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Johnson leads Nets past Mavs in OT

Mar 24, 2014 - 4:51 AM Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Joe Johnson netted 22 points to help Brooklyn to a 107-104 overtime win against Dallas on Sunday.

Marcus Thornton scored 20 and had seven rebounds off the bench for the Nets, who have won four straight. Deron Williams and Paul Pierce added 15 points apiece and Shaun Livingston contributed 12 points and seven boards.

Monta Ellis scored a game-high 32 points and Vince Carter, Shawn Marion and Samuel Dalembert chipped in 12 points apiece for the Mavericks, who have lost two of their last three. Dalembert added 15 rebounds and a season-high seven blocks in defeat.

Dirk Nowitzki opened the extra frame with his first points since the second quarter. Pierce answered with a layup and Johnson followed up with a trey before Nowitzki knocked down two fee throws. The Nets fired back with a 7-0 run to put them ahead 103-95 with 1 1/2 minutes left to play.

Dallas went 3-for-4 from the line before they began to foul with 14.5 left in overtime. Ellis nailed back-to-back treys within the span of six seconds to keep the Mavs within striking distance with 5.9 on the clock. The Nets, however, went 4-for-6 from the line and Ellis came up empty on a last-second game-tying 3-point attempt.

"We were in great position and twice we couldn't get stops. Give them credit. We put ourselves in that position without being able to get stops," said Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle.

Thornton hit back-to-back treys to start the fourth, which sparked a 14-3 run that he capped with another three. The Nets were ahead 79-75 at that point, however, Dallas used a 10-2 run to jump back ahead 85-81 with just over four minutes left in regulation.

The teams went back-and-forth until Pierce slammed it home with a minute remaining to pull the Nets within two, 89-87. Dalembert knocked down a pair from the line before Pierce answered with a pair of his own with 41.9 left in the fourth.

Johnson then took it strong to the rim for an easy layup, which knotted the game at 91-91 with 9.9 on the clock. Ellis came up empty on the other end with a desperation trey as time expired in regulation.

"We love giving the ball to Joe. Joe loves having the ball. Joe has been doing that for us all season. That's why he's an All-Star and one of the best at what he does," said Nets head coach Jason Kidd.

Dallas started the third with a 9-2 burst to push its lead to 14 with 8 1/2 minutes left. The teams traded scores over the next five minutes before a 10-5 Nets' run brought them within 72-65 heading into the fourth.

The Nets led early before Dallas used a 13-0 run to go ahead 20-8 with just over four minutes left in the first quarter. The Mavericks led 29-15 at the end of the first after shooting 50 percent (9-for-18) from the floor.

Thornton netted the first six points of the second frame to pull Brooklyn within 10 but Dallas maintained a lead of at least six until a 6-0 burst brought the Nets within four with 2:44 left in the first half.

Brooklyn trailed 48-41 at the half. The Nets shot 47.4 percent from the field in the second after shooting just 25 percent in the first quarter.

Game Notes

The Nets have won three straight in Dallas for the first time since 1993 ... The win gave Brooklyn its first series sweep since the 1999-2000 season ... Devin Harris chipped in 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists and Nowitzki added 10 points and eight boards for the Mavs.