USA - Mavs hit lucky 13 as Nowitzki leads way in rout

NEW YORK (NBA) - Germany superstar Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks once again have reached lucky number 13.

Nowitzki had 23 points and 14 rebounds as the Mavericks matched a season high with their 13th straight win, a 91-65 rout of the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves.

Dallas (48-9) also won 13 in a row from December 13 to January 5.

Now the Mavs are one win shy of matching their franchise record set to begin the 2002-03 campaign. They will attempt to tie that mark at home on Thursday against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"We've got our eyes on the prize," Dallas coach Avery Johnson said.

"There's only one team that's going to win it this year. We know it is just February and we have seen teams go on great winning streaks before, but at the same time we are not going to turn them back in either."

All-Star Josh Howard battled through a sore ankle to score 17 points for Dallas, who improved to a league-best 21-6 away from home this season.

"We've been winning a lot of games with team effort on both ends of the floor, sharing the ball and making plays," Nowitzki said.

Minnesota, who have dropped four of their last five games, scored a season-worst eight points on three of 22 shooting in the second quarter.

Kevin Garnett collected 15 points and 13 rebounds and Ricky Davis also scored 15 for the Timberwolves, who shot a franchise-low 29% (24 of 81) from the floor.

Canadian star Steve Nash collected 25 points and 11 assists while Amare Stoudemire added 23 and 18 rebounds as the Phoenix Suns rolled to a 103-92 win over the Indiana Pacers.

Shawn Marion scored 22 points for Phoenix, who erased an 18-point third-quarter deficit in the blink of an eye.

Led by Nash, the Suns used their up-tempo offense to put pressure on the Pacers' defense and spark a comeback. The reigning two-time MVP shot 11 of 18 from the field, including two of four on three-pointers.

Trailing, 77-59, with 4:57 left in the third quarter, Phoenix dominated the rest of the contest, going on a 39-13 run capped by Nash's shot from the arc with 4:43 remaining in the final period.

Indiana wasted a stellar performance from Jermaine O’Neal, who collected 28 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and six blocks for Indiana.

Team USA forward LeBron James had 35 points and eight assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 97-89 win over the New Orleans Hornets.

Leading by as many as 15 points in the third quarter and holding a 77-65 advantage entering the final period, the Cavaliers squandered their cushion.

David West's jumper with 4:13 remaining pulled the Hornets into an 83-83 tie. But they were unable to contain the Cavaliers' superstar down the stretch.

James scored eight points in the last three and a half minutes, including a pair of three-pointers with under a minute remaining.

Lithuania’s Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 11 points and nine rebounds for Cleveland.

Another Team USA man, Michael Redd, scored 31 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 122-101 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Mo Williams scored 16 and dished out a career-high 16 assists, while Australia’s Andrew Bogut had 13 points and 14 rebounds.

Jason Kidd scored 24 of his 26 points after half-time as the New Jersey Nets set a team record with 16 three-pointers en route to a 113-101 win over the Washington Wizards.

Kidd managed just two points in the first half but caught fire in the third, making five three-pointers in a span of 3:09.

Kidd made 10 of 17 shots overall, including six of nine from three-point range, and collected nine assists and eight rebounds.

Vince Carter scored 27 points and Slovenia’s Bostjan Nachbar scored 16 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter for the Nets, who have won six of their last nine games overall.

Ian Parker
FIBA