The Mavericks trailed 62-40 at halftime but stormed back against the Timberwolves to win 107-100 on Tuesday night.

Dallas trimmed Minnesota's lead from 29 points to just nine over a six-minute stretch in the third quarter.

"At halftime, they [the coaches] said, 'You guys are playing like ...' ? I'll let you fill it in," Jason Terry said. "They said we need to turn it up and defensively is where it?s going to start."

All you have to do is look at the numbers to confirm coach Rick Carlisle's belief that the Mavericks win when they play good defense.

"In our wins, our defensive numbers are among the best in the league," Carlisle said. "In our losses, they stink. I don't have the first nine games memorized, but they stunk, for the most part.

"[Since then], we've had to adjust, and we by no means feel like we have anything figured out. But we're a different team than we were the first nine.

"I'm going to keep talking about defense until the cows come home."

Over the last 21 games, when the Mavericks started playing better, they were 6-5 when the opponent shot 45 percent or better from the field; they were 10-0 when opponents shot below 45 percent.

David West hit a jumper with two seconds left on the clock to give the Hornets a 105-103 win over the Pacers in Indiana on Sunday night.

- Denver 117, New York 110

Team FIC Differential: Nuggets +6.4, Knicks -6.4

Carmelo Anthony returned for the Nuggets (20-11) on Sunday afternoon in the team?s win over the Knicks (11-18). Nene had 13 points and 9 rebounds; Chauncey Billups tallied 14 points and 5 assists; and Anthony led with 32 points and 9 boards. Denver shot 56% at Madison Square Garden and outrebounded New York by twelve. David Lee posted 14 points and 12 rebounds; Chris Duhon turned in 17 points and 11 assist; and Nate Robinson scored 20 points in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Carmelo Anthony, Denver ? 24.1

Chris Duhon, New York ? 22.9

David Lee, New York ? 18.9

J.R. Smith, Denver ? 14.2

- Dallas 98, L.A. Clippers 76

Team FIC Differential: Mavericks +30.6, Clippers -30.6

Even without Dirk Nowitzki (suspension), the Mavericks (18-12) easily handled the Clippers (8-21). Josh Howard starred with 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists; James Singleton posted 11 points and 8 rebounds; and Brandon Bass contributed 14 points and 9 rebounds off the bench. Dallas outrebounded Los Angeles by fifteen while going 9-for-22 from three-point land. Marcus Camby had 16 points and 12 rebounds; Baron Davis tallied 10 points and 9 assists; and rookie Eric Gordon scored 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting for the Clippers.

Game FIC Scores

Josh Howard, Dallas ? 25.5

Marcus Camby, Los Angeles ? 19.3

Jason Kidd, Dallas ? 17.0

Baron Davis, Los Angeles 9.1

- Cleveland 93, Miami 86

Team FIC Differential: Cavaliers +4.1, Heat -4.1

The Cavaliers (26-4) used a 35-19 edge in the fourth quarter to edge the Heat (16-13) at Quicken Loans Arena on Sunday night. LeBron James had 33 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds; Mo Williams scored 20 points; and Anderson Varejao contributed 12 points and 10 boards in the victory. Cleveland shot 40%, but outrebounded Miami by three and attempted fifteen more foul shots. Dwyane Wade starred with 29 points and 8 assists; Udonis Haslem tallied 15 points and 9 rebounds; and Shawn Marion added 4 points and 10 rebounds in defeat.

Game FIC Scores

LeBron James, Cleveland ? 26.3

Dwyane Wade, Miami ? 17.6

Ben Wallace, Cleveland ? 12.8

Udonis Haslem, Miami ? 11.1

- New Orleans 105, Indiana 103

Team FIC Differential: Hornets +5.7, Pacers -5.7

David West made a jump shot with just a few seconds remaining to give the Hornets (18-9) a stunning road win over the Pacers (10-20). Chris Paul had 19 points and 12 assists; James Posey scored 19 points off the bench; and West posted 18 points and 10 rebounds. Indiana shot 50% on the night and outrebounded New Orleans by nine but turned the ball over 17 times. Danny Granger starred with 34 points and 5 rebounds; Troy Murphy tallied 16 points and 16 boards; and rookie Roy Hibbert turned in 19 points and 6 rebounds in yet another close loss.

Game FIC Scores

Troy Murphy, Indiana ? 21.5

Chris Paul, New Orleans ? 21.3

Danny Granger, Indiana ? 16.4

David West, New Orleans ? 14.3

- Boston 108, Sacramento 63

Team FIC Differential: Celtics +85.5, Kings -85.5

Upset after losing two consecutive games, the Celtics (27-4) handed the Kings (7-23) an emphatic defeat on Sunday night. Kevin Garnett had 21 points and 11 rebounds; Paul Pierce tallied 13 points and 6 boards; and Kendrick Perkins turned in 7 points and 12 rebounds. Boston shot 51%, while limiting Sacramento to 27% and outrebounded the home team by twenty-two. John Salmons led the Kings in scoring with 11 points while rookie Jason Thompson posted 9 points and 6 rebounds in defeat.

Game FIC Scores

Kevin Garnett, Boston ? 18.1

Ray Allen, Boston ? 18.1

Mikki Moore, Sacramento ? 6.6

Jason Thompson, Sacramento ? 5.5

- L.A. Lakers 130, Golden State 113

Team FIC Differential: Lakers +27.1, Warriors -27.1

The Lakers (25-5) used decisive runs in the first and third quarters to down the Warriors (9-23) at STAPLES Center. Kobe Bryant led with 31 points; Andrew Bynum tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds; and Pau Gasol poured in 13 points, 9 boards, and 7 assists. Los Angeles shot 51% from the field and outrebounded Golden State by fourteen. Jamal Crawford had 22 points and 5 assists; Andris Biedrins posted 8 points and 17 rebounds; and Brandan Wright added 14 points, 4 boards, and 4 assists for the Warriors.

Game FIC Scores

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles ? 23.5

Andris Biedrins, Golden State ? 17.9

Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles ? 16.6

Jamal Crawford, Golden State ? 14.8

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki has been suspended one game for his flagrant foul Friday on Utah's Matt Harpring.

The league announced the suspension early Sunday afternoon, but ESPN.com has reported that the Mavericks were notified Sunday morning.

For the second time in as many seasons, a Utah forward frustrated Dirk Nowitzki and drew a flagrant foul.

Last March, Nowitzki tangled with Andrei Kirilenko under the basket and drew a Flagrant-1 foul when Kirilenko was slammed to the court on his back.

On Friday night, Matt Harpring irritated Nowitzki to the point that he retaliated with a fist to Harpring's face. Nowitzki was ejected.

"It appeared to me that it was accidental, but they said his fist was closed so it's an automatic Flagrant-2," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "They went and looked at the video and I said, 'What he did wasn't intentional.' He said it doesn't matter, just by the letter of the rule if there's a closed fist.

"I don't think the intent was to strike Harpring in the face. Dirk doesn't have any kind of pattern with that kind of stuff. It was microcosm of the night, really."

Mavericks' star forward Dirk Nowitzki said he is willing to take less money from Dallas in 2010 to help his team land a marquee player, the Dallas Morning News is reporting.

"Every team is trying to be a player in 2010," he said. "Every team is trying to clear money under the cap so they can make a move."

"I'm very fortunate that I've made a lot of money in this league even though I've never really played for money. I love the sport. I love this organization. Obviously, I want to win. I won the MVP, and individually, there's nothing really left but winning a championship.

"If that means I have to play for less money, it's all possible. It's all open."

The Celtics won their 18th straight game on Sunday night, moving them a step closer to history as they continue their dominant start to the season.

- Atlanta 85, Detroit 78

Team FIC Differential: Hawks +9.9, Pistons -9.9

The Hawks (16-10) held on against the Pistons (14-10) on Sunday after an important 30-16 second quarter edge. Mike Bibby led with 27 points and 5 assists; Joe Johnson tallied 19 points, 7 dimes, and 5 rebounds; and Al Horford added 11 points and 11 boards in the win. Atlanta outrebounded Detroit by six and attempted fifteen more foul shots. Rodney Stuckey had 20 points and 9 rebounds; Rasheed Wallace posted 20 points and 5 boards; and Richard Hamilton scored 16 points for the Pistons. Allen Iverson contributed 10 points on 4-for-11 shooting.

Game FIC Scores

Mike Bibby, Atlanta ? 24.8

Rodney Stuckey, Detroit ? 18.9

Al Horford, Atlanta ? 16.5

Rasheed Wallace, Detroit ? 14.8

- Boston 124, New York 105

Team FIC Differential: Celtics +43.7, Knicks -43.7

The Celtics (25-2) won their eighteenth straight game on Sunday night over the visiting Knicks (11-15). Rajon Rondo led with 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists; Kendrick Perkins posted 12 points and 12 boards; and Ray Allen added 18 points. Boston shot a blistering 65% from the field and outrebounded New York by twenty-four at TD Banknorth Garden. Quentin Richardson had 29 points; Chris Duhon tallied 20 points and 10 assists; and Nate Robinson added 22 points off the bench for the Knicks in defeat.

Game FIC Scores

Rajon Rondo, Boston ? 24.4

Quentin Richardson, New York ? 18.1

David Lee, New York ? 17.4

Ray Allen, Boston ? 16.8

- Dallas 97, Washington 86

Team FIC Differential: Mavericks +22.4, Wizards -22.4

The Mavericks (15-11) used a strong fourth quarter to put away the Wizards (4-21) at Verizon Center. Dirk Nowitzki had 23 points and 9 rebounds; Jason Terry posted 25 points; and James Singleton added 8 points and 13 boards in the win. Dallas limited Washington to 39% shooting and outrebounded the home team by five. Antawn Jamison led with 22 points and 8 rebound;, Caron Butler tallied 18 points and 6 boards; and Mike James contributed 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists for the struggling Wizards.

Game FIC Scores

James Singleton, Dallas ? 14.8

Erick Dampier, Dallas ? 14.8

Antawn Jamison, Washington ? 11.8

Caron Butler, Washington ? 11.6

- Cleveland 102, Oklahoma City 91

Team FIC Differential: Cavaliers +18.7, Thunder -18.7

The Cavaliers (23-4) outscored the Thunder (3-25) in every quarter on their way to an 11-point win on Sunday night at Ford Center. LeBron James had 31 points and 7 assists; Mo Williams posted 20 points and 5 rebounds; and Delonte West added 18 points in the victory. Cleveland shot 56% for the game while Oklahoma City won the rebounding battle by eight. Kevin Durant had 26 points and 5 rebounds; rookie Russell Westbrook tallied 24 points, 11 assists, and 6 boards; and Jeff Green added 16 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

LeBron James, Cleveland ? 23.2

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City ? 18.6

Delonte West, Cleveland ? 16.2

Jeff Green, Oklahoma City ? 12.2

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

The Nets are preparing to face Jason Kidd in New Jersey for the first time since he was traded last season.

"My feeling was always that Jason would be here until he retired," Rod Thorn said Thursday. "No doubt, if he wanted to, he'd be with us until the very end, because he was one of those special guys. I thought that's how it had to be, because of what he meant to us."

Mavericks' forward Josh Howard was on the court for just 14 minutes on Monday and is hopeful that he'll return to the starting lineup soon.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle is trying to ease Howard back into his typical starting role, which means 35 minutes per game.

"I haven't really had a chance to practice," Howard said. "Of course, I have to get my reps out there on the practice court and it will come; that's all I can say."

Before missing 11 consecutive games, Howard had averaged 20.3 points and 8.2 rebounds.

"The major thing is for him to not start too early again and fall back again," said Dirk Nowitzki. "We need his athleticism back there. Hopefully, he'll stay in the lineup again, work his way up, get his wind back and be back to his old self in no time."

Many believe that the Pistons will field trade offers for forward Rasheed Wallace if the team continues to struggle.

"That's a 'Mark Cuban move,' " said an Eastern Conference executive. "Cuban would take Rasheed, no question. It would be bold, but he knows he's got to do something to spark his team."