Mavericks 105, Wizards 95
Dirk Nowitzki had 19 points and eight rebounds and Monta Ellis added 19 points and seven assists as Dallas defeated visiting Washington for the seventh straight time.
Vince Carter scored 16 points and Samuel Dalembert added 15 as the Mavericks improved to 4-0 at home. Nowitzki raised his career point total to 25,197, moving past Hall of Famer Jerry West and into 16th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Trevor Ariza had 27 points and made five 3-pointers for Washington, which dropped to 1-4 on the road. John Wall had 14 points and 10 assists, Nene scored 14 points and Marcin Gortat contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The Wizards trailed 99-91 with 3:46 remaining before going more than 2 1/2 minutes without a field goal. Ellis hit two free throws to give the Mavericks a 13-point lead with 1:25 to play as Dallas held on.
Dalembert scored 13 points in the first half as Dallas took a 61-49 lead into the break. The Mavericks led by 15 early in the third quarter before Washington pulled within 88-79 entering the final stanza.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Washington had a 28-5 edge in fast-break points. … The Mavericks were 10-of-26 from 3-point range with Carter making four and PG Jose Calderon hitting three. … Wizards G Bradley Beal had just nine points on 2-of-10 shooting after setting career highs for points in each of the previous two games.