Dirk Moves To 7th All-Time

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NEW YORK — The Dallas Mavericks talked about winning a game they had no business winning.

In the final minute of overtime, superstar forward Dirk Nowitzki gave them something else to discuss.

Nowitzki moved into sole possession of seventh place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list by hitting a clinching 3-pointer with 34.8 seconds remaining the extra session, and the Mavericks ran their winning streak to six games with a 96-88 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.

“You couldn’t have had a more fitting situation than Dirk hitting a three to pass Moses Malone for seventh on the all-time scoring list,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “It’s unbelievable.”

Needing 13 points to surpass Malone, Nowitzki finished with 15 points. His final points were a 3-pointer from the left wing that brought his teammates to their feet and gave the Mavericks their final margin and the superstar 27,412 career points.

“It’s been an insane, crazy ride, and in year 17, and Moses was obviously an unbelievable player,” said Nowitzki, who scored two points in his NBA debut Feb. 5, 1999, in Seattle. “It’s been a humbling experience to

pass all these all-time greats. It’s a tribute to obviously my hard work, to all my teammates, great coaches that got me to this point. Obviously, staying healthy is a big part. I’m proud of it, but I’m more proud that we got the win.”

Added Dallas forward Chandler Parsons, who said he didn’t know about the milestone until after the game: “That’s awesome, and he’s going to continue to climb. He still has a lot left in the tank, and I’m glad I could be a small part of it.”

Nowitzki tied Malone with a 17-foot jumper from above the foul line and hit the subsequent free throw with 2.7 seconds left in the third quarter. That forged a 65-65 tie and began a 13-0 run that appeared to put the Mavericks in control with eight minutes remaining.

Instead, Dallas needed to come up with some big plays in the final five minutes. Leading into Nowitzki’s milestone shot, guard Monta Ellis, center Tyson Chandler and Parsons provided the timely plays.

Ellis led the Mavericks with 19 points and had three key plays in the extra session. He began overtime by hitting a 17-footer and then a 20-footer as Dallas opened an 86-82 lead in the first minute. He then drew a key charge on forward Mason Plumlee with 3:13 remaining on a play that potentially could have forged an 86-86 tie.

After Ellis drew the charge, Chandler had a put-back of a miss by guard Rajon Rondo and sank two foul shots for a 90-86 lead with 2:28 remaining. The Nets got within 90-88 on a short jumper by forward Joe Johnson with 2:10 remaining, but Rondo found Parsons wide open for a 3-pointer that made it 93-88 with 1:52 left.

“We had to grind this one out, and it’s fun to see that we’re capable of doing that,” Nowitzki said.

Parsons added, “If you watch the whole game, we had no business winning this game. It’s a sign of a mature team, a team that’s growing and getting better.”

Chandler had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Rondo added 14 assists and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who improved to 11-0 against the Eastern Conference despite shooting 39.4 percent from the floor.

“It was persistence,” Carlisle said. “We weren’t shooting it well, (but) our guys were playing hard.”

Dallas (26-10) also won despite blowing an 11-point lead in the final 7:09 of the fourth. The Nets (16-18) forced overtime by getting two 3-pointers from Johnson but missed a chance for the win when his 21-footer with five-tenths of a second left was short.

Nets center Brook Lopez finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, but he scored 18 in the first quarter when Brooklyn built a 14-point lead. Guard Jarrett Jack added 20 points and 10 assists, while Johnson had 18 points.

Brooklyn shot 39.3 percent from the field and went 3-for-25 (12 percent) from behind the 3-point arc. After shooting 61.5 percent and taking a 35-21 lead in the first quarter, the Nets were outscored 75-53 the rest of the way and shot 29.3 percent over the final 41 minutes.

“We made shots,” Brooklyn coach Lionel Hollins said. “If you make shots and you execute and you don’t turn the ball over, you have the chance to score. We have done it on a number of nights, but lately we just struggle.”

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