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SPORTS Thursday 9 March 2017

Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki

joins 30,000-point club in NBA

The Associated Press tered the game as the western trip with a victory
DALLAS (AP) — Dirk Nowit- league leader in points over pesky Phoenix.
zki scored the 20 points he and plus/minus score in the Bradley Beal had 27 points
needed for 30,000 in his last five minutes of regula- and John Wall added 25
career in barely more than tion and overtime. points and 14 assists in a
a quarter, and the Dallas Westbrook also finished the victory that ended the
Mavericks celebrated with game with nine assists and Suns’ three-game winning
their second straight easy made 13 of 16 free throws. streak, their longest since
home win over the Los An- Victor Oladipo scored 16 November 2015.
geles Lakers, a 122-111 vic- points and Enes Kanter Eric Bledsoe scored 30
tory Tuesday night. added 11 for Oklahoma points for the Suns, who
The 7-foot German be- City, which dropped its erased a 22-point, first-half
came the sixth NBA player fourth straight. Oklahoma deficit, were tied at 110
and the first international City lost despite shooting with 5:16 to play and chal-
one to reach the mile- 52 percent. lenged the Wizards in the
stone, joining four Hall of WIZARDS 131, SUNS 127 final two minutes before
Famers and a future one PHOENIX (AP) — Bojan Bog- Wall finally clinched it with
in Kobe Bryant. Nowitzki is danovic scored 29 points, two free throws with 6.5
one of three to score all setting a franchise record seconds to play.
30,000-plus with one team. for free throws made by go- Devin Booker scored 25 for
The others are Karl Malone ing 16 of 16, and Washing- the Suns, nine in the final 21
(Utah) and Bryant (Lakers). ton opened a five-game seconds.q
The 38-year-old Nowit-
zki matched the best first
quarter in his 19 seasons
by scoring 18 points, and Los Angeles Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. (7) defends Dallas
reached the hallowed Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) as he shoots during the
mark on a 15-foot fade- second quarter of an NBA basketball game in Dallas on Tues-
away jumper from the day, March 7, 2017. Associated Press
baseline over Larry Nance
Jr. with 10:58 remaining in
the second quarter.
Nowitzki scored all of his 25
points — one shy of his sea-
son high — in the first half
to send the Mavericks to
a 31-point lead in the third
quarter.
This was the Lakers’ first
visit to Dallas since setting
a franchise record with
a 49-point loss, a 122-73
blowout on Jan. 22.
Dallas extended a fran-
chise record with its 14th
straight win over the Lak-
ers, who got a triple-dou-
ble from Julius Randle with
13 points, 18 rebounds and
10 assists in their eighth
straight loss.
TRAIL BLAZERS 126, THUN-
DER 121
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) —
Portland overcame Russell
Westbrook’s career-high
58 points to beat Oklaho-
ma City.
Allen Crabbe scored 23
points, Damian Lillard had
22 and C.J. McCollum 21
for the Trail Blazers, who
won their third straight.
Portland shot 55 percent
from the field.
Westbrook shot 21 of 39,
but just 6 of 15 in the fourth
quarter. Westbrook en-