Mavs whip Kings in overtime

SACRAMENTO: After each of the Dallas Mavericks’ seven losses to Sacramento over the past 10 months, Steve Nash insisted his team was good enough to beat the Kings in a big match.

Nash probably didn’t imagine the heroics he would have to perform just to prove it. The All-Star point guard hit a match-tying three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left in regulation, then scored 12 points in overtime as Dallas defeated Sacramento 129-123 on Sunday — avoiding a season sweep by another prime contender for the league title. Nash finished with 27 points and 10 assists as the Mavericks got their league-high 50th victory of the season. But it was Nash’s tying shot — set up by Michael Finley’s heady offensive rebound — that gave the Mavericks a momentum and confidence boost.

Despite the Mavericks’ run to the top of the league standings, they had lost seven of their previous eight matches against Sacramento: a 4-1 series defeat in last spring’s conference semifinals, and three straight losses this season. Dirk Nowitzki had 34 points and 18 rebounds, and Finley scored 21 points as the Mavericks displayed all of the poise and execution many doubted they could produce against the veteran Kings. It was a compelling match, but it still was only one fixture — as players and coaches on both sides were quick to point out. Elsewhere, Houston downed Phoenix 85-75; Philadelphia defeated New Jersey 92-87; Cleveland beat Utah 122-95; Minnesota beat Portland 111-95; Memphis crushed Atlanta 124-92; San Antonio defeated Chicago 108-97; New York beat Milwaukee 120-111; Seattle topped Denver 92-84; and the Los Angeles Clippers edged Toronto 111-110.