Associated Press
The NBA roundup …
ATLANTA ó Hawks coach Mike Woodson winced every time Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry pulled up for jumpers in the fourth quarter.
“It just happened to go our way in the end,” Woodson said. “Our defense helped as well, especially when we had to have it down the stretch.”
Joe Johnson scored 24 points, and reserve Flip Murray had 19 in the Atlanta Hawks’ seventh straight victory, 95-87 over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.
The Hawks moved four games ahead of the fifth-place Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference standings.
Dallas has lost three of four to drop 1 1/2 behind seventh-place Utah in the Western Conference, but the Mavericks are still 31/2 ahead of Phoenix for the eighth and final playoff spot.
Nowitzki scored 23 points and 12 rebounds, but he and Terry combined to go just 2-for-10 in the fourth quarter. The Mavs finished 6-for-31 on 3-point attempts, including a combined 0-for-8 in the final period from Terry and Jason Kidd.
Cavaliers 97, Trail Blazers 92, OT
CLEVELAND ó LeBron James had 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his 24th career triple-double, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 97-92 overtime win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.
Cleveland committed only two turnovers, tying an NBA record, while setting a franchise record and marking the lowest total in the NBA this season.
James scored six points in the overtime period.
Brandon Roy led the Trail Blazers with 24 points.