Mavericks 91, Nets 79
DALLAS -- After a rough three-game road trip, the Dallas Mavericks returned to the perfect homecoming: the Brooklyn Nets.
The Mavericks jumped out to an 18-point lead in the second quarter and were never really challenged in an easy 91-79 victory over the struggling Nets on Friday at the American Airlines Center.
Brooklyn (12-35) tried to make a game of it with a brief run in the second quarter to get to halftime down 51-39, and then came out hustling in the third quarter to get to as close as seven, 58-51 with 5:04 to go. But that was about all the Nets could muster and quickly dropped back by double-digits and headed into the fourth quarter trailing by 16 points.
For Dallas (27-22), the Nets were the perfect remedy for a lingering hangover after getting blasted by 20 points at Golden State to finish a 1-2 road trip that was dangerously close to 0-3 if not for a Dirk Nowitzki game-winning fall-away jumper with a couple seconds left in regulation.
No such heroics were needed from Nowitzki on Friday, or from former Nets guard Deron Williams, who was facing his old team for the first time since being traded to Dallas last offseason. Williams had a night he will probably just rather forget from a personal standpoint with eight points on 3 of 13 shooting from the floor. Nowitzki finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Forward Chandler Parsons led Dallas with 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Center Zaza Pachulia promptly recorded his 22nd double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds in his return from missing three games with a sore Achilles tendon. Reserve guard J.J. Barea added 13 points.
The Nets shot just 35.9 percent as team and were terrible from beyond the arc, making just 4 of 20. Center Brook Lopez was one of the few positives on the night with 28 points on 10 of 21 shooting and 12 rebounds. Otherwise, it was pretty slim pickings. Guard Donald Sloan reached 13 points late in the fourth quarter, guard Wayne Ellington his 12 points also late in the fourth. Forward had Joe Johnson had 13 points and Thaddeus Young finished with 11 points. Young and Johnson were a combined 7 of 21 from the floor.
The Nets' bench produced two points on 1 of 14 shooting.
Dallas has an excellent chance to close out an 18-game month of January with consecutive wins for only the second time since the first week of the new year, and end the month with a .500 record against struggling Phoenix on Sunday.
NOTES: Mavericks C Zaza Pachulia returned to the starting lineup after missing three games because of a sore right Achilles tendon. ... Owner Mark Cuban tweeted Thursday night his dissatisfaction that F Dirk Nowitkzi was not selected for a 14th All-Star Game appearance. Coach Rick Carlisle said Nowitzki was deserving but cited depth and star power in the Western Conference for his exclusion. ... G Deron Williams faced the Nets for the first time since being traded to the Mavericks during the offseason. He missed the season's first meeting in Brooklyn because of an injury. Williams downplayed the meeting, saying he only wants to win the game. ... Mavericks G Devin Harris missed his third straight game with a great big toe injury. ... Dallas played the 17th of 18 January games ... Nets G Donald Sloan grew up in Dallas and played collegiately at Texas A&M. ... Brooklyn wraps up its road trip on Saturday at New Orleans. ... Nets G/F Bojan Bogdanovic was named to the World Team for the NBA Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star weekend in Toronto.