Mavericks Make a Great Escape

Playing with the desperation of a team facing elimination, even though they weren’t, the Dallas Mavericks clawed their way back into their Western Conference playoff series against the Houston Rockets on Thursday night.

It took a rejuvenated Dirk Nowitzki to save them in a 106-102 victory.

Nowitzki emerged from a two-game slump to score 28 points and keyed a 20-0 run in the fourth quarter that deflated the Rockets in Game 3 of the series.

Michael Finley scored 20 points, Jerry Stackhouse added 18 and Josh Howard had five big points in the late comeback, ending Houston’s nine-game winning streak. The Rockets still lead the best-of-seven series, 2-1.

Trailing, 88-80, early in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks seemed on their way to a 3-0 series deficit -- a hole no NBA team has rallied from.

But Finley made a jumper, Nowitzki dunked on a fastbreak, Finley made another three-point basket and Jason Terry made a couple of free throws to retake the lead midway through the quarter.

The Mavericks also got some help down the stretch from Houston. Tracy McGrady missed two free throws, Houston misfired on seven shots in a row and the Rockets showed an uncharacteristic lack of poise -- especially for the league’s oldest team.

Howard, a second-year forward, completed a three-point play and scored on a short jump shot to finish the run, putting Dallas ahead, 100-88.

McGrady had another big game for the Rockets, finishing with 28 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

Bob Sura added 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Yao Ming, who scored 33 points on 13-for-14 shooting in Game 2, was held to 15 points and 10 rebounds while battling foul trouble for much of the game.

Dallas seemed to be coming apart before its big run.

A frustrated Nowitzki yelled at second-year guard Marquis Daniels for bungling a pass that led to a turnover in the fourth quarter. Maverick Coach Avery Johnson berated Stackhouse for blowing a defensive assignment that led to an easy layup. Both of them jawed with officials throughout the game.

Then, a strange thing happened: The Mavericks started chipping away, and the Rockets came undone.