Mavs roll past Celtics

Dirk Nowitzki had 20 points and Josh Howard netted 19 with 11 rebounds for the Mavericks, who have won five straight and an incredible 22 of their last 24 games. Devin Harris contributed 18 points and six helpers in the victory.

Dallas finished 56.4 percent shooting in the contest to move to 4-0 on a six- game road trip.

Paul Pierce scored 30 points — 22 in the first half — despite a 5-of-18 shooting performance for the Celtics, who have dropped three in a row. Gerald Green chipped in 19 points, Allan Ray added 13 and Al Jefferson pulled down 11 boards in defeat.

Dallas stormed out of the gate in the first quarter and built a 25-7 advantage with Terry’s layup ending a 7-0 spurt at the 4:01 mark.

The Celtics took a 33-16 lead into the second frame, and led by as many as 21, before Boston went on a 15-0 burst — helped by Pierce’s eight points — to cut it to 45-39 with 4:33 left.

Then, Pierce drained 4-of-4 from the line in the final 36 seconds to close within 56-51 at halftime.

Dallas dominated the second half by going on a 23-8 run in the third quarter for a 79-59 cushion with 5:23 remaining. Nowitzki later hit a layup to put the Mavericks up by 21 in the closing moments.

It was much of the same in the final frame as Dallas led by double digits throughout, while Boston could only get as close as the final score.

The Celtics shot a dismal 36.4 percent from the field.

Game Notes

The Mavericks have won seven straight and 13 of the last 14 meetings with the Celtics...Dallas shot 54 percent from three-point range and Boston converted 50 percent from beyond the arc...Dallas outrebounded Boston, 41-34.