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Howard, Mavericks hold off Bulls

Oct 24, 2007 - 3:29 AM By Royce Wall PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

DALLAS (Ticker) -- Josh Howard scored 19 points and Jason Terry added 16 off the bench as the Dallas Mavericks held off the Chicago Bulls with a 96-88 victory on Tuesday night.

Devin Harris had 13 points and reigning MVP Dirk Nowitzki added 10 for the Mavericks, who took the lead for good with 3:21 left in the first quarter on Josh Howard's 13-foot jumper.

Dallas led 30-25 at the end of the first quarter, ending the period with a 10-4 run. Howard had eight of the 10 during the run.

The Mavericks used a 14-4 burst at the beginning of the second quarter to extend their lead to 44-29 at the 5:51 mark. Brandon Bass had eight points and Harris had six during the spurt.

Leading, 57-45, at the halftime, Dallas began the third quarter with a 15-5 run that gave it a 72-50 lead after Jerry Stackhouse's two free throws at 6:07.

The Mavericks led by 25 points - their largest advantage of the game - with 3:17 left in the third when Terry hit a 3-pointer.

Undrafted rookie Thomas Gardner, first-round pick Joakim Noah and Thabo Sefolosha each scored 12 points for the Bulls.