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Mavericks handle struggling Pistons

Jan 11, 2012 - 5:18 AM Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - Dirk Nowitzki netted 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting as the Dallas Mavericks took down the Detroit Pistons, 100-86.

Shawn Marion netted 14 points, Vince Carter had 11 points and Delonte West dished out 10 assists for the Mavericks, who have won five of seven since beginning the season with three consecutive losses.

"We've figured out the formula for us to win, now if we can do that consistently on a night in and night out basis, play good solid defense, turn it into offense, move the ball, then we're going to have success," Dallas guard Jason Terry said.

Will Bynum had 20 points to lead Detroit, which has lost five straight and fell to 2-8 on the season.

"We were outplayed tonight," Pistons head coach Lawrence Frank said. "But in this league every night you're going against a quality opponent. The other team wants to win too, and Dallas played, obviously, a whole lot better than we did tonight."

The Mavericks jumped out to a quick 19-4 start midway through the first quarter and never looked back. Brendan Haywood dominated the interior with six points and the Pistons were held without a field goal for 4:22 during the stretch.

Dallas took a 30-20 advantage into the second.

Nowitzki nailed all six of his shots for 12 points in the first half and Dallas led, 52-38, at the break. The Mavericks shot a blistering 63 percent in the opening 24 minutes of play.

The Mavericks continued to pull away in the third. After Greg Monroe made a layup to start the quarter, Dallas went on a 16-0 run to take a 68-40 advantage. Marion had six points during the surge while Nowitzki put in four.

Dallas took a 76-55 lead into the fourth and led by as many as 28 in the final stanza.

Game Notes

Detroit turned the ball over 21 times, leading to 29 Dallas points...Dallas shot 55.1 percent from the field...Brandon Knight was 4-of-4 from beyond the arc and finished with 12 points for Detroit...Nowitzki is 19 points shy of 23,000 for his career.