Mavericks defeat Spurs, extend win streak to 13

Dirk Nowitzki scored a season-high 36 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to their 13th consecutive victory, 90-85 over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night.

The Spurs lost their third straight. It also was Dallas’ third straight victory in San Antonio, dating to Game 7 of last season’s Western Conference semifinals.

Josh Howard had 18 points and 12 rebounds for Dallas.

San Antonio was led by Manu Ginobili, who scored 25 points. Tim Duncan had 18 points, and Tony Parker contributed 15.

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Phoenix 108, Miami 80 -- Steve Nash scored 22 points, Amare Stoudemire had 20 and the Suns won their fifth consecutive game, defeating the Heat at Phoenix.

The Heat lost its fifth in a row, the last four without All-Star Dwyane Wade, sidelined because of a sprained right wrist.

Heat Coach Pat Riley had three large pieces of cartilage successfully removed from his right knee Friday, but there is no timetable for his return.

Phoenix’s Leandro Barbosa, starting because Raja Bell was suspended for a game for kicking Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani, scored 18 points.

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Houston 100, Utah 86 -- Tracy McGrady scored a season-high 44 points, Dikembe Mutombo grabbed 19 rebounds and the Rockets beat the Jazz at Houston for their fifth consecutive victory.

Mutombo had a double-digit rebound total for the fifth consecutive game. The 40-year-old center has ably filled in for injured Yao Ming. The Rockets are 5-1 without Yao.

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Minnesota 104, Philadelphia 102 -- After missing the potential game-winning shot at the end of regulation, Kevin Garnett made a 15-footer with Samuel Dalembert’s hand in his face as the buzzer sounded in overtime to lift the Timberwolves to a home victory.

Garnett finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds, and Trenton Hassell tied a career high with 22 points for the Timberwolves, who have won six of their last eight.

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New Jersey 91, Chicago 86 -- Vince Carter and Jason Kidd combined to score 10 straight points down the stretch, and the Nets rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the Bulls at East Rutherford, N.J. Carter finished with 21 points, and Kidd had 17 points and 10 rebounds.

The Bulls scored the first 18 points of the game.

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Cleveland 95, Milwaukee 86 -- With LeBron James struggling, Drew Gooden scored 31 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lift the Cavaliers to a come-from-behind victory over the Bucks, whose longest home winning streak in two seasons was stopped at seven.

James, who came in averaging 30.8 points in 12 games against the Bucks, was held to eight points. It was the eighth time in James’ career he failed to score 10 points.

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Orlando 106, Charlotte 74 -- Dwight Howard had 22 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots to lead the host Magic to its third consecutive victory. Howard made a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer, the first time he has connected from beyond the arc in his three-year NBA career. He had been 0 for 4.

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New York 111, Seattle 93 -- Eddy Curry made all nine of his shots and had 27 points, and Stephon Marbury scored 28 as the Knicks ran away from the SuperSonics at Seattle.

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Boston 128, Memphis 119 -- Wally Szczerbiak scored 26 points and Tony Allen had 20 as the visiting Celtics, still playing without injured Paul Pierce, won for only the second time in nine games.

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Toronto 105, Atlanta 92 -- Chris Bosh scored 21 points at Toronto as the Raptors handed the Hawks their eighth consecutive defeat.