NBA : Mavericks manhandle Lakers
Josh Howard scored 29 points and Dirk Nowitzki had 27 as the Dallas Mavericks avenged their only loss over the past six weeks with a 114-95 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night in Dallas.
Dallas has won 19 of 20 games, six in a row since a 101-98 loss in Los Angeles on Jan. 7 that ended a 13-game winning streak.
After the Mavericks started 0-4 for the first time in team history, the defending Western Conference champions reached the midpoint of their regular season with the NBA’s best record (33-8).
Jason Terry had a season-high 13 assists, one early in the second quarter coming when he missed underneath, got his own rebound and swiped the ball in one motion to Nowitzki at the top of the key for a 3-pointer.
Heat 104, Pacers 101: At Miami, Dwyane Wade scored 33 points, including a game-saving layup with 4.3 seconds left, as Miami wasted most of a double-digit lead in the final minutes before beating Indiana.
Jason Williams added 20 points and eight assists for the Heat, who led 91-75 with 8:05 left before the Pacers – who had only 10 players in uniform – got within two by going on a 23-9 run.
But Wade hit a pair of free throws with 24.5 seconds left, then drove fullcourt for the winning score.