Salt Lake City, UT – Salt Lake City, UT (SportsNetwork.com) - Dirk Nowitzki had 31 points and eight rebounds and the Dallas Mavericks pulled away for a 108-101 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.
Monta Ellis added 16 points and 11 assists and Devin Harris scored 12 off the bench for the Mavericks, who snapped a three-game road losing streak, bouncing back from a 23-point loss to Golden State Tuesday to open a three-game trek.
"We knew this was a big game," Nowitzki said. "After dropping one (Tuesday) and a bad offensive night, we talked about how we had to set a more aggressive offensive tone tonight. And I think that's what we did."
Trey Burke scored 20 points and Enes Kanter had 18 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Jazz, who fell to 1-7 in their last eight games.
The Mavericks made five of their six 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and shot 60 percent overall in the period to pull away. They are 3-0 against the Jazz this season, scoring at least 103 points in each game, and have won four in a row in the series.
The Jazz lost the opener of a three-game homestand Monday against Atlanta and didn't lead in the last 9 1/2 minutes of this one despite it being close for much of the game.
"There were some good things we did," said Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin. "We lost to a team fighting for a playoff spot."
Nowitzki knocked down a 3-pointer during an 11-2 Dallas spurt that turned a three-point deficit into a six-point lead with eight minutes left.
The Jazz got within one but Nowitzki, Ellis and Jose Calderon all made 3s in a 13-4 run that gave the Mavs a 10-point lead inside two minutes, the biggest of the game.
Earlier, Nowitzki scored 10 points in the first quarter but the Jazz shot better than 55 percent and had a 25-23 lead going into the second.
Kanter had 11 points for Utah in the second, including three in a quick 5-0 spurt that tied the game after the Mavericks had taken a 36-31 lead -- the biggest by either team in a tight first half.
Dallas took a 55-53 lead into the break and led by seven twice in the third quarter. Utah responded with a 10-0 run, taking the lead on a Gordon Hayward 3-pointer, but the Mavs moved in front 80-78 heading into the fourth.
Game Notes
The teams will meet again in Salt Lake City on April 8 ... The Mavericks are off until Sunday when they play the Thunder in Oklahoma City ... The Jazz host the Clippers on Friday.
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