Mavs beat Bucks 115-108 for 4th straight win

[March 13, 2013]  MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Vince Carter hit three key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and scored 23 points off the bench as the Dallas Mavericks won their fourth straight with a 115-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.

Dirk Nowitzki added 19 points while O.J. Mayo had 14. Mavericks rookie and former Marquette star Jae Crowder, last year's Big East player of the year, was one off his career high with 14 points.

Monta Ellis scored 32 points for the Bucks, giving him 20 or more in all six of Milwaukee's games this month. Mike Dunleavy added 18 points while J.J. Redick had 17. Larry Sanders had 13 points and 12 rebounds.

The Mavericks, who are three games out of the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoff race, matched their longest winning streak of the season and have won five of six.

The eighth-place Bucks missed a chance to gain ground for the sixth seed in the East, with both Boston and Atlanta losing Tuesday night. The Bucks are a game behind both teams in the playoff race.

The Bucks set the high-scoring pace early with a season-high 35 points in the first quarter and led 35-28. The Mavericks stormed back, finishing the second quarter on a 27-10 run to take a 63-55 lead into the break. They never trailed in the second half.

Nowitzki did most of his damage in the first half with 17 points.

The Mavericks opened the second half on a 12-2 run to extend their lead to 18. The Bucks countered with an 11-0 run to cut the lead to 77-70 midway through the third.

Dallas was able to push its lead up to 90-79 heading into the final period.

Dallas went up 14 early in the fourth but Milwaukee responded with a 7-0 burst to cut the lead to 98-91. Carter drained a 3 with 5:30 left to push the lead back to 10, and after Milwaukee cut it to 101-96, Carter answered with another 3 with 4:16 left.

The Bucks cut the lead to 106-100 on Ellis' layup before Carter hit another from behind the arc with 2:27 left. Carter sealed the victory with a layup with 1:39 to play.

NOTES: Mavericks forward Shawn Marion missed his third consecutive game with a left calf contusion. ... Bucks forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was out with a turf toe injury. He is listed as day-to-day. ...The Mavericks have won for just the seventh time ever in Milwaukee.

[Associated Press]

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