Dallas ? Steve Nash is a two-time All-Star, a superstar in his native Canada and widely respected as one of the best point guards in the world.

But he’d never had a triple-double until Monday night.

Nash guided a third-quarter Dallas rally that turned a 14-point deficit into an easy victory, then capped it by snatching his career-best 10th rebound in the final seconds of a 105-98 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Nash also had 14 points and 12 assists, giving him his first triple-double since high school in his 480th regular-season NBA game. It was the first by a Mavericks player since Michael Finley in December 2000 and the first by anyone in the team’s new arena, which is in its third season.

“I’ve always wanted to get one,” Nash said. “I didn’t want to make too big a deal about it so I wouldn’t be disappointed in case I didn’t get it. But after I got it, it was a good feeling.”

Nash’s secretiveness almost backfired. With about 1:30 left, teammate Antoine Walker didn’t think twice about using his six-inch height advantage to pull away a rebound of a missed free throw.

The crowd knew, though, and they groaned in disappointment. Hearing that, then seeing Nash continue buzzing around the court in search of caroms even though the win was secured was enough to let Dirk Nowitzki and the rest of the Mavs figure out what was happening.

Nash was finally rewarded with 9.9 seconds left when Damon Stoudamire missed a three-pointer on the game’s final shot.

Michael Finley led Dallas with a season-high 25 points, Nowitzki overcame a cold start to score 20, and Antawn Jamison scored 16 of his 20 during Nowitzki’s dry stretch to keep the Mavericks undefeated at home.

As the Trail Blazers' Damon Stoudamire defends, Dallas' Steve Nash, right, passes to a teammate during his first career triple-double game. Nash had 14 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds as the Mavericks won, 105-98, Monday in Dallas.

“Jamison kept them in the game in the first half. Nowitzki made some shots later, but Nash is the head of that team,” Portland coach Maurice Cheeks said. “He controls that team. When we were up by 13, he stepped up and made some big plays.”

Rasheed Wallace had a season-high 31 points and eight rebounds, and Zach Randolph had 26 points, a season-best 19 rebounds and six assists, but it wasn’t enough to keep Portland from falling to 0-4 on the road.

Bonzi Wells was replaced by rookie Matt Carroll with 4:17 left in the third quarter and didn’t return. Wells had 14 points in 28 minutes.

The game rekindled some of the same emotions and drama of their seesaw playoff series last spring, even though both teams have changed front-line players since.

In the postseason, Dallas won the first three games then lost the next three. In jeopardy of becoming the first team to lose a seven-game series after being up 3-0, the Mavs won Game 7 and went on to reach the Western Conference finals.

This time, Dallas was in control early, then Portland took over by getting physical and going inside. Portland opened the second half by hitting six of seven shots and led 67-53 midway through the third. Nowitzki was on the bench, having missed six straight shots since hitting his first two and looking out of sync.

Three straight three-pointers — two by Nash, one by Finley — got the Mavs and the crowd going. Then Nowitzki returned, giving Dallas its five best scorers on the court together, and he scored right away, ending a drought of more than 27 scoreless minutes.

The Mavs’ all-offense lineup tied the game at 71 and finished the quarter up by three. The Blazers received a three-pointer from Carroll and a three-point play from Wallace to go up by three early in the fourth, then Dallas answered with an 8-0 run to go ahead for good.

“We have the type of team that we have enough guys who can carry the load,” Finley said. “That was true today.”

Rockets 74, 76ers 66

Philadelphia — Cuttino Mobley scored 19 points, and Yao Ming and Jim Jackson each added 12 to lead Houston. The Rockets, who won for the seventh time in nine games, took a lead late in the first quarter and never trailed again. They led by as many as 15 in the fourth. The Rockets shot only 33 percent, but the Sixers were even worse at 32 percent. Houston went 9-for-28 from three-point range, while the Sixers missed all nine attempts.

Knicks 89, Celtics 86

New York — Michael Doleac scored the Knicks’ final four points and grabbed eight of his nine rebounds while playing the entire fourth quarter, helping New York defeat Boston. Doleac, subbing for starting center Dikembe Mutombo, hit the Knicks’ final shot from the field with 1:55 left, and his two free throws with 5.4 seconds remaining provided the final margin. Paul Pierce missed an off-balance three-pointer on Boston’s last possession. The win was only the third of the season for the Knicks, who got 26 points from Allan Houston and 21 from Keith Van Horn — 13 in the third quarter when the Knicks made up most of a big deficit.

Wizards 106, Hawks 97

Atlanta — Jarvis Hayes keyed a fourth-quarter run with a go-ahead three-pointer, and Washington snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Atlanta. Larry Hughes led the Wizards with 26 points, and Gilbert Arenas added 23. Washington outscored the Hawks 30-19 down the stretch, started by the three from Hayes. Hayes, who played for two years at Georgia, rebounded from a shaky start to finish with 16 points.

Jazz 90, Magic 88

Salt Lake City — Andrei Kirilenko scored 25 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, Matt Harpring had 14 points and 19 rebounds, and Utah extended Orlando’s losing streak to 10 straight games. Kansas University product Greg Ostertag had 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Carlos Arroyo had 16 points and five assists for the Jazz, who remained unbeaten at home.