There are no tight races in the NBA's four divisions, and no pursuers drew any closer to Philadelphia, Indiana, Dallas or Sacramento.
The league's four best teams all had victories Wednesday night to maintain comfortable cushions in their divisions, Dallas downing Portland 103-88, Philadelphia defeating Boston 99-93, Indiana outlasting Seattle 114-111 in overtime and Sacramento edging Denver 92-90.
PHOTO: AFP
Dirk Nowitzki had 26 points and 15 rebounds, Steve Nash added 20 points and Michael Finley 15 points for the Mavericks, who won their third in a row to improve the NBA's best record to 17-1.
Six teams have started the season 17-1 or better, most recently the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls, who went on to win the NBA championship.
Of all the first-place teams, Dallas has the largest lead in its division -- 6.5 games. Sacramento has a five-game lead in the Pacific, while Indiana and Philadelphia have 2.5-game leads in the East.
After a sluggish first quarter, Dallas' final six field goals of the half were 3-pointers. Dallas made eight 3s in the quarter and 11 for the half, one off the NBA record.
The Mavs pulled away to start the fourth quarter with a 12-6 run that took all the life out of the Blazers and the home crowd.
Dallas was 13-of-28 from 3-point distance while the Blazers were just 3-for-17.
76ers 99, Celtics 93
At Philadelphia, Allen Iverson had 27 points and Derrick Coleman scored a season-high 20 as the 76ers extended their winning streak to eight and stayed perfect at home (10-0).
Eric Snow made a spinning 12-foot jumper to break a 92-92 tie, and Coleman made a 3-pointer with 1:10 left to cap a 9-0 run and give Philadelphia a 97-92 lead.
"[Coleman's] shot was like a dagger," Celtics coach Jim O'Brien said. "It was like getting stabbed in the heart."
Pacers 114, SuperSonics 111, OT
At Seattle, Jamaal Tinsley hit a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining in overtime as Indiana overcame a season-high 40 points by Gary Payton.
Tinsley, back in the Indiana lineup after a two-game absence because of a thigh bruise, connected for a 114-109 lead with the shot clock down to 3 seconds.
The Pacers, whose 15-3 record is the league's second-best, broke into a celebration and headed for the visitors' dressing room as fans filed out of the arena.
Kings 92, Nuggets 90
At Denver, Chris Webber had 31 points and 11 rebounds and Bobby Jackson scored 20 points.
Sacramento led 91-88 with just over a minute left before Rodney White hit a baseline jumper off a pass from Chris Whitney. Jackson missed a tough fade-away with 30 seconds left, but Juwan Howard couldn't hit a fade-away over Webber on the other end.
Denver didn't call a time-out after Doug Christie missed the second of two free throws with 6.8 seconds left, and Whitney's 3-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the rim.
Cavaliers 111, Bulls 101
At Cleveland, rookie Dajuan Wagner scored 29 points to help the Cavaliers snap their 15-game losing streak.
Rookie Carlos Boozer and Ricky Davis each scored 26 points for the Cavs, who won for the first time since a home-opening triumph over the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 5.
Jalen Rose scored 37 points to lead the Bulls, who have lost eight straight and 14 of 16.
Jazz 93, Lakers 85
At Salt Lake City, Karl Malone had 29 points and 15 rebounds as the Jazz won for the eighth time in nine games.
Matt Harpring had 14 points and nine rebounds and John Stockton finished with 10 points and 11 assists.
The Lakers couldn't overcome a 13-point deficit and lost for the fourth time in six games. Los Angeles is just 4-4 since the return of Shaquille O'Neal, who led the Lakers with 23 points and 15 rebounds.
Hornets 89, Raptors 74
At New Orleans, Baron Davis returned from a two-game absence to score 18 points and add eight rebounds and five assists.
His five assists could have been higher if several crisp passes inside hadn't been mishandled or ended up as missed shots. Jamaal Magloire added 16 points and P.J. Brown 15 for New Orleans, 10-0 at home.
Wizards 88, Pistons 83
At Auburn Hills, Michigan, Jerry Stackhouse and Michael Jordan combined for 16 points in the fourth quarter in Stackhouse's first regular-season appearance at the Palace since being traded by the Pistons.
Stackhouse and Jordan each scored eight points in the final period, and both finished with 21.
Suns 98, Grizzlies 85
At Phoenix, Shawn Marion scored 13 of his season-high 32 points in the fourth quarter.
Stephon Marbury added 20 points for the Suns, who ended a two-game losing skid, and rookie Amare Stoudemire had 14 points and a season-high 15 rebounds.
Magic 87, Knicks 85
At New York, Mike Miller scored 23 points and Grant Hill had 16 points and 15 rebounds as the Orlando snapped the Knicks' three-game winning streak.
Orlando was without Tracy McGrady, who suited up but did not play after turning his right ankle in a loss to Boston on Monday night.
Clippers 89, Heat 80
At Los Angeles, Elton Brand had 25 points and 13 rebounds and Eric Piatkowski added 18 points to help the Clippers complete their second straight season sweep of Miami.
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