National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Dallas 101, Houston 99
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 24, 2012
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Officials: #18 Matt Boland, #25 Tony Brothers, #66 Haywoode Workman
Attendance: 18193

MAVERICKS 101, ROCKETS 99 (OT)
: Dirk Nowitzki scored 31 points and made the winning free throws with 18 seconds left in overtime as visiting Dallas escaped with a victory over Houston.

With the late free throws, Nowitzki surpassed Charles Barkley for 19th on NBA all-time scoring list with 23,759 points.

In overtime, Courtney Lee's 23-footer was first declared a 3-pointer for a 98-97 Rockets lead, but was ruled a two-pointer and the score was tied at 97.

The Mavericks seemingly finally got clear of the Rockets as Terry made a pullup jumper, Brandan Wright blocked Lee's jumper and Nowitzki made two free throws for a 101-97 lead. Dragic got Houston to 101-99 with a reverse layup

The Mavericks turned the ball over with an 8-second violation but Houston's Chase Budinger missed at the buzzer.

Terry had 24 points for Dallas (28-22). Shawn Marion had 12 points and 15 rebounds and Wright had 14 on 7-of-9 shooting.

Dragic had 24 points, eight assists and five rebounds for Houston (26-23). Luis Scola scored 19. Samuel Dalembert had 16 points and seven rebounds.

The Rockets have lost five in a row to the Mavericks and eight of 10.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Lamar Odom was back in the lineup Saturday after not playing because of a coach's decision for the first time in his 13-year career. Odom was the first Dallas reserve to play, coming in for Shawn Marion, who picked up two early fouls. Odom was scoreless in 13 minutes. ... Point guard Kyle Lowry (bacterial infection) and Kevin Martin (shoulder) both sat out for Houston. ... Dallas had one turnover in the first quarter and Houston had zero. ... The teams meet again Tuesday in Dallas.
Top Game Performances
 
Dallas   Houston
Dirk Nowitzki 31 Scoring Goran Dragic 24
Jason Kidd 4 Assists Goran Dragic 8
Shawn Marion 15 Rebounds Marcus Camby 11
Dirk Nowitzki 9 Free Throws Made Goran Dragic 5
Rodrigue Beaubois 1 Steals Courtney Lee 2
Brandan Wright 7 Blocks Samuel Dalembert 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Dallas 101 46.2 6-22 21-24 17 38 15 3 8
Houston 99 38.5 9-25 16-18 20 52 7 5 9
Upcoming Games
  • Houston will play their next game at home against Sacramento. The Rockets have a W/L % of .538 after a win and .522 after a loss.
  • Dallas will play their next game at home against Houston. The Mavericks have a W/L % of .630 after a win and .478 after a loss.