(The Sports Xchange) — Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki had 32 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals in a vintage performance that blew away Kevin Durant and the Thunder 128-119 in overtime Tuesday night.
Nowitzki, mired in a shooting slump in recent games, scored seven points in overtime, including the vital three-pointer with 57.2 seconds left that put Dallas 123-115 ahead.
Durant finished with 43 points on 15-for-27 shooting, and he added five rebounds and six assists for the Thunder (52-19), who trail the San Antonio Spurs by 2 1/2 games for the NBA’s best record.
The Mavericks (43-29) remain in eighth position in the Western Conference, percentage points behind the Memphis Grizzlies and a half-game ahead of the Phoenix Suns.
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Magic 95, Trail Blazers 85
Reserve forward Tobias Harris had 25 points and 11 rebounds to help the Orlando Magic snap a nine-game losing streak with a comfortable victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Magic center Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and 10 rebounds. Rookie point guard Victor Oladipo contributed 13 points and a game-high six assists.
Robin Lopez had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who lost their third consecutive game.
Portland (45-27) has won only four of their last 13 games, falling four games behind Houston for the fourth seed berth and home-court advantage in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
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Cavaliers 102, Raptors 100
Dion Waiters scored a game-high 24 points and handed out seven assists in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 102-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Since being inserted into the starting lineup five games ago after an injury to Kyrie Irving, Waiters is averaging 23.8 points and 6.4 assists for the Cavaliers (28-44), who earned their second win in a row.
Kyle Lowry posted a double-double with 22 points and 10 assists for the Raptors (39-31), who came into the game the third place in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto’s Greivis Vasquez turned his ankle and lost his footing as the final buzzer sounded, giving up possession and any chance of forcing overtime.
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Lakers 127, Knicks 96
Buoyed by a franchise-best 51-point outburst in the third quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers routed the New York Knicks.
Xavier Henry scored 22 points to lead the Lakers past the Knicks for the sixth consecutive time at home. They also hurt the Knicks’ playoff hopes, as New York (29-42) fell three games behind Atlanta for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.
Henry, who opted to forego season-ending surgery on his left wrist, which has a torn ligament, hit eight-of-11 attempts from the floor. Lakers forward Nick Young added 20 points, while forward Kent Bazemore finished with 18 points.
Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 29 points and nine rebounds.
