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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
DALLAS (AP) – Vernon Maxwell shot 2-for-7 in his Mavericks
debut, but Mad Max still managed to contribute to a Dallas victory.
|  | | New Maverick Vernon Maxwell tries to block a shot by the Rockets' Marty Norris. |
Michael Finley scored 27 points and Dirk Nowitzki had 26 points
and 13 rebounds as the Mavericks beat the Houston Rockets for only
the third time in the last 19 meetings, 100-95 Saturday night.
Maxwell helped out on the defensive end in his 22 minutes,
giving the Mavericks a lift with defensive stopper Greg Buckner on
the bench nursing a nagging ankle sprain.
In the fourth quarter, Dallas' defense limited Houston to
6-for-20 shooting and caused five Rocket turnovers.
"I needed defenders," Mavericks coach Don Nelson said. "I
didn't expect going into this game he would play more than 10
minutes. ... Defensively I needed him in there, and he came
through. He's going to be a real good addition to our club."
Maxwell hadn't played in a game since he was released by
Philadelphia on Dec. 22. Maxwell was so winded in his first
practice with the Mavericks that he was sick to his stomach, but he
said he felt a lot better in his first game action with Dallas.
"At first I was tired, but I got my second wind," said
Maxwell, who added two rebounds, two assists and a steal. "I don't
know where it came from. I need more legs for my jump shot. That
will come. The most important thing is we got some key stops in the
fourth quarter."
Maxwell, who was with the Rockets for back-to-back championships
in 1995-95, had the Reunion Arena crowd roaring when he assisted on
consecutive baskets in the second quarter with crisp passes.
"I get more excited about my passes than anything else," said
Maxwell. "I felt pretty good for my first game back."
Hakeem Olajuwon had a season-high 27 points and 13 rebounds, and
Steve Francis added 21 points and 10 assists for the Rockets, who
had won 10 of 12 games.
Poor outside shooting down the stretch and four missed free
throws in nine fourth quarter attempts proved the Rockets' undoing.
"We beat ourselves in the fourth quarter," said Francis.
"That killed us."
Finley's two free throws with 11.6 seconds left gave Dallas a
98-93 lead, icing Dallas' third straight victory and sixth in eight
games.
Juwan Howard added 19 points and Steve Nash had 17 for Dallas.
The Rockets won the two previous meetings with the Mavericks
this season by a total of 22 points and are still in playoff
contention. The Mavericks are trying to hold on to the sixth spot
in the Western Conference for what would be their first playoff
berth in 10 seasons.
"I feel Houston is going to be a playoff team," said Nelson.
"They're going to beat out somebody and I just hope it isn't us.
That's why this was such a big game."
The Rockets were without guard Cuttino Mobley, missing his
second straight game with a strained right ankle. Mobley is the
Rockets' second-leading scorer at 19.2 points per game.
Maxwell made one of two free throws to give the Mavericks the
lead for good at 90-89 with 2:37 left. Olajuwon missed two foul
shots on the other end, then Nowitzki converted a layup with 2:04
remaining for a 92-89 advantage.
Francis' layup with 1:06 left reduced Dallas' lead to 94-93, but
Finley hit two free throws with 52.9 seconds left to expand the
advantage to 96-93.
Francis dribbled the ball out of bounds with 41.4 seconds
remaining, and he missed a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left that that
would have tied the game.
Finley's two free throws with 11.6 seconds left closed out the
Rockets.
Dallas rallied from a six-point deficit after three quarters,
tying the game at 83 on Nash's layup with 6:03 to play.
Olajuwon's three-point play with 5:23 left gave the Rockets an
86-83 lead, but Nowitzki hit consecutive 3-pointers to put Dallas
in front, 89-86.
The Mavericks took a 48-47 halftime lead behind Howard's 13
points.
Game notes
The Mavericks say there is a possibility that Chinese big
man Wang Zhizhi could join the team before the end of the season.
Zhizhi, a second-round pick of the Mavericks in the 1999 draft,
must be released from his commitment to the Chinese Army before he
would be eligible to play in the United States. "Negotiations (with the
Chinese government) are ongoing," Mavericks spokesman Gregg Elkin
said. "Hopefully he'll be here by the end of the season.". ...
Francis and teammate Moochie Norris both picked up technicals for
taunting. Houston's Maurice Taylor also racked up a technical for
complaining to the officials.
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NBA Scoreboard
Houston Clubhouse
Dallas Clubhouse
RECAPS
LA Lakers 98
Vancouver 88
Dallas 100
Houston 95
Milwaukee 126
Chicago 122
San Antonio 124
Atlanta 95
Phoenix 97
Denver 82
Portland 122
Golden State 91
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Michael Finley goes untouched through the lane for the dunk.
avi: 399 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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