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Nowitzki and Mavs edge Clippers

Apr 4, 2014 - 6:06 AM Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points with 11 rebounds to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 113-107 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.

With the win, the Mavericks moved into seventh place in the Western Conference, a half-game up on both Memphis and Phoenix with six games remaining.

"A great win," said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle. "Our guys showed a lot of character. We held on. We have to have all of our guys playing well. Great team win."

Jose Calderon netted 19 points, Vince Carter tallied 16 off the bench and Monta Ellis and Samuel Dalembert each added 12 points in the win. Ellis also dished out nine assists.

"This win was important because of the race," said Calderon. "It's about winning and making the playoffs."

Blake Griffin recorded his fourth career triple-double with 25 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in the loss.

Darren Collison contributed 22 points and DeAndre Jordan deposited a 21-point, 15-rebound double-double for the Clippers, while Chris Paul notched 17 points and nine assists.

"I don't think anyone played super on our team," said Clippers coach Doc Rivers. "Give Dallas credit. They did a lot of good things."

LA clinched the Pacific division with a 112-108 win over Phoenix on Wednesday.

Nowitzki hit two 3-pointers as part of a 10-0 run midway through the fourth that gave the Mavs a 99-89 lead.

Carter nailed a step-back jumper minutes later to push the spread to a game- high 12, 109-97, with 2:51 remaining in the fourth.

Collison then scored six points during a 10-0 run that cut the deficit to two. Griffin dished it off to Collison for his 11th assist of the night that helped the Clippers trim it to 109-107 with 1:26 to play.

J.J. Redick missed a 3 following an empty possession from Dallas and Collison missed another 3 on the next LA touch. Nowitzki hit both free throws to make it a four-point edge and Shawn Marion capped the scoring with a pair from the line to seal it for the playoff-hopeful Mavericks.

Earlier, Dallas led 32-26 after 12 minutes of action and brought a 58-56 lead into the halftime break. The Mavs stretched the margin to 86-81 entering the final period.

Game Notes

Griffin's 11 assists were tied for the most in his career ... Redick returned to the lineup after missing 25 games with a bulging disc in his back ... LA guard Jamal Crawford missed his fourth straight game with a sore left Achilles tendon ... Dallas made 14-of-29 shots from beyond the arc, while the Clippers made just 6-of-27 attempts from deep ... The Mavs owned a 46-41 edge on the boards ... There were seven ties and seven lead changes ... The Clippers could have swept the season series from Dallas for the first time since 1993-94.