Dirk's late jumper lifts Mavs over Suns

Dirk Nowitzki hit a 19-foot jumper with 1.3 seconds left and the Dallas Mavericks rallied to beat the Phoenix Suns 101-99 on Thursday night for their eighth straight victory.

Nowitzki took a pass in the right wing from Jason Terry and made the shot over Shawn Marion.

The Suns had one more chance after a timeout and the inbound pass, but Amare Stoudemire's shot bounded off the front of the rim as time expired. That ended Phoenix's eight-game road winning streak.

Terry had 35 points and eight assists, setting up the final two Dallas baskets in the last 23 seconds.

Steve Nash, the two-time NBA MVP since leaving Dallas, had an ally-oop pass to Stoudemire with about a minute left to tie the game at 97.

Dallas and Phoenix were a combined 2-9 _ with one victory each _ after the Mavericks won the first meeting Nov. 9. They met again as division leaders with the top two winning percentages in the NBA. That initial victory by the Mavs started a 12-game winning streak, and the Suns have since set a franchise record by winning 15 in a row.