulls rookie Ron Artest had a career-high nine rebounds. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Chicago Clubhouse Dallas Clubhouse RECAPS New York 99 Orlando 96
Dallas 95
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