Mavs edge Bucks; Nowitzki, Howard hurt

Nowitzki hit for 17 points, but twisted his left ankle with 3:42 left in the second quarter and then came back out to play only 1:04 of the third quarter before departing again. Howard also scored 17, but hobbled off the court with 2:31 left after hurting his right ankle.

Jerry Stackhouse added 21 points and also hit a foul shot with 11.9 seconds left for the Mavs, who attained their 60th win (60-11) on the season, tying a franchise-record.

Michael Redd hit for 34 points for the Bucks, but missed a scoop shot in the lane that would have tied the game in the waning seconds. Mo Williams added 17 for Milwaukee, which has lost four in a row overall and 14 of its last 15 on the road.

Williams’ bank shot tied the game at 103 with 1:32 left, and each team failed to capitalize on their ensuing possessions. Stackhouse then missed a three, but the Mavs got the offensive rebound and called timeout with 38.1 seconds left.

Terry then made 1-of-2 at the line, and Ersan Ilyasova threw the ball away on a bounce pass through the lane for the Bucks with 15.5 seconds left.

Stackhouse then made a foul shot before Redd missed his shot. DeSagana Diop missed a pair of free throws with 3.3 seconds left, but Williams’ heave from halfcourt was off the mark at the buzzer.

Devin Harris ended with 13 points for the Mavs, who have won 25 of their last 27 games overall and 25 of 26 at home.

Ruben Patterson scored 16 and Ilyasova 15 for Milwaukee.

The Mavs led 32-28 after one quarter, but the Bucks surged ahead in the second, scoring the final eight of the half for a 62-54 lead.

Milwaukee expanded the margin to 68-60 before the Mavs came back with eight in a row, tying the contest on a Terry three midway through the third. The Bucks led 84-81 going into the fourth despite Terry’s shot from beyond the arc at the buzzer.

Game Notes

Dallas has won eight of the last 12 meetings...Charlie Bell had 11 points for Milwaukee...Redd went 14-of-19 from the floor...Dallas was 11-of-28 from the three-point line...Brian Skinner had 12 rebounds for the Bucks, while Erick Dampier had 10 boards for Dallas...Nowitzki is one point shy of 15,000 for his career.