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Terry comes through as Mavs extend winning streak to six

Nov 21, 2006 - 2:43 AM CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Greg Buckner and Jason Terry made the plays that the defending Western Conference champions had been lacking early in the season.

Greg Buckner and Jason Terry each had a pair of big baskets down the stretch as the Dallas Mavericks extended their winning streak to six games with a 93-85 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.

Dirk Nowitzki had 24 points and 14 rebounds and Devin Harris scored 17 points for the Mavs, whose winning streak came on the heels of their first 0-4 start in franchise history.

"We're continuing to build as a team," Harris said. "It's not going to be perfect. We've still got a lot of things to work on. It's only 10 game into the season. We'll keep working at it and get there."

"A lot of thing didn't go right," Dallas coach Avery Johnson said. "We were shooting 29 percent in the first half against a team that's been battling teams tough all year. For us to come in here, this is our third game in four nights, man, what a gutsy performance by us tonight."

Buckner's 3-pointer with 4:11 remaining gave the Mavs the lead for good at 81-79. The reserve guard, who is known for his defense, added a runner in the lane to make it 86-83 with 2:10 to go.

"Buck is a savvy veteran. We know what he can do defensively, but tonight offensively he some big shots," Terry said. "He came with a huge steal at the end that really propelled us to victory."

After Emeka Okafor banked home a shot to pull the Bobcats within 86-85, Terry answered with a 3-pointer, then added a steal and layup for a 91-85 advantage with 1:29 left.

"I'm a fourth-quarter guy," Terry said. "Dirk (Nowitzki) always tells me to do what I do. So late in the fourth quarter, my teammates found me and I was able to hit the open shot."

Okafor collected 22 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high eight blocks and Gerald Wallace scored 21 points for the Bobcats, who have lost eight of their first 10 games.

"We played hard and stayed with them," Okafor said. "Dallas didn't make it to the NBA Finals for no reason. They are a great team, but we stuck with them. As a team, we've got to learn how to close these games. It's those small plays at the end where you have to learn. We're there and we're trying, but we've just got to push that boulder over the hump."

"(Okafor) is bailing us out but he has to get help," Bobcats coach Bernie Bickerstaff said. "I think that's where a lot of second-shot opportunities came in the first half, when he goes to block shots. We're kind of watching instead of going to get the loose ball or the rebound. He's changing shots, blocking shots."

It was a rough night for Bobcats rookie Adam Morrison, who scored just seven points on 3-of-14 shooting.

Charlotte played the second half without starting point guard Brevin Knight due to a left calf strain.