Mavericks 113, Clippers 107
Dirk Nowitzki had 26 points and 11 rebounds and Jose Calderon added 19 points as visiting Dallas snapped Los Angeles’ four-game winning streak.
Vince Carter added 16 points off the bench for the Mavericks, who moved a half-game ahead of idle Memphis and Phoenix for the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference playoff race. Monta Ellis had 12 points and nine assists and Samuel Dalembert also scored 12 points as Dallas defeated the Clippers for the first time in four meetings this season.
Blake Griffin had 25 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, Darren Collison scored 22 points and DeAndre Jordan had 21 points and 15 rebounds for Los Angeles. Chris Paul contributed 17 points and nine assists for the Clippers, who fell 2 1/2 games behind Oklahoma City for second place in the West.
Nowitzki hit two 3-pointers during a 10-0 burst that gave the Mavericks a 99-89 advantage with 6:35 remaining and Carter’s jumper made it a 12-point margin with 2:52 to go. Los Angeles ripped off the next 10 points to draw within 109-107 before Nowitzki and Shawn Marion each hit two free throws in the final 17.9 seconds to seal it.
Dallas led by as many as 11 points in the second quarter before settling for a 58-56 halftime lead. The Clippers went up by four points midway through the third quarter before the Mavericks closed strong and took an 86-81 lead into the final stanza.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Clippers G J.J. Redick (back) had 12 points in 24 minutes off the bench in his first appearance since Feb. 3, while G Jamal Crawford (Achilles) missed his third straight game and F Danny Granger (hamstring) sat out for the fourth straight game. … The Mavericks were 14-of-29 from 3-point range with Carter and Nowitzki each making four and Calderon knocking down three. … The triple-double is the fourth of Griffin’s career.