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Nowitzki lead Mavericks to comeback win over Bucks

Feb 14, 2007 - 5:28 AM MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki ran one of the game's oldest plays in unique fashion.

Freed on a pick-and-roll, Jason Terry nailed the go-ahead jumper with 35 seconds left and Nowitzki had 38 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists as the Dallas Mavericks erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit en route to a 99-93 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Before leaving with a knee injury in the fourth quarter, Devean George scored all nine of his points in the first three minutes of the final period for the Mavericks, who picked up just their third win in their last 17 trips to the Bradley Center.

"That was a big run. (George) did all of his damage before he banged his knee," Dallas coach Avery Johnson said. "That spark was really good. He got steals, he showed and goed, he got a three. He wasn't having a good first half, but that's what it's all about, guys stepping up at the right time."

With the game tied, 93-93, the 6-2 Terry set a pick for the 7-0 Nowitzki and the star forward found Terry, who nailed a wide-open jumper from the right wing to make it 95-93. The Bucks would not recover.

"Off the screen, we had the little play we ran," Nowitzki said. "There were 30 seconds left to go, but that's what Jason does. He can go 0-of-20 but in the last minute, you give him the ball and he's going to knock it down."

Trailing, 82-71, entering the fourth quarter, Dallas would not go away, outscoring Milwaukee, 28-11, in the final period. George netted the Mavericks' first nine points of the quarter, and Dallas took its first lead of the game on Nowitzki's layup to make it 93-92 with 1:02 left.

"We didn't start the game off really well," Nowitzki said. "They were shooting the ball, defensively we weren't great, and they were killing us inside. We had to pick up the energy in the fourth. We finally got some key stops and pushed the ball."

Bucks coach Terry Stotts thought his squad deserved a better outcome.

"I feel bad for the guys in the locker room because they gave a (heck) of an effort but weren't able to finish it," Stotts said. "It's frustrating when you have a good game going, and you're not able to finish it off."

On the ensuing possession, Charlie Bell missed a potential game-tying jumper.

Nowitzki shot 15-of-28, including 2-of-6 on 3-pointers, for Dallas, which shot 39 percent (37-of-76) to notch its eight straight win.

"Dirk is incredible," Johnson said. "Man, sometimes I get caught watching him, he's so good. He pretty much carried us there for a stretch."

Nowitzki had a feeling he was going to play impressively.

"My shot felt good in warmups, and I still missed a lot of good looks out there, but at least we got the win," Nowitzki said. "It wasn't pretty, and I feel like the last few weeks we haven't played great. We're finding ways to win, getting big stops down the stretch."

Ruben Patterson scored 20 points for Milwaukee, which shot 41 percent (31-of-75).