NBA roundup \ Thursday’s game

Mavericks 112, Suns 97

DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki matched his season high with 39 points and new starter J.J. Barea provided quite a spark in the fourth quarter, leading the Mavericks. Nowitzki had 37 points through three quarters and the Mavs seemed to be comfortably headed to victory when the Suns began to make things interesting. But just when they got within 10, Barea — a 5-foot-11 backup point guard-turned-co-starter alongside Jason Kidd — helped Dallas regain control by single-handedly guiding a 10-0 run. Soon after, he nailed a 3-pointer and punctuated it with a loud scream drowned out by a roar from fans already on their feet. Barea finished with 18 points and four rebounds, and Jason Terry continued his recent roll off the bench with 19 points as the Mavs won for the eighth time in nine games, pushing them to two games over .500 for the first time this season. It also was their fourth straight home win, evening their record in Dallas at 4-4.

Associated Press