Nowitzki leads as Mavs stop ‘Linsanity’

DALLAS - The Associated Press

DirkNowitzki Reuters photo

While Linsanity is already simmering down a bit in New York, Dirk Nowitzki keeps having big games for the Dallas Mavericks like he has for so long.

Nowitzki scored nine of his 28 points in a game-clinching run after the Mavericks had lost the lead by going scoreless the first seven-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter, and Dallas beat the Knicks 95-85 on March 4. 

“This was a much-needed win. It was a big character win,” Mavericks guard Jason Kidd said. “We responded with some stops and Dirk made some big shots.” Nowitzki made a 14-foot fadeaway jumper with 4:34 left, starting a 14-0 run when the forward scored nine points.

That was right after the Knicks, who had trailed by as many as 19, scored the first 15 points of the fourth quarter and went ahead 78-77 when Amare Stoudemire penetrated to make a shot with about 5 minutes left. It was their first lead since scoring the game’s first four points, and didn’t last long.

Jeremy Lin had 14 points and seven assists, solid numbers but only half of what he had nearly two weeks ago when the Knicks won at home against Dallas. He had 28 points and 14 assists in that game before the All-Star break that ended a six-game winning streak for the Mavs, and started a stretch of six losses in eight games before Tuesday. 

The Knicks are 2-4 since then, and have consecutive losses for the first time since Lin became a starter a month ago.