Jason Kidd's first points of the game
couldn't have come at a better time. Then the Dallas Mavericks turned matters
over to Dirk Nowitzki, dpa reported.
Kidd drained a three-pointer to force overtime and Nowitzki
scored 14 of his 44 points in the extra session Saturday night as the host
Mavericks outlasted the Chicago Bulls, 115-114, for their fifth win in six
games.
It was the 11th career 40-point game for Nowitzki, who made
15 of his last 24 shots following a 1-of-10 start. Dallas needed every one of
the German juggernaut's points, especially after Jason Terry - the Mavericks'
second-leading scorer at better than 20 points per game - suffered a broken
left hand late in the first half.
"I just had to stay aggressive and look for my shot,
especially with Jason out," said Nowitzki, who was two points shy of his
season high on December 13 vs. Oklahoma City.
"Unbelievable performance," marveled Mavericks
coach Rick Carlisle. "He just stayed patient and into the game."
Nowitzki never would have gotten the chance if not for Kidd,
who saved Dallas from a certain defeat with his three-pointer with 13 seconds
left that tied it at 97-97. He had been scoreless to that point.
After Chicago's Tyrus Thomas opened overtime with a jumper,
Nowitzki drained three straight jumpers to give Dallas the lead for good.
"It's unbelievable how Dirk can start off tonight
1-for-10, then light you up for 10 in a row," said Bulls forward Joakim
Noah, one of several defenders who had no success in neutralizing Nowitzki.
"There were just times during the game where you couldn't stop him."
Chicago's Ben Gordon made a leaner, but Kidd struck again,
beating the shot clock with a 22-footer for a 105-101 lead with 2:01 to go.
"I thought what Kidd did out there tonight was beyond
belief," Carlisle said. "His five points were the biggest five points
of the game."
In the final minute, Nowitzki made two more jumpers and four
free throws to hold off a desperate rally by the Bulls, who made three
three-pointers in the final 16 seconds. Nowitzki was 11-of-11 from the line and
added nine rebounds and three blocks.
"That's why he's a superstar," said Bulls coach
Vinny Del Negro, whose team wrapped up a 4-3 road trip. "We tried trapping
him, we switched on him, but we couldn't get to him."
Despite his slow start, Nowitzki had 13 points in the first
half, which ended with Terry's injury and the Bulls holding a 50-48 lead.
An 8-0 run gave Chicago a 95-90 advantage with less than two
minutes to go. Jose Barea of Puerto Rico made a layup to end a Dallas drought of nearly five minutes and Nowitzki sank a pair of foul shots to make it a
one-point game with 57 seconds left.
A floater by Bulls rookie Derrick Rose with 24 seconds to
play set the stage for Kidd.
Barea scored 20 points off the bench, Josh Howard added 13
and Kidd handed out 10 assists for the Mavs, who have won 19 of the last 22
meetings between the clubs.
Gordon scored 28 points, Thomas had 23 points and 12 boards
and Rose 22 with nine assists for the Bulls, who made 10-of-17 three-pointers.
Houston 107, Minnesota 90=
Chinese superstar Yao Ming scored 30 points and the host
Rockets slowed down all of the Timberwolves except Al Jefferson, who had 36
points and a career-high 22 rebounds. Houston beat Minnesota for the sixth
straight time.
Detroit 126, Milwaukee 121 (OT)=
Richard Hamilton scored 38 points off the bench, Allen
Iverson added 27 and the pair combined to score 15 of 17 overtime points for
the visiting Pistons. Bucks guard Ramon Sessions scored a career-high 44 points
and added 12 assists.
Philadelphia 94, Miami 84=
Rookie Marresse Speights scored 15 points to lead seven
players in double figures and powered a fourth-quarter surge for the host
76ers, who moved within one game of the Heat in the East standings. Dwyane Wade
scored 21 points for Miami.
New Jersey 114, Denver 70=
Devin Harris scored 28 points in three quarters as the host
Nets raced to their season-high fourth straight win. The Nuggets had a
four-game winning streak snapped.
LA Clippers 121, Atlanta 97=
Al Thornton scored 31 points and Zach Randolph added 25 as
the Clippers racked up their second road blowout in as many nights. The Hawks
had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Memphis 78, Toronto 70=
Rookie OJ Mayo and Hakim Warrick had 16 points each to give
the Grizzlies their third win in four games and hand the visiting Raptors their
sixth straight loss. Memphis was without leading scorer Rudy Gay and Toronto played without leading scorer Chris Bosh.
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