Mavericks make it three straight NBA wins

Jan 18, 2017 - 6:08 AM No Andrew Bogut, no worries for the Dallas Mavericks who made it three straight NBA wins for the first time this season when they defeated the Chicago Bulls 99-98.

Australian centre Bogut has missed the Mavericks' past three matches after being sidelined indefinitely with a hamstring injury.

Wesley Matthews made a go-ahead three-pointer from the wing with 12 seconds left against the Bulls in a dramatic finish for Dallas.

Six players scored in double figures for the Mavericks, including all five starters.

Harrison Barnes had 20 points, Seth Curry added 18 and Dirk Nowitzki finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Dallas trailed 98-96 after Jimmy Butler made a long jumper over Matthews with 23 seconds left, but Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle decided against a timeout and Deron Williams drove into the lane before kicking out to Matthews for the three.

Chicago had one last chance, but Dwyane Wade missed a potential game-winning jumper from the corner on his 35th birthday as time expired.

"We've been struggling, it's been tough for two-and-a-half months, but guys kept hanging in and believing in each other," Carlisle said.

Australia's Patty Mills made a winning return from a minor calf injury which kept him out for one match when he scored 11 points and had four assists and one rebound in San Antonio's 122-114 win over Minnesota.

Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with 34 points, producing his fourth straight 30-point game on his way to becoming the first San Antonio player to score 950 points in the first half of a season since Tim Duncan in 2003.

The Miami Heat overcame another triple-double from James Harden to beat the Houston Rockets 109-103.

Harden had 40 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for the Rockets (32-12), his 13th triple-double of the season.

In New York, DeMar DeRozan had 36 points and 11 rebounds, Cory Joseph scored a career-high 33 as the Toronto Raptors beat the free-falling Brooklyn Nets 119-109.

Toronto won their fourth straight game and extended Brooklyn's losing streak to 11 in a row.

In the late game, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 127-121.

Source: AAP