Nowitzki's late spree helps Mavericks sink Clippers

By Paul Levine Feb 14, 2012, 6:47 GMT

Los Angeles - Caron Butler received his ring but couldn't close out the emotionally charged night in storybook-like fashion.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 11 of his 22 points in the final six minutes while Shawn Marion added 16 as the Dallas Mavericks held off the visiting LA Clippers for their fourth straight win, 96-92 on Monday.

Butler was a member of last season's Mavericks championship team but did not play in the post-season after suffering a serious knee injury.

He was greeted to a standing ovation from the fans at American Airlines Center upon being presented with his NBA Championship ring by Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle and owner Mark Cuban during a pre-game ceremony at centre court.

'It was more emotional than I thought it would be,' Butler said. 'I almost cried. I had to put my head down a couple of times to try to gather myself.'

Butler scored a season-high 23 points, Blake Griffin added 20 while Chris Paul finished with 16 and nine assists for the Clippers, who finished a 4-2 road trip with their 10th straight loss at Dallas since April 19, 2006.

The Clippers led 83-79 from two free throws by Paul with just over seven minutes remaining before turning cold. The Mavericks went on a 7-0 run for an 86-83 lead from a three-pointer and two free throws by Nowitzki and Marion's layup.

After missing five straight free throws, Griffin made one, pulling the Clippers within 86-84. Jason Terry made a layup and Nowitzki added two free throws, pushing the Mavs' lead to 90-84.

The Clippers pulled to within one on Griffin's three-point play and Kenyon Martin's layup. Nowitzki, however, answered with a 20-foot jumper from the right wing and Marion made two free throws following a steal, opening up a 94-89 advantage with 21.2 seconds left.

Paul's three-pointer with 17.8 seconds left, pulled the Clippers within 94-92. He then deflected Jason Kidd's long inbound pass to Griffin, who spotted Butler on the right wing. With a shot to cap off a perfect night, Butler bounced what would have been the go-ahead three-pointer off the rim with four seconds remaining.

Delonte West made two free throws with 2.9 seconds left to seal the victory.

'It felt real good,' Butler said of his final shot. 'I had my feet under me. It just fell short. It would have been a great ending.'

Elsewhere: Miami Heat 114, Milwaukee Bucks 96: LeBron James scored 16 of his 35 points in the third quarter while Dwyane Wade had 22 and the visiting Heat (22-7) beat the Bucks to match the best start in franchise history after 29 games. Argentine Carlos Delfino netted 24 points for Milwaukee, which had taken the first two meetings in the series.

New Orleans Hornets 86, Utah Jazz 80: Chris Kaman collected a season-high 27 points with 13 rebounds, and the Hornets ended an eight-game slide with just their third win in the last 26 games after silencing the visiting Jazz. Al Jefferson had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Utah, which dropped to 3-8 on the road.

Orlando Magic 102, Minnesota Timberwolves 89: Jason Richardson led six players in double figures with 17 points and the Magic overcame 11 points and seven rebounds by foul-plagued Dwight Howard to defeat the visiting T-Wolves for the seventh straight time. Kevin Love had 19 points with 15 rebounds for Minnesota, which dropped its fourth in a row.

Philadelphia 76ers 98, Charlotte Bobcats 89: Lou Williams came off the bench to score 23 points, including as key three in the final minute, Thaddeus Young added 20 and the visiting Sixers sent the reeling Bobcats to their 15th straight loss. Corey Maggette scored a season-high 22 points for league-worst Charlotte (3-25), who are mired in the longest losing streak in franchise history.

Golden State Warriors 102, Phoenix Suns 96: David Lee had 28 points with 12 rebounds, Monta Ellis scored 18 and the Warriors won a season-high three in a row by breaking a seven-game slide against the visiting Suns.