Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - Dirk Nowitzki had 14 points in overtime and finished with 44, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 115-114 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Despite the win, the Mavericks received some bad news, as they lost guard Jason Terry to a broken finger. He fractured the fourth metacarpal on his left hand and didn't return, finishing with eight points in 16 minutes in the contest. He is Dallas' second-leading scorer this season, entering Saturday's game averaging 20.2 points and 3.7 assists.
Jose Barea had 20 points while Josh Howard added 13 points for Dallas, which has won five of six.
Ben Gordon led six Chicago players in double figures with 28 points, as Tyrus Thomas chipped in 23 points and 12 rebounds. Derrick Rose contributed 22 points and nine assists, but the Bulls couldn't keep pace with Nowitzki in overtime as they tumbled to their second loss in three games.
After Thomas began the extra session with a layup, Nowitzki sank three consecutive buckets to give Dallas a 103-99 lead nearly halfway through. Gordon followed with a jumper, but Jason Kidd countered with one of his own, and a Howard jumper put the Mavs ahead by six with 1:20 left.
The Bulls continued to put up points, but Nowitzki always had an answer. After two free throws from Thomas, Nowitzki made a short jumper. He added another after two from the line from Gordon.
Nowitzki then made 4-of-4 free throws in the final 15 seconds, the final two of which gave Dallas a 115-111 lead. They were crucial shots, as Gordon made a three at the buzzer to made it a one-point affair at the game's end.
Sports
In a game that featured 22 ties and 24 lead changes, the Bulls held a 24-20 lead after one quarter and a 50-48 edge at halftime. The Mavs scored seven of the final nine points of the third quarter to lead 77-72 going into the fourth, but the Bulls had a 9-2 run to begin the final stanza.
Andres Nocioni's three-pointer capped the surge to give Chicago an 81-79 edge, and the game was close down the stretch.
Rose sank a jumper to put the Bulls ahead 97-94 with less than 30 seconds remaining, but Kidd drilled a three with 13.1 ticks left to force a tie. Rose got the ball following an inbounds with 5.7 seconds on the clock, but his floater in the lane bounced off the rim and the contest went to overtime.
