NEW YORK _ On Friday night in Philadelphia, Spencer Dinwiddie put the Nets' season in perspective when he said, "We've been one play away in maybe 20 games this season. We've got to do better."
One night later, the Nets made all the plays down the stretch and held the Mavericks to 17 fourth-quarter points to record a 114-106 victory Saturday night at Barclays Center.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Nets fashioned a 16-4 run that included five points apiece from Caris LeVert and D'Angelo Russell for a 104-96 lead with 6:00 left to play. Breaking a recent pattern, the Nets found some defense down the stretch as Jarrett Allen blocked one shot and then the Nets forced Mavs turnovers on four straight possessions while pushing their lead to 109-99 with 3:39 to go, and they were able to hold on from there.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson topped six Nets (22-48) in double figures with 23 points, Russell had 22, and DeMarre Carroll had 19 points and 11 rebounds. Dennis Smith Jr. led the Mavs (22-48) with 21 points but limped off the court with an injury late in the third period and did not return. The Mavs also got 18 points from Dwight Powell, 16 from Jalen Jones and 12 points and 12 assists from former Net Yogi Ferrell.
Before the game, Nets coach Kenny Atkinson reminisced about playing in Germany against Nowitzki, who is in his 20th season with the Mavs. "I think he had 30 against us," Atkinson said. "He was like 16 years old playing in the first division in Germany. He played the whole game. I went to the gym the next morning, and he was there working on his game."
Nowitzki turns 40 on June 19 but has said he expects to play next season, and Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said the future Hall of Famer has been as efficient as ever on offense this season. Although the Nets led by as much as 14 points in the first quarter, Nowitzki had 10 points in the opening half, and the Mavs closed the second quarter with a 9-2 burst that included seven points from Jalen Jones to cut their halftime deficit to 59-56.
Midway through the third period, the Mavs put together a 19-4 run, including 10 points from Powell, to grab an 80-70 lead. But the Nets responded with a 13-2 push, including six points from Carroll, to regain an 83-82 lead. The teams traded the lead five more times from there in the third quarter, which ended with the Mavs holding an 89-88 lead.
