NBA

Nowitzki erupts for 50; Mavs lead 3-2

By TIMES WIRES
Published June 2, 2006

DALLAS - One game after learning the hard way how much they rely on Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks got a tremendous reminder of why leaning on him is usually a good thing.

Nowitzki shook off his worst game in months by scoring 50 - including 15 straight in the fourth quarter to turn a close game into a rout - to help Dallas move within a victory of its first NBA Final with a 117-101 win over Phoenix on Thursday night.

The Mavericks lead the Western Conference final 3-2 with Game 6 set for Saturday night in Phoenix.

Nowitzki single-handedly outscored Phoenix 22-20 in the fourth quarter. He set a club record for points in a playoff game and tied Kobe Bryant for the most this postseason.

"We can't relax now, as we did in Game 4," Nowitzki said.

In that game, he made only 3 of 13 shots for 11 points. Not so coincidentally, the Mavericks lost by 20. In this one, Nowitzki could hardly miss, going 14-for-26 from the floor and 17-for-18 from the line.

He scored 13 in the first quarter, helping Dallas surge ahead by 14. But he slowed in the second quarter and so did the Mavericks. They trailed by seven in the third quarter, but after a timeout with 3:24 left in the period, Nowitzki simply took over. Dallas went on a 10-0 run, with Nowitzki scoring seven.

"When we were down seven in the third quarter, I saw everything slipping away. I tried to make something happen," said Nowitzki, who was 6-of-7 with a pair of 3-pointers and 8-for-8 on free throws in the fourth.

Dallas backup center D.J. Mbenga was suspended without pay for six games for going into the stands to aid the wife of coach Avery Johnson during Game 4 of the West finals in Phoenix.

Mbenga was on the bench in street clothes, having been made inactive for Tuesday night's game, when he joined team owner Mark Cuban and other team officials in going to the aid of Cassandra Johnson, who was involved in a first-quarter confrontation with fans.

[Last modified June 2, 2006, 00:57:12]