Basketball
Dirk Nowitzki matched his season high with 39 points and new starter J.J. Barea provided quite a spark in the fourth quarter, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 112-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night.
The Cleveland Cavaliers keep rolling at home while the Boston Celtics have been unbeatable almost anywhere. The Eastern Conference's two best teams look better every day. LeBron James scored 21 points then grabbed an early seat on the bench as the Cavaliers improved to 10-0 on their own floor for the first time in their history and won their 14th in 15 games, 118-82 over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
Philadelphia forward Elton Brand will miss Friday's game at Detroit with a strained right hamstring.
