Mavericks Finally Figure Out Kings

Steve Nash prevented the Dallas Mavericks from getting swept in the season series by one of their primary Western Conference rivals.

The All-Star point guard made a game-tying three-point basket with 2.5 seconds left in regulation, then scored 12 points in overtime as the Mavericks defeated the Sacramento Kings, 129-123, Sunday at Sacramento.

Nash finished with 27 points and 10 assists as Dallas got its league-high 50th victory of the season.

Mike Bibby’s jumper with 14 seconds left in regulation gave the Kings a three-point lead. But after Nash missed his first three-point attempt, Michael Finley got the rebound and found Nash in the corner for the game-tying shot.

Philadelphia 92, New Jersey 87 -- The victory at East Rutherford, N.J., was the 14th in 16 games since the All-Star break for the 76ers (39-26) and put them right behind the Nets (40-26) and within two games of Detroit (41-24) in the race for the Eastern Conference’s best record. Allen Iverson scored 31 points and made the go-ahead layup with just over a minute to play.

Minnesota 111, Portland 95 -- The Timberwolves gained ground on the Trail Blazers for the fourth playoff spot in the Western Conference and home-court advantage with the win at Minneapolis. Portland entered the game with a 1 1/2-game lead on the Timberwolves.

Cleveland 122, Utah 95 -- Ricky Davis had 28 points, a career-high 12 assists and missed his first career triple-double by one rebound at Cleveland as the Cavaliers ended a seven-game losing streak.

Mark Jackson of the Jazz passed Magic Johnson for second place on the NBA’s career assists list. Jackson set up a 22-foot baseline jumper by Calbert Cheaney with 8:35 left for his 10,142nd assist and fifth of the game.

New York 120, Milwaukee 111 -- Allan Houston scored 50 points at Madison Square Garden as the Knicks handed the Bucks their fourth loss in a row. The win moved the Knicks a game closer to Milwaukee -- one of the teams they are chasing for the eighth playoff spot in the East.

San Antonio 108, Chicago 87 -- Tony Parker scored 25 points and Tim Duncan added 22 at San Antonio to help the Spurs win their sixth in a row. Duncan hurt his right ankle after being fouled on a drive with a few minutes left and he walked off the floor with help from teammates.

Memphis 124, Atlanta 92 -- The Grizzlies set franchise records at Memphis with their sixth consecutive win and their 24th victory. They had a 29-point lead after two quarters, 70-41 -- the largest halftime lead in team history.

Houston 85, Phoenix 75 -- The win at Houston clinched the season series for the Rockets, 3-1, and gave them the tiebreaker between the two teams battling for eighth place in the West. The Rockets (35-30) took a one-game lead in the standings, but the tiebreaker means they will advance if they finish even with the Suns (34-31).

Seattle 92, Denver 84 -- The SuperSonics, who led by 13 points early in the third quarter, had the lead reduced to one midway through the final period, but they used an 8-0 run to hold off the Nuggets at Denver.

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The NBA players’ union sent a letter to members last month warning them about ephedra, the supplement linked to the death of Baltimore Oriole pitcher Steve Bechler during spring training in Florida. Union director Billy Hunter sent a letter alerting players to the Bechler case and warning them to consult a doctor before taking anything containing ephedra, union spokesman Dan Wasserman said Sunday. Ephedra is not banned by the NBA.