Dirk Nowitzki plays strong down stretch, leads Mavericks by Celtics

Once again, the Dallas Mavericks leaned on their trusted superstar to lead them to a victory.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Mavs held on and eked out a 118-113 victory Monday night over the Boston Celtics.

The win padded the Mavs’ record to 24-19, while Boston dropped to 22-20.

This was the opener of a three-game homestand for the Mavs, who host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. The win also enabled the Mavs to get the sour taste of Sunday’s 112-83 loss in San Antonio out of their mouths.

The 24-hour turnaround was perfect for the Mavs, although they made Monday’s game much harder than it should have been.

The game entered overtime tied at 98-all, and the Mavs eventually used a pair of back-to-back 3-pointers by Deron Williams and another one by Nowitzki to forge ahead 112-105 with 35.4 seconds remaining. But the Celtics refused to quit and got within 114-111 when Kelly Olynyk fired in a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left.

Nowitzki was 8-of-21 from the field and also collected 11 rebounds for the Mavs. Williams added 20 points, six assists and five rebounds, and Chandler Parsons finished with 16 points and five rebounds.

Also for the Mavs, Wesley Matthews scored 15 points, Raymond Felton had 14 points, and Zaza Pachulia collected 19 rebounds.

Isaiah Thomas (20 points, seven assists) led the Celtics, Avery Bradley scored 19, Olynyk had 17, Sullinger finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Jae Crowder added 12 points and seven boards.

It appeared as though the Mavs were going to win in regulation after Nowitzki fired in a 3-pointer, was fouled by Olynyk and completed the four-point play to give Dallas what it thought was a comfortable 94-89 lead with 1:27 remaining.

However, after a cluster of plays, former Mavs forward Crowder connected on three pressure-packed free throws with 6.7 seconds left after he was fouled by Felton while attempting a 3-point shot.

The Mavs busted out of the gate as if they were still angry from what happened Sunday night in San Antonio. Playing efficient at both ends of the floor, Dallas raced out to a 20-4 lead with 3:34 left in the first period following a 3-pointer by Matthews.

After the Celtics passed the Mavs in the third period, the remainder of the game was nip and tuck.

This story was originally published January 18, 2016 at 11:08 PM with the headline "Dirk Nowitzki plays strong down stretch, leads Mavericks by Celtics."