Mavs make it 14 straight

Finley scores career-high 42; Dallas dumps Detroit

? Michael Finley couldn’t be stopped by the league’s best defensive team, leading the Dallas Mavericks within one victory of matching the best start in NBA history.

Finley was at his best Wednesday night, scoring a career-high 42 points before leaving for good with more than 8 minutes left as Dallas defeated the Detroit Pistons 102-82.

With a 14-0 record, the Mavericks will be looking to match the best start in NBA history ” 15-0 by Washington in 1948-49 and Houston in 1993-94 ” when they play at Indiana on Thursday night.

“We’ll have our hands full in Indiana,” Mavs coach Don Nelson said. “If we get beat, it’s no big deal.”

The big deal against Detroit was the way Finley scored almost at will.

He shot 13-for-28 from the field and 15-for-17 from the line while adding 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals as the Mavericks, for the second time this month, steamrolled the Pistons in a matchup of two of the top teams from either conference.

After leading by as many as 52 in a 114-75 victory against Detroit on Nov. 9, the Mavs turned this one into a laugher during the third quarter. So comfortable were the Mavs in the fourth that Nelson ran three consecutive isolation plays for Finley to allow him to surpass his previous career high of 39.

“When you come into an environment like this, you have to play aggressive and play championship-type basketball,” Finley said.

Dallas guard Michael Finley shoots over Detroit's Jon Barry in Auburn Hills, Mich. The Mavericks beat the Pistons 102-82 on Wednesday in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Magic 112, Lakers 102

Orlando, Fla. ” Tracy McGrady had 38 points and nine assists, and Mike Miller added 22 points as Orlando broke a seven-game losing streak against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Darrell Armstrong, coming off the bench for the first time this season, scored 14 points ” 11 in the fourth quarter. Orlando’s reserves outscored Los Angeles’ 24-7.

Starting in a point forward role was Grant Hill, who had nine points, 10 rebounds and four assists despite sitting out the fourth quarter because of pain in his surgically repaired left ankle.

Knicks 87, Raptors 81

Toronto ” Allan Houston scored 30 points and Lee Nailon had 10 of his 15 in the fourth quarter as New York won its first road game of the season and spoiled Vince Carter’s return to the Toronto lineup.

Kurt Thomas added 18 points for the Knicks, who improved to 1-4 on the road and 3-10 overall. The Knicks, who have won just two of their last eight made 11 of their 12 free throws down the stretch.

76ers 83, Heat 74

Philadelphia ” Allen Iverson scored 13 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter, leading Philadelphia to its fifth straight victory.

Eric Snow scored 13 points and Keith Van Horn added 12 for the Atlantic Division-leading Sixers, who improved to 9-0 at home and 12-4 overall.

Timberwolves 90, Kings 74

Minneapolis ” Kevin Garnett had 20 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season as the Minnesota snapped Sacramento’s six-game winning streak.

Gary Trent added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Rasho Nesterovic had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolves, who won for the fourth time in five games.

Bucks 112, Cavaliers 80

Milwaukee ” Sam Cassell scored 30 points as Milwaukee sent Cleveland to its 12th straight loss.

Michael Redd added a season-high 25 points for the Bucks, who played without starters Ray Allen (sprained right ankle) and Anthony Mason (strained left hamstring).

Celtics 92, Bulls 82

Boston ” Paul Pierce scored 30 points and Tony Battie had 16 points and nine rebounds as Boston won its fourth straight.

Pierce, who also had nine rebounds and six assists, has led the way for Boston during its winning streak by averaging 29 points and 11 rebounds in that stretch.

Grizzlies 117, SuperSonics 99

Memphis, Tenn. ” Jason Williams scored a season-high 28 points and had six assists as Memphis won its second straight.

The Grizzlies, who lost 13 straight to open the season, shot 59.3 percent from the field and had six players in double figures, including 23 by rookie Drew Gooden on 10-of-14 shooting from the field.

Spurs 99, Nuggets 68

San Antonio ” Stephen Jackson scored 22 points to lead San Antonio past Denver, which set an NBA record by scoring just three points in the first quarter.

The three points broke the previous first-quarter record of four scored by Sacramento on Feb. 4, 1987, against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Hornets 106, Hawks 94

New Orleans ” Baron Davis had 16 points and 11 assists as New Orleans remained unbeaten at home.

David Wesley and Jamal Mashburn each added 16 as seven Hornets, including all five starters, scored in double figures and New Orleans improved to 9-0 at home.

Suns 82, Nets 75

Phoenix ” Shawn Marion had 22 points, scoring the last two from the foul line after rebounding the miss of Jason Kidd’s desperation 3-pointer, as Phoenix beat New Jersey.

Kidd, a former Suns star who was booed throughout the first half, led the Nets with 17 points.

Rockets 91, Warriors 84

Oakland, Calif. ” Kelvin Cato scored a season-high 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Houston defeated Golden State. Yao Ming added 14 points and eight rebounds in 17 minutes.