NBA Game Summary - Dallas at Boston

Boston, MA (Basketball News) - Dirk Nowitzki poured in 36 points and Dallas put together a strong fourth quarter to pull away for a 112-100 victory over Boston at the FleetCenter.

Keith Van Horn delivered 21 points off the bench for the Mavericks, who shot a sizzling 65 percent (26-of-40) from the field in the second half to register their third straight win and seventh triumph in eight games. Michael Finley added 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the win.

Dallas guard Jerry Stackhouse, activated from the injured list prior to the contest, contributed 11 points in 17 minutes. He had been sidelined since March 6 which a strained groin.

Paul Pierce scored 21 points for the Celtics, who matched a season-high with their fourth straight loss but still lead the Atlantic Division by three games over second-place Philadelphia.

"We’re not really playing well, and it’s at the wrong time of the year," said Pierce.

Antoine Walker and Ricky Davis each netted 18 points for Boston.

Dallas held a slim 77-74 lead after three quarters and were up just 80-78 following Davis’ jumper less than two minutes into the fourth. Stackhouse then scored on the other end to ignite a 19-4 run which put the game out of reach.

After Van Horn’s three-pointer with 7:20 to go extended the margin to 89-80, Stackhouse threw down a dunk off a steal and Josh Howard followed with a three-point play to stake Dallas to a comfortable 14-point advantage.

"Stackhouse gave us a big lift," said Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson. "He got some steals and I thought he gave us a lot of energy."

The Mavericks took their biggest lead of the night with 4 1/2 minutes to play when Devin Harris made 1-of-2 foul shots to make the score 99-82. The Celtics never got to within nine points thereafter.

"I thought we lost to a better team tonight, especially the way we played," said Boston head coach Doc Rivers. "I thought we played in stretches but I didn’t think we played together as a team for most of the game."

Dallas began the game with a 10-2 run and led 16-4 after Finley’s layup midway through the first quarter. Boston, which hit just 5-of-26 shots in the opening period, then put together a 9-2 burst to close out the frame and cut its deficit to five.

The Celtics then outscored Dallas 10-2 to start the second quarter, with six of those points coming from reserve Marcus Banks, to grab a 23-20 edge. The Mavericks answered with a 12-4 surge capped by Van Horn’s triple at the 5:56 mark which put the visitors up 32-27.

Boston went back ahead by a point heading into the final minute of the half on a jumper by Pierce, but Dallas sank four free throws in the closing seconds to take a 46-43 advantage into the break.

A 9-0 Celtics run put the hosts on top 66-63 with four minutes to go in the third quarter. Pierce hit two foul shots near the five-minute mark to sent Boston in front and Walker’s layup thirty seconds later accounted for the three-point bulge.

However, a three-point play by Van Horn and Nowitzki’s outside jumper with 2:31 left in the period gave Dallas a 68-66 lead, and the Mavs would carry a three-point edge into the final 12 minutes.