Mavs pound Sonics in playoff tune-up

Apr 19, 2007, 4:55 GMT

Seattle, WA - Dirk Nowitzki scored 20 points and Josh Howard added 15 to lead the Dallas Mavericks over the Seattle SuperSonics, 106-75, in the regular-season finale for both clubs.

Jerry Stackhouse added 13 points and Jason Terry tallied 12 for Dallas, which won five of its final seven games heading into the postseason. The Mavs (67-15) head into the playoffs with home-court advantage throughout.

The team will play the Warriors in the first round. Golden State entered the playoffs thanks to a 120-98 win over Portland on Wednesday night. The Warriors post a threat to Dallas, having won all three regular-season matchups this year, including a 111-82 decision on Monday night. The series begins Sunday at 9:30 p.m. (et).

'We are going to just lock in on them,' said Stackhouse of Golden State. 'They have been one of the hottest teams. It's just a matter of us sticking to our system and we'll be fine.'

Devin Harris had 13 points for the Mavs, who had every player on its roster score in this game.

'This was a pretty exciting regular season,' said Dallas head coach Avery Johnson. 'A lot of people should take pride. Having said that we have plenty to accomplish.'

Rashard Lewis scored 14 points to lead Seattle (31-51), which ended its season with five straight losses.

The Mavericks began to pull away in the first quarter. With the game tied at 9, the club closed the quarter by scoring 24 of the final 31 points and extended the run to 28-7 going into the second quarter to take a 37-16 lead.

Greg Buckner's three-pointer gave Dallas a 33-16 lead after one quarter. Erick Dampier then ended the burst early in the second quarter, staking the Mavs to the 21-point cushion.

A Stackhouse free throw with just over three minutes left in the half gave the Mavs a 26-point lead, 57-31, and Dallas cruised into the break with a 61-37 advantage.

Seattle never threatened over the final two quarters, as Dallas coasted to the final buzzer.

Andre Brown had 12 points, Chris Wilcox recorded 11 and Damien Wilkins added 10 for the Sonics, who have lost 10 straight to the Mavs.

Game Notes

Dallas ended the season 31-10 on the road...Seattle went 20-21 at home...Dallas shot 53 percent from the floor for the game, compared to 42 percent for the Sonics.

© 2007 The Sports Network

Game Notes

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