Nowitzki Scores 32 in Mavericks’ Win

Dirk Nowitzki continues to impress opposing players and coaches with his imposing size and exceptional athletic ability.

Nowitzki scored 32 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in the Dallas Mavericks’ 98-85 victory over Memphis on Saturday night at Memphis, Tenn., sending the Grizzlies to their second loss in as many games since Hubie Brown retired suddenly as coach.

“Dirk is such a freak,” interim coach Lionel Hollins said. “This guy is 7-foot and plays like a guard. The guy is just a great player. There’s no more that needs to be said about him.”

Orlando 105, Philadelphia 99 -- Steve Francis scored 15 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter at Orlando, Fla., including six in the final 48 seconds. His two free throws with 12 seconds left clinched the win and put the Magic into first place by percentage points over Miami.

San Antonio 109, Utah 76 -- The Spurs made nine of their first 10 shots en route to their 19th consecutive victory at home. The Jazz played most of the night without Andrei Kirilenko, its No. 2 scorer and rebounder, who suffered a sprained right knee in a collision with the Spurs’ Beno Udrih in the second quarter.

Milwaukee 96, Detroit 90 -- Michael Redd scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half at Milwaukee to help the Bucks end a six-game losing streak. Milwaukee hadn’t won since beating New Orleans, 94-91, on Nov. 13.

Denver 82, Houston 76 -- The Nuggets had a scare in the third quarter at Houston when Carmelo Anthony sprained his right ankle. He hit the floor hard on a foul by Bob Sura with 2:21 left and stayed down for several minutes before being helped off the floor. X-rays were negative.

Charlotte 107, Atlanta 92 -- Reserve Eddie House scored 17 points and Emeka Okafor had 14 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth consecutive double-double, leading the expansion Bobcats to their third victory, all at home.

New York 108, Toronto 102 -- After the Raptors used an 11-0 run to pull to within 103-102, Jamal Crawford made two free throws with 20 seconds left and Penny Hardaway made two more with 13.4 seconds left to clinch the Knicks’ fifth win in a row at Madison Square Garden.