The Basketball Diaries

Dallas Mavericks 111 Golden State Warriors 86

Stop the presses! The Mavericks have beaten a team with a winning record! Dirk Nowitzki returned to the lineup after missing the last four games with a high ankle sprain, and scored 18 points to help the Mavs get a big victory in the Western Conference playoff race. Though Dirk's return was nice for Dallas, it was probably the 31 points from Jason Terry that helped more than anything. The Warriors, meanwhile, now find themselves on the outside of the playoffs looking in, as they trail the Nuggets by a game for the eighth and final spot.

New Orleans Hornets 106 Miami Heat 77

One sign that the Hornets are a good team is that they win every game that they're supposed to. Sure, they've suffered a few losses in Detroit, Boston, and Houston, but they take care of business everywhere else. For a lot of young teams in New Orleans' position, Wednesday night's game against the Heat would have been a trap game. Not for New Orleans. The Hornets started and finished strong, outscoring the Heat 58-25 in the 1st and 4th quarters. Tyson Chandler didn't miss a single shot, and finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, David West had 22 points, and some guy named Chris Paul had 14 points and 10 assists.

Elsewhere...

• Hawks 127 Raptors 120 OT
• Celtics 92 Pacers 77
• Bucks 110 Wizards 109
• Cavs 118 Bobcats 114
• Grizzlies 130 Knicks 114
• Jazz 117 TWolves 100
• Clippers 102 Sonics 84
• Lakers 104 Blazers 91