Mavericks win eighth game on the bounce

Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points on 12-of-18 shooting, Caron Butler added 16 points and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Utah Jazz 93-81 on Friday night to extend their winning streak to eight games.

The Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki, left, attempts to score against Utah Jazz centre Francisco Elson.
Powered by automated translation

SALT LAKE CITY, UNITED STATES // Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points on 12-of-18 shooting, Caron Butler added 16 points and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Utah Jazz 93-81 last night to extend their winning streak to eight games.

Dallas improved to 15-4 and ended a five-game losing streak in Utah.

The Mavericks also snapped Utah's seven-game winning streak, outscoring the Jazz (15-6) by a 13-2 margin to start the fourth quarter.

Jason Kidd added 15 points for Dallas on 6-of-8 shooting.

Paul Millsap led Utah with 21 points, and Al Jefferson had 18 points and eight rebounds.

It was an uncharacteristic off-night for Utah's Deron Williams, who entered the game shooting 62 per cent the previous five games. He made just 4 of 13 shots - going 1 of 3 from 3-point range - and had four turnovers after being honoured earlier in the day as the Western Conference Player of the Month. The Jazz had a tough night at the line, making only 20 of 30 free throws.

They also shot just 38.2 per cent, while Dallas shot 52.6 per cent.