Mavs set franchise record with 61st win

DALLAS - Dirk Nowitzki took care of the personal milestone with his first shot. After his final surge, the

Dallas Mavericks got their record. Nowitzki scored 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, with eight straight in the final 1:56, as the Dallas Mavericks beat the

New York Knicks 105-103 Friday night for their franchise-record 61st victory.

The Mavericks, the top team in the NBA, have won nine straight games.

Stephon Marbury had a season-high 43 points, but his final shot was blocked by Josh Howard and rebounded by Devean George as the game ended. Marbury had twice put the Knicks ahead in the closing stretch, but also had a huge mistake.

A three-point play by Marbury put the Knicks up 101-100 with 1:18 left. Nowitzki then made two free throws, but Marbury answered with another basket.

The Mavericks went ahead for good after Nowitzki tried to give the ball up with a pass to a wide-open Jerry Stackhouse. After Stackhouse missed the 3-pointer, Nowitzki grabbed the rebound and made both free throws after being fouled.

Jason Terry then stole a pass by Marbury and hit the second free throw after being fouled with 17 seconds left. Marbury couldn't make up for his mistake, missing his last shot.

On his first basket of the game, Nowitzki surpassed 15,000 points. He came out of Wednesday night's game with a sore left ankle, playing only a minute after halftime, stuck at 14,999.