Magic loses Nelson, then loses game

Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and six rebounds, Jason Terry had 23 points and the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Orlando Magic, 105-95, Monday night for their third consecutive victory.

Josh Howard and Jason Kidd scored 13 points apiece for the Mavericks, who held Orlando to three-for-20 shooting from three-point range.

Dwight Howard had 35 points and 11 rebounds, and Hedo Turkoglu scored 18 for the Magic, whose winning streak ended at three games. But that wasn’t the worst news of the night for Orlando.

All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson left the game in the third quarter because of a dislocated right shoulder. He was scheduled to have an MRI exam today.

And the Mavericks took advantage of his absence.

Terry’s three-point play capped a 19-6 run as Dallas turned a tight game into a blowout, moving ahead 75-57 in the third quarter. The Mavericks started fast in the fourth, using a 10-4 spurt to take an 87-67 lead.