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Terry, Dallas hand Hornets first loss of season

Nov 16, 2010 - 7:26 AM Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - Jason Terry hit the go-ahead basket with 34.9 seconds remaining, and the Dallas Mavericks survived several three-point tries in the closing seconds to hand the New Orleans Hornets their first loss of the season, 98-95.

Terry finished with 26 points, while Dirk Nowitzki added 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavs, who have won four straight overall and 17 of their last 18 against the Hornets at home.

Chris Paul netted 22 points and dished out nine assists for New Orleans, which had its franchise-record start stopped in its ninth game. Peja Stojakovic and Trevor Ariza netted 17 and 13 points, respectively, but the latter missed a pair of three-pointers down the stretch in the loss.

Dallas was down 76-69 after three quarters but got within 78-75 on back-to- back Terry threes early in the fourth.

Willie Green answered with a deep three and Stojakovic followed with another from long range on the next possession with 8 1/2 minutes remaining.

Kidd hit a pair from behind the arc minutes later to start a 16-3 flurry that he ended with another deep make for a 93-90 lead with 2:41 to play.

After several unsuccessful possessions, Green hit a pullup jumper to get within one, and Terry countered with a field goal before Ariza tied it, 95-95, on a three-ball with 40.8 seconds on the clock.

Terry's turnaround at the other end proved the game-winner, as Ariza missed a pair from the left wing. Nowitzki's 1-for-2 effort at the free throw line kept it a one-possession game with 2.8 ticks to go, but the Hornets, coming out of a timeout, settled for a deep Emeka Okafor three that fell by the wayside.

"In a situation like that we probably need to get [Okafor] out of there and put David [West] in there, but I was trying to use him to screen to get someone open. But, again, that's on me," Hornets head coach Monty Williams said.

The Mavs scored the first eight points of the game and led the entire first frame, which ended with the hosts holding a 27-24 lead.

New Orleans took its first lead on a Stojakovic jumper near the midway point of the second, and the Hornets went into the locker room on top, 52-47.

Eight straight Hornets points over a three-minute span early in the third made it a double-digit game, 62-52, and the visitors led the rest of the period.

Game Notes

Kidd logged 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Mavs...David West ended with 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting for the Hornets, who got 11 points from Green.