Caron Butler scored 13 of his 19 points during a decisive third-quarter run, Dirk Nowitzki had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and the Dallas Mavericks stretched their winning streak to six games with a 101-91 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday night.Shawn Marion added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and J.J Barea scored 11 for Dallas.Kevin Martin's 17 points and Luis Scola's 15 paced the Rockets, who've lost six of eight.Dallas used a 17-6 third-quarter spurt capped by 11 straight from Butler to expand a seven-point halftime edge to 77-59.The Mavs carried an 83-71 lead into the final quarter, and were up by as many as 22 down the stretch.Barea accounted for nine of Dallas' final 19 points in the second quarter. The Mavericks finished the half with a 10-1 run for a 52-45 lead at the break.Oklahoma City 95, New Orleans 89: Russell Westbrook scored 12 of his 25 points during a decisive 14-0 run late in the fourth quarter and also had 11 assists as the Thunder rallied to beat the Hornets.Westbrook scored six in a row to tie the game, then kept going with a driving layup and a three-pointer that put the Thunder up 88-81 with 1:38 to play.
After the three-pointer, he mocked slamming guns down into holsters at his side.Kevin Durant hit four free throws down the stretch to seal the game and finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds.Miami 105, Washington 94: LeBron James and Erik Spoelstra had a pregame meeting to talk about Miami's offensive woes. Early returns suggest it was a productive chat.James scored 30 points, Dwyane Wade added 26 and the Heat kept the Wizards winless away from home. James had 20 of his points in the first half, Wade added 15 in the third quarter. The Heat topped 100 points for the first time in their past seven games, and led by as many as 22 on the way to just their second win in their past six games.Meanwhile, James downplayed his bump with Spoelstra the other night."Incidental contact," he said. "I didn't realize. I don't think coach realized it, either, until they brought it to our attention. Really nothing, honestly."Utah 109, Milwaukee 88: Al Jefferson had 22 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots to ignite the Jazz. Deron Williams also scored 22 points for Utah (14-5), which has won six straight.The Bucks, without big men Andrew Bogut and Drew Gooden, couldn't keep up with the Jazz's inside game The Jazz held a 54-18 advantage in the paint and 48-26 edge in rebounds. They also had 10 blocked shot.Boozer practicing with Bulls after hand injury Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer reported no problems after practicing with the team for the first time since breaking his right hand in an accident at his home on Oct. 2. A return date for Boozer is uncertain. He is considered the crown jewel of the Bulls' offseason acquisitions.
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