Nowitzki’s Latest Surge Earns Bird Comparisons

Dirk Nowitzki’s performance in Boston on Monday night got people talking about another forward who used to play there.

“That young man in the corner has maybe the best stroke I’ve seen since Larry Bird,” Celtic Coach Rick Pitino said after Nowitzki scored 31 to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 106-98 victory over Boston. “He’s a terrific basketball player.”

After almost sitting out Sunday night’s game in Detroit because of flu, Nowitzki scored 25 against the Pistons and continued his hot hand at Boston with 19 by the half, going five of seven from three-point range overall.

“Not to put any pressure on Dirk, but everybody’s talking about the coming of the next Michael Jordan . . . Dirk reminds me of Larry Bird,” Maverick forward Michael Finley said. “The way he hits the boards, the way he’ll take off and go coast to coast. He hits the mid-range jumper. It seems as if it’s easy to compare them.”

With Nowitzki on its side, Dallas has won consecutive games at the FleetCenter after winning only once in 18 tries since the franchise was founded in 1980.

Steve Nash added 20 points with 14 assists to give the Mavericks their third consecutive win since Don Nelson did not coach three games--two of them losses--when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. They finished their Eastern trip 4-2.

Paul Pierce scored 30 for Boston.

Around the League

Celtic point guard Kenny Anderson is going back on the injured list after rushing to return from a broken jaw before he was back in shape. Anderson, unable to work out since his Nov. 6 injury, complained of stamina problems after scoring four points on two-for-seven shooting in 25 minutes Monday against Dallas. Celtic Coach Rick Pitino said he rushed Anderson back because backup point guard Chris Herren (sore right shoulder) is also sidelined. Randy Brown and Milt Palacio will play in Anderson’s absence. . . . The Seattle SuperSonic waived backup center Pervis Ellison, 33, and activated center-forward Olumide Oyedeji from the injured list. Ellison appeared in nine games with Seattle, averaging 0.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 4.4 minutes.