Erick Strickland scored 18 points and Michael Redd added 17 Tuesday to help the Milwaukee Bucks hold off the Dallas Mavericks for a 107-105 preseason victory.
Keith Van Horn scored the first six points of the second half for Milwaukee to give the Bucks a 61-58 lead, and Milwaukee never trailed the rest of the way.
PHOTO: AP
Desmond Mason had 14 points for Milwaukee and Van Horn finished with 11.
Josh Howard paced Dallas with 20 points. Jason Terry added 17 and rookie Devin Harris chipped in with 16.
The Bucks took a 75-69 advantage into the fourth quarter, and Mason's three-point play capped a 13-5 run to give the Bucks a 90-80 lead with 7:32 left.
Harris' two free throws with 37.5 seconds pulled Dallas within 107-105, and gave the Mavericks a chance to send the game to overtime.
The Mavericks had the ball with the clock winding down, but Harris lost control of the ball with 2.9 seconds left. Brandon Williams of the Bucks picked up the loose ball as the game ended.
Nets 96, Bobcats 89
In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Jason Collins had 14 points and 10 rebounds as the New Jersey Nets avoided the embarrassment of being the first team to lose to the Charlotte Bobcats.
Richard Jefferson and Zoran Planinic added 14 points apiece and Rodney Buford had 13 for the Nets, who trailed by 13 points in the first half and by nine midway through the third quarter.
Jacque Vaughn had 10 of his 12 points in the second half, when the Nets shot 56.3 percent from the field and held the Bobcats to 36.1 percent.
Primoz Brezez had 19 points and eight rebounds to lead the expansion Bobcats, who have lost their first three preseason games. Gerald Wallace added 17 and Jason Kapono 16.
Emeka Okafor, the second pick in the NBA draft, had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Pacers 93, Timberwolves 92
In Indianapolis, Stephen Jackson continued a strong preseason, scoring 29 points to lead Indiana over Minnesota.
Jackson, acquired from Atlanta in the offseason for Al Harrington, scored 17 of his points in the second half and made 11 of 18 shots.
In three games this preseason, Jackson is averaging 25 points and has come up with big shots down the stretch.
Reigning Most Valuable Player, Kevin Garnett, had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota, which played without Latrell Sprewell for the second game in a row. Sprewell did not dress because of a sprained left ankle.
Hornets 92, 76ers 89
In New Orleans, Darrell Armstrong made five 3-pointers and scored 17 points to help New Orleans hand Philadelphia its first preseason loss.
Jamaal Magloire had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Hornets, while Baron Davis added 13 points and seven assists. Both teams are 3-1.
Allen Iverson scored 16 points in 22 minutes but seemed to struggle a bit with his adjustment from shooting guard to point guard under new coach Jim O'Brien. Iverson had two assists and turned the ball over six times.
Bulls 95, Celtics 92
In Chicago, Andres Nocioni had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Luol Deng added 18 points to lead Chicago over Boston.
Gary Payton scored 21 points for Boston (1-3) and Paul Pierce added 16.
Tyson Chandler had 12 points and 17 rebounds for Chicago (2-2), and Eddy Curry finished with 10 points.
Suns 104, Spurs 96
In San Antonio, Amare Stoudemire scored 15 of his 25 points in the second half to lead Phoenix to a win over San Antonio.
Casey Jacobsen had all 11 of his points in the fourth quarter for the Suns, who trailed 77-75 after three quarters.
Jazz 113, Knicks 89
In Salt Lake City, Carlos Boozer had eight points and nine rebounds in his first preseason game for Utah, and free agent Keith McLeod finished with 11 points and six assists to beat New York.
McLeod, who played in 33 games for Minnesota last season before being waived, is hoping to make the Jazz as a backup point guard. Raul Lopez, Utah's top reserve, is out indefinitely with a weak right knee and McLeod played 21 minutes in his place.
Lakers 105, Kings 80
In Fresno, California, Caron Butler had 18 points and six rebounds, and Chris Mihm scored 17 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat Sacramento.
Kobe Bryant had 10 points, five assists and five rebounds while playing 33 minutes for the Lakers in front of a sellout crowd at Fresno's Save Mart Center.
Clippers 96, Warriors 81
In Los Angeles, Corey Maggette scored 26 points and Chris Wilcox added 22 to help the Los Angeles Clippers beat Golden State for its first preseason win. Derek Fisher led Golden State with 23 points.
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