With his team struggling offensively, Dirk Nowitzki turned in another magical performance as he scored 20 of his season-high 40 points in the third quarter to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 110-107 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night at American Airlines Center.
Nowitzki finished the game 10 of 20 from the field, 5 of 9 from 3-point range and 15 of 16 from the free throw line in racking up his first 40-point game since he scored 40 at Utah on April 16, 2012.
The game, however, wasn’t decided until Monta Ellis stripped the ball from Austin Rivers at the buzzer before Rivers could get off a game-tying 3-pointer.