09 December,2009 12:00 PM IST | | AFP
Dirk Nowitzki scored 33 points and Josh Howard added 20 points in his return from a 13-game injury rehabilitation break to lead Dallas past Phoenix 102-101 in an NBA match-up on Tuesday night.
Howard missed the first five games of the season for the Mavericks, played in three, then sat out the past 13 games to rehabilitate his left ankle after surgery.
His work seemed to have paid off as Howard scored 18 points in the second half, 16 of them in a 22-13 run over the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth.
German star Nowitzki added eight rebounds for the Mavericks, who improved to 15-7 to stay atop the Southwest division.
The Suns sank three 3-point shots in the last 47.9 seconds to keep the pressure on the Mavericks to the finish but still lost for the fourth time in five games in tumbling to 15-7, second to the reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Pacific division.
Steve Nash, a Canadian guard, led Phoenix with 27 points while Jason Richardson added 25 and Amare Stoudemire contributed 20 for the Suns.
