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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
DALLAS (AP) – All season long, the Dallas Mavericks have had
their Big Three on offense in Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley and
Steve Nash. The addition of Juwan Howard has injected a healthy
dose of rebounding and defense.
|  | | Dirk Nowitzki led the way yet again for the Mavericks as he scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. |
Nowitzki had 34 points and 13 rebounds, Nash scored 28 and
Howard helped bottle up the middle as Dallas beat Phoenix 109-99
Saturday night for its sixth straight victory.
Finley added 20 points, 11 assists and six rebounds as the
Mavericks matched their longest winning streak in six years and
avenged two blowout losses to the Suns earlier this season.
"Steve couldn't miss, Dirk was filling it up, Mike filled it up
and I was cleaning up the dirty work," said Howard, who had 11
points and tied his season-high with 14 rebounds.
By winning for the ninth time in 10 games, Dallas moved back
into a tie with Portland for the fifth spot in the Western
Conference. The teams meet in Dallas on Tuesday night.
Dallas is 9-2 since Howard joined the team. The Mavericks have
averaged 47 rebounds the last eight games, seven more than they had
been, and have given up only 88 points per game during their
winning streak.
"I haven't played with a group like this in a long time,"
Howard said. "We just play together as a team."
Howard's interior presence lessens the load on Nowitzki and
helps Dallas limit players like Clifford Robinson and Shawn Marion,
both of whom hurt the Mavs when the Suns won by 21 in November and
17 in January.
This time, the duo was just 2-of-17 at halftime and Dallas was
up by 13. The Mavericks led by as many as 19 and never trailed.
Phoenix got within six in the final minutes, then got just one foul
shot the rest of the way.
"Nash, Finley and Nowitzki are gym-rat type of guys," said
Suns coach Scott Skiles. "They love to play, they love to
practice, they work on their games and that's the key to the NBA
right now. There are an awful lot of teams that can't bring it on a
consistent basis. I'm not surprised by any success they have."
Skiles said Howard helps make Dallas more well-rounded. The
coach would know, too, having been teammates with the power
forward.
"I thought it was a good move right away," Skiles said. "He's
a multi-dimension player. He knows how to play, so he fits in with
what they do."
Jason Kidd had 32 points, two shy of his season-high, and
narrowly missed a triple-double with nine assists and nine
rebounds. Robinson had 26 points and nine rebounds and Marion had
13 points and 15 rebounds.
The Suns have been stuck in a win-two, lose-two rut the last 12
games. They blew a 12-point lead to Boston on Thursday, then never
led in this game. Phoenix has a half-game lead over Minnesota for
the seventh spot in the West with Houston lurking only a half-game
behind.
"When we stop people, we are at our best. Tonight we didn't do
that," said Kidd, who usually has big games against his former
team. "It seemed like they always made a shot when they had to."
Nowitzki, who had 13 rebounds, made four of five shots in the
second quarter, then drained six of seven in the third period.
Highlights included a crazy turnaround jumper thrown up to beat the
24-second clock and a wide-open 3-pointer also at the buzzer.
"I missed a couple early, but I'm always going to keep
shooting, especially when I'm open," said Nowitzki, who reached 30
for the ninth time this season. "They were chasing at me at the 3,
so I was able to put it on the floor and drive."
Game notes
With the Spurs losing in Houston, the Mavs now have the
league's longest winning streak. The Mavs are winning by an average
of 18 during their streak. ... Dallas has won 12 of 14 at Reunion
Arena. ... Kidd was the Suns' only offense early, scoring 10 of the
first 14 points and 15 of 31. ... Both teams were whistled for
delay of game for slowly coming out of a first-quarter timeout.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Phoenix Clubhouse
Dallas Clubhouse
RECAPS
Detroit 106
Atlanta 90
Charlotte 95
Washington 93
Miami 95
Vancouver 81
New York 101
Chicago 80
Dallas 109
Phoenix 99
Houston 103
San Antonio 99
Milwaukee 87
Philadelphia 78
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Michael Finley drives to the hoop and hits the reverse for two of his 20 points.
avi: 566 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
The Mavericks' Steve Nash beats the clock and hits a three.
avi: 566 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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