Mavericks secure their spot

As if 16 wins in a row, 23 straight home wins and a clinched playoff berth weren’t enough, Jason Terry provided something extra for one fan Tuesday night -- a smooch.

Terry scored 24 points and apologized for diving into an elderly woman by giving her a kiss after the play in the Dallas Mavericks’ milestone-filled, 102-89 victory over the visiting New Jersey Nets.

The franchise-best winning streaks have improved the Mavericks’ record to 51-9.

“Like [Jerry] Stackhouse says, our fans are more excited about it than we are,” Coach Avery Johnson said.

Dirk Nowitzki had 22 points and 11 rebounds and Erick Dampier had 12 points and 14 rebounds.

Vince Carter scored 32 points for the Nets.

San Antonio 99, Portland 94 -- Trailing by eight with four minutes to play, the visiting Spurs made five straight three-point baskets to win their 10th game in a row.

Beno Udrih and Manu Ginobili had two three-pointers each and Michael Finley had the other.

Ginobili scored eight of his 23 points in the final 2:13. Brandon Roy had 19 points for Portland.

Washington 129, Toronto 109 -- The Wizards outrebounded the Raptors, 49-27, and took full advantage with a 33-10 edge in second-chance points at Washington.

Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison scored 25 points apiece for the Wizards. Chris Bosh had 25 points but only one rebound for the Raptors.

Sacramento 102, Indiana 98 -- The host Kings had blown all but three points of a 20-point lead before Kevin Martin’s three-point play with 53.9 seconds left restored order.

Martin finished with 27 points. Mike Dunleavy scored 24 points for the Pacers, losers of six in a row.

Seattle 100, New York 99 -- Rashard Lewis made the go-ahead three-pointer and the SuperSonics beat the Knicks when Stephon Marbury missed the second of two free throws with 0.9 seconds left at New York.

Marbury scored 40 points, but the Knicks missed 14 of 38 free throws.

Ray Allen scored 29 points and Lewis finished with 24 for Seattle.

Denver 106, New Orleans 91 -- The Nuggets saw their 23-point lead reduced to eight with 4:58 left before scoring the next seven points to prevail at Denver.

Allen Iverson scored 25 points and Carmelo Anthony had 21. Tyson Chandler had 15 points and 18 rebounds for the Hornets.

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Elite company

Dallas clinched a playoff spot Tuesday, running its winning streak to 16 games in a 102-89 victory over New Jersey (NBA roundup, D6). The NBA’s best records through 60 games:

*--* Team Season Record Chicago 1995-96 54-6 Chicago 1996-97 53-7 Philadelphia 1966-67 52-8 Philadelphia 1982-83 51-9 Lakers 1971-72 51-9 Dallas 2006-07 51-9 Portland 1977-78 50-10

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Note: Portland was the only team that did not go on to win an NBA title.