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Mavericks rally from 18 down to beat Celtics

Jerome Miron / USA TODAY Sports

BOSTON - Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 points, Wesley Matthews had 18 and the Dallas Mavericks erased an 18-point, first-half deficit to beat the Boston Celtics 106-102 on Wednesday night for their fifth straight victory.

Zaza Pachulia had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Mavericks. Deron Williams added 16 points, including consecutive key baskets.

Isaiah Thomas led Boston with 19 points. Jared Sullinger had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Avery Bradley scored 18 points as the Celtics had a three-game winning streak snapped.

Dallas trailed 89-82 after Thomas' jumper with just under 8 minutes to play before going on a 14-2 run over the ensuing 5:04.

The Celtics closed to 104-102 and had the ball for a chance to tie or take the lead, but Raymond Felton stole it from Thomas in the closing seconds. Williams then nailed two free throws, making him perfect on 30 attempts this season.

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