• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Nowitzki, Mavericks rally again, down 76ers

Jan 3, 2009 - 5:50 AM DALLAS (Ticker) -- It was not a franchise record, but a second-half rally Friday helped the Dallas Mavericks continue their winning ways.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 31 points and the Dallas overcame a 12-point, third-quarter deficit to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers, 96-86.

Jason Terry added 21 points off the bench for Dallas, which set a team record with a 29-point comeback Tuesday in a 107-100 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"I thought the second half was a great effort tonight, Nowitzki said.

"I think in the first half, offensively we just weren't getting the job done and we missed a lot of easy shots. What really kept us in the game was our defense. I think we should have been down at halftime way more than four points."

Andre Iguodala led Philadelphia with 22 points while Andre Miller and Louis Williams each added 17.

"As it went along, Dirk was able to get going offensively and it was one of our better defensive efforts in a while," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "You have to be really precise against these guys because they're so quick and they're so good at making plays, two and three positions at a time on the court."

Dallas dug itself into another hole against the 76ers, who used a 10-2 spurt to open the third quarter in taking a 54-42 lead with 9:12 left in the period.

"I guess if you look at the last two or three games it seems like we are playing from behind a lot but we don't want to play like that," Mavs center Erick Dampier said. "We want to come out and be ready from the beginning of the game."

Philadelphia still led by 11 midway through the third, but a 13-2 run tied the game just seconds into the final quarter and Nowitzki took over from there.

"Our defense was good, we were getting to the foul line and our offense was pretty effective," Philadelphia coach Tony DiLeo said. "In the second half, for whatever reason, we only got one free throw, and it's tough to win a game when you get only one free throw in the second half."

Nowitzki scored 16 in the final quarter and Brandon Bass added seven of his nine points in the frame as the Mavericks won for the sixth time in seven games.

The duo went on a quick 8-0 spurt to turn a four-point deficit into a 74-70 lead. The teams were tied four times in the fourth, with a jumper by Terry and a 3-point play by Nowitzki putting the home team ahead for good with 4:45 remaining in the game.

"You look at the stat sheet and they had one good spurt there in the fourth quarter," Iguodala said. "In that fourth quarter, they did a good job of mixing it up. They got to the foul line a lot. They were knocking down jump shots and did a good job on the glass, early on, which kept them in the game."

Dallas outscored the 76ers, 32-20, in the fourth.

Dampier and Josh Howard added 10 points apiece.