MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points, Brandan Wright added 17 and the Dallas Mavericks used a second-half surge to grab a 110-96 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
Nowitzki was 10 of 14 from the field, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc, to help the Mavericks win their third straight. Samuel Dalembert and Monta Ellis had 14 points apiece and Dalembert added 10 rebounds. Vince Carter had 13 points and seven assists.
Zack Randolph scored 25 points for Memphis, while Courtney Lee finished with 22, going 10 of 15 from the floor. James Johnson added 17 and Nick Calathes scored 16 starting his third game in place of injured starting point guard Mike Conley.
Dallas began its rally in the closing minutes of the third quarter and carried it into the fourth, eventually leading by as many as 17.
The Mavericks are eighth in the Western Conference, two games ahead of the Grizzlies. Dallas also assured itself of winning the season series with its third win over Memphis this season.
Both teams shot just less than 54 percent for the game, but the Mavericks dominated the scoring in the paint, 56-32.
Memphis led 55-52 at halftime after having a basket taken away by a clock malfunction at the end of the half. Ellis scored with 10.1 seconds left, and on the ensuing Memphis possession Johnson appeared to hit a layup with less than a second left.
But the clock didn't start properly following Ellis' basket, and, after a lengthy review, officials ruled if the clock started properly, Johnson would not have gotten the shot off in time.
Both teams shot well in the half, Memphis connected on 61 percent of its shots, including going 5 of 9 from 3-point range. The Mavericks, who never led in the half, shot 51 percent.
Lee had 12 points to lead four Memphis players in double figures. The Mavericks had three players in double figures with Wright and Nowitzki scoring 12 each and going a combined 8 of 11 from the field.
The Mavericks took their first lead of the game on a 3-pointer by Nowitzki early in the third period, but then the game settled into poor shooting on both sides. The Grizzlies started the quarter 3 of 15 from the field. The Mavericks were 5 of 13.
The result was a quarter with six ties and three lead changes. Randolph had 10 in the quarter for Memphis, but Dallas broke a 71-all tie by closing the period with a 7-1 push for a 78-72 lead.
That started a 14-3 Mavericks rally spanning the quarters, giving Dallas its first double-digit lead at 85-74 with 9:33 left. When Wright converted a 3-point play, Dallas had stretched the lead to 14 points, and Memphis never threatened again.
NOTES: It took 7 minutes after the teams left the floor at halftime for officials to review the final play before disallowing Johnson's basket. . Mavericks F Shawn Marion returned after missing two games with shoulder and rib contusions and had eight points. ... Calathes, who hadn't committed a turnover in the last two games starting for the injured Conley, had six turnovers. . Nowitzki has five straight games with at least 23 points.
