Auburn Hills, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Dirk Nowitzki scored nine of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to help the Dallas Mavericks hold off the lowly Detroit Pistons, 117-106, on Wednesday.
Chandler Parsons added 32 points, seven rebounds and two steals for the Mavericks, who have won six straight against Detroit. Monta Ellis tallied 25 points and eight assists.
"I'm just in a good rhythm right now," said Parsons. "Teammates are doing a great job finding me, I'm playing with confidence, and you knew it was going to happen. It was just going to be a matter of time."
Andre Drummond ended with 19 points, 24 rebounds, four steals and three blocks for the Pistons, who have lost two straight. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 14 points and Brandon Jennings and Jonas Jerebko each contributed 13 points.
"I just really base my game on playing hard, period, both on the offensive end and the defensive end," said Drummond. "Tonight was a good night for me, but we didn't win the game."
Dallas led 53-51 following a first half that featured five lead changes and eight ties.
Ahead 69-68 late in the third quarter, the Mavericks went on a 14-2 run. Parsons tallied eight points during the surge, including a 3-pointer with 57.9 seconds left to make it 83-70.
Caron Butler's 3-pointer stopped the bleeding and got Detroit within 10 heading to the fourth.
The Pistons used a late surge to get within 105-100 with 2:31 to play thanks to a triple from Caldwell-Pope, but Parsons and Nowitzki made consecutive 3- pointers to put the game away in the next minute of action.
Game Notes
The Mavs have won four in a row in Detroit ... Nowitzki also pulled down 10 rebounds ... The Pistons have lost 11 straight at home ... Tyson Chandler had 16 points and nine rebounds for Dallas, which went 27-of-35 from the foul line ... Detroit went 13-of-33 from beyond the arc.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.