Josh Howard scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds on Friday as the Dallas Mavericks squandered most of a 15-point lead before recovering to beat the Miami Heat 103-90.
Dirk Nowitzki added 23 points for Dallas, which extended its league-best winning streak to seven games and snapped Miami's string of six straight home wins. Erick Dampier scored 17 points, Marquis Daniels added 14 and Jason Terry had 10 points and 10 assists for the Mavericks.
Jason Williams scored a season-high 24 points for Miami, which lost for only the eighth time in its last 61 home regular-season games. Dwyane Wade added 23 for the Heat, which also got 14 from Udonis Haslem, and 13 from Alonzo Mourning -- who also had six blocks, adding to his NBA-leading average this season.
Hawks 87, Pacers 85
At Indianapolis, Al Harrington scored 17 points and Joe Johnson added 16 points, seven rebounds and nine assists as Atlanta edged Indiana.
Atlanta (2-9) won its second straight despite shooting 36 percent from the field. The victory snapped a seven-game road losing streak that dated to last season and ended the Pacers' seven-game winning streak in the series. It was Atlanta's first win over Indiana since March 22, 2003.
The Pacers (7-4) were led by Jermaine O'Neal with 30 points and 10 rebounds. Sarunas Jasikevicius added 14 points.
Timberwolves 99, Bucks 91
At Minneapolis, Kevin Garnett had 17 points, 12 rebounds and six assists -- doing most of his damage after receiving six stitches in the chin in the third quarter -- and Minnesota beat Milwaukee.
Wally Szczerbiak had a season-high 30 points and Marko Jaric added a season-high 24 for Minnesota, which improved to 6-1 at home. Trenton Hassell scored 12 points and Troy Hudson had 10.
Michael Redd scored 28 points and Jamaal Magliore had 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Bucks, who have lost three of four. Mo Williams had 13 points, T.J. Ford had 12 and Bobby Simmons added 11.
Celtics 90, Bobcats 89
At Boston, Paul Pierce scored 27 points and made a layup with 0.3 seconds left to lift struggling Boston over Charlotte.
The Celtics had lost two straight -- including a road loss on Wednesday that gave the Atlanta Hawks their first win of the season -- and four of five. The Bobcats fell to 1-6 on the road and 4-9 overall.
Ricky Davis added 25 points and Raef LaFrentz finished with 22 and 10 rebounds for the Celtics.
Gerald Wallace and Brevin Knight each had 17 points to lead Charlotte. Emeka Okafor added 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Magic 104, Trail Blazers 89
At Orlando, Florida, Jameer Nelson scored a season-high 24 points and Dwight Howard added 21 points and 18 rebounds as Orlando beat Portland.
Steve Francis added 12 points and nine assists for the Magic, who matched their season-high winning streak at two games.
Darius Miles led Portland with 23 points and point guard Sebastian Telfair added 20 points and eight assists. Joel Przybilla had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who have lost four of five.
Grizzlies 86, Rockets 81
At Memphis, Tennessee, Shane Battier scored 20 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, and Memphis beat Houston to snap a two-game losing streak.
The Rockets, again playing without leading scorer Tracy McGrady, lost their sixth straight. Houston is 0-7 without McGrady, who has been sidelined by back spasms.
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