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Mavs build big lead, hold off Celtics

Nov 4, 2014 - 6:02 AM Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Chandler Parsons scored 29 points on 10-of-15 shooting and the Dallas Mavericks fended off the Boston Celtics, 118-113, on Monday.

Dirk Nowitzki netted 27 points with seven rebounds while Monta Ellis added 14 points for the Mavs, who raced out to a big lead but sweated out their third straight victory.

Jeff Green and Avery Bradley fueled the Celtics' comeback, totaling 35 and 32 points, respectively. Bradley had a chance to tie things at the free throw line with 39.5 seconds to go but only made two of his three attempts.

Ellis, after fouling Bradley behind the arc, ended Boston's 9-0 run with a tough runner off the glass to give Dallas a 116-113 lead.

Parsons won a jump ball against Jared Sullinger to give Dallas the ball back, and Ellis made two free throws with 8.5 ticks remaining to seal the outcome.

Boston started slow for the second time in three days and trailed by as many as 31 points in the second quarter. Dallas shot 63.4 percent from the floor and 10-of-14 from the 3-point line in the first half.

The Celtics turned things around after halftime as they opened the third quarter on a 9-0 run and wound up outscoring the Mavs, 38-24, in the frame. Boston made a similar run against the Rockets on Saturday after trailing by 22 in the first half, but Houston pulled away for an easy win.

Dallas had a much tougher time putting the Celtics away.

"They are scrappy and you know that they are going to continue to fight back," Mavs center Tyson Chandler said of the Celtics.

The lead dipped to 91-79 heading to the fourth, and Boston was within three, 107-104, after rookie Marcus Smart made a 3-pointer with 3:37 remaining.

In less than a minute, the Mavs extended the lead back to double digits, with Nowitzki hitting a patented turnaround, Parsons connecting on a corner 3 and Ellis feeding Parsons for a layup in transition.

Boston answered with nine straight points to make things interesting.

The Mavs poured in 40 points in the first quarter with 14 coming from Parsons, who shot 5-for-5 from the field and made both of his 3-point tries.

Nine turnovers by the Celtics led to 19 points the other way, and Dallas' 40-19 cushion only got wider in the second.

Jameer Nelson's 3-pointer with just over four minutes left in the half pushed the margin to 63-32, and it was a 26-point game, 67-41, at the break.

"It's easy to play when you're down 26. It's hard to play when you're up 26," Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said of the difference between the first and second half. "I don't want to make it like it's the comeback of all comebacks...but our guys did make some plays in the second half."

Game Notes

Mavs forward Al-Farouq Aminu exited in the second quarter with a left knee injury ... Dallas has been outscored in the third quarter by an average of 11.8 points over its first four games ... Chandler finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks for the Mavs ... Rajon Rondo dished out a game- high 15 assists for Boston, which committed eight turnovers over the final three quarters ... Boston shot 11-of-31 from the perimeter after going missing 24-of-25 3-point tries against the Rockets ... Dallas is 9-2 in the last 11 meetings.