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Nowitzki scores 31 to lead Mavericks by Rockets
(AP)
Updated: 2006-03-16 13:50
Dirk Nowitzki had 30 points and 11 rebounds, Jason Terry added 19 points, and
the Dallas Mavericks beat the Houston Rockets 95-81 on Wednesday night.
Rawle Marshall, Marquis Daniels and Jerry Stackhouse added 12 points apiece
as Dallas inched a half-game ahead of idle San Antonio for the best record in
the Western Conference. The Mavs have already clinched a playoff spot and beat
the Rockets for the 12th in 15 meetings.
Yao Ming scored 36 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Houston, continuing his
dominant play since missing 21 games following toe surgery.
Rafer Alston added 18 points for the Rockets, who dropped to 2-16 without
injured leading scorer Tracy McGrady. McGrady is expected to miss up to five
weeks after hurting his back in a fall against Portland on March 5. David Wesley
missed his second straight game with a cracked rib.
The Mavs shot 52 percent (37-of-71) and were clicking from the opening tip,
unlike Tuesday night, when they scored a season-low 34 in the first half against
Cleveland.
Four Mavericks sat out with injuries for the second straight game. Forward
Josh Howard (strained hamstring) and backup guard Devin Harris (strained thigh)
didn't travel to Houston and guard Adrian Griffin (strained right hamstring) and
Keith Van Horn (strained left knee) sat on the bench in suits.
The Mavs rode an early 13-0 spurt to an 18-8 lead and would've blown out the
Rockets immediately if not for Yao, who's averaged 28 points and 13 rebounds
since the All-Star break.
Yao scored 13 of Houston's first 19 points with simple flip hooks and
soft-touch bank shots. But he never got much help — Juwan Howard was the only
other Rocket to score in the opening quarter.
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