Mavericks 101, Rockets 91
Dirk Nowitzki led the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Caron Butler added 19 points as the Dallas Mavericks easily dispatched the Houston Rockets 101-91 on Monday.
Shawn Marion finished with 14 points and 10 boards off the bench and Jason Kidd had eight points and 11 assists for the Mavericks, who have won six straight.
Dallas took control in the second quarter, ending the frame on a 12-1 run to take a 52-45 lead into the break. The Mavericks stretched it to 70-53 at one point in the third, as Butler and Nowitzki bookended a 10-0 spurt with four points apiece, as the Mavs held an 83-71 edge heading in to the final 12 minutes.
Nowitzki had four more points during a 12-2 burst that began the fourth quarter and put the game away. No Dallas player was on the floor for more than 29 minutes as coach Rick Carlisle used the easy victory to give his older players some rest.
Kevin Martin scored 17 points for Houston, which shot 36 percent from the floor and was outrebounded 47-39.