NBA Game Summary - Dallas at Philadelphia

04.1.2005

Philadelphia, PA (Basketball News) - Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and seven rebounds to lead the Dallas Mavericks past the Philadelphia 76ers, 100-83, at the Wachovia Center.

Keith Van Horn added 15 points for the Mavericks, who recorded their fourth straight victory and won for the eighth time in their last nine contests.

Nowitzki hit all 14 of his free throw attempts to help Dallas move within 5 1/2 games of idle San Antonio in the Southwest Division. The Mavs, though, are comfortably in front of Houston for the fourth spot in the Western Conference playoff race.

Allen Iverson and Marc Jackson each had 22 points for Philadelphia, which dropped its third straight game, but remained a game up on the Orlando Magic for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Orlando fell to Washington on Friday.

Iverson was forced to leave this contest late in the first half with a hip contusion, but returned to the bench before halftime. However, he suffered a right groin strain at some point of the second half, and after picking up his fifth foul late in the third quarter, did not return.

Dallas scored the final four points of the opening quarter and held a five- point edge, 24-19, heading into the second.

Tied at 25, Dallas used an 11-2 run to open a nine-point lead. The Sixers eventually cut the deficit to six, but Dallas quickly went up by double-digits and managed to go up by 16 on Van Horn’s three-pointer just inside of a minute remaining in the half.

Philly scored the final two points of the half, but still trailed 55-41 heading into the locker room.

Nowitzki had 15 points to lead the Mavs in the half, while Iverson’s 14 paced the Sixers.

Dallas continued to pour it on in the third, as it stretched its lead to 25, 78-53, on a pair of Jerry Stackhouse three-pointers with a little over two minutes remaining in the period. The Sixers scored four of the final five points of the stanza and trailed by 22 heading into the final quarter.

There was not much suspense in the final quarter, as Dallas maintained its double-digit advantage the entire way and cruised to the relatively easy 17- point win.

Dallas, which will wrap up a four-game road trip on Sunday in Cleveland, has won six of its last seven on the road and improved to 25-11 away from home this season.

Philadelphia’s Kyle Korver hit 1-of-5 three-point attempts and tied Dana Barros’ single-season franchise mark of 197 set during the 1994-95 campaign...The Sixers played their first game without forward Chris Webber, who is expected to miss the next 7-to-10 days with a left shoulder sprain...Prior to the game Dallas activated Erick Dampier from the injured list and replaced him with center Pavel Podkolzin (torn knee cartilage). Dampier, who had been sidelined since February 23 with a foot injury, scored five points in 17 minutes.

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