DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki vividly remembers watching Hakeem Olajuwon from his home in Germany as a teenager in the 1990s.
That’s one of the reasons his latest move up the NBA scoring list was special for the 7-foot Dallas star. Another would be the milestone coming at home when the Mavericks rallied from 24 points down to win.
Nowitzki had 23 points to surpass Olajuwon as the highest-scoring player born outside the U.S., and the Mavericks came from way behind on Tuesday night to beat Sacramento 106-98 for their 21st straight regular-season win at home against the Kings.
“You know to pass ‘The Dream’ is unbelievable,” said the 36-year-old Nowitzki, in his 17th season with the Mavericks. “He was unguardable on the block. His footwork, his skill level, his hands, his touch was second to none, so I’m pretty proud.”
Nowitzki hit a jumper from just inside the 3-point line early in the fourth quarter to pass Olajuwon at No. 9, and he finished the night at 26,953 career points. That’s seven more than the 7-footer from Nigeria, who starred for 17 years in Houston before retiring in 2002 after one season in Toronto.
Before Nowitzki’s milestone, Monta Ellis scored 10 of 16 points in the third quarter, including a fadeaway 3-pointer at the buzzer after the Mavericks had taken their first lead.
Rudy Gay scored 26 and Ramon Sessions had 18 for the Kings, who were outscored 58-28 from the middle of the second quarter to the end of the third.
“What’s the word I’m looking for?” asked DeMarcus Cousins, who had 16 points, 11 rebounds and five assists but combined with Gay for 12 of Sacramento’s 20 turnovers, 15 in the second half. “Trying to say this without getting in trouble. They had a momentum swing.”
Chandler Parsons, who was 2 of 20 from the field the previous two games, scored eight points in a little more than a minute to get the Mavericks within five in the third, and Ellis put them in front for the first time on a layup for a 69-67 lead.
Parsons finished with 19 points and was 5 of 11 from 3-point range after missing all 11 from beyond the arc in the previous three games. Tyson Chandler had his third straight double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
RAPTORS 104, MAGIC 100
TORONTO — Kyle Lowry scored 19 points, Terrence Ross had 17 and the Toronto Raptors erased an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Orlando, their ninth consecutive victory over the Magic.
DeMar DeRozan had 16 points and Lou Williams scored eight of his 14 in the fourth as the Eastern Conference leaders won their fifth straight game overall and improved to 7-1.
Ross grabbed the rebound on a potential tying jump shot by Tobias Harris with 2 seconds left. Toronto has won its first five home games for the first time since 2003-04.
Evan Fournier scored 24 and Harris had 23 points and 13 rebounds for Orlando, which lost its second straight.
GRIZZLIES 107, LAKERS 102
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Mike Conley scored 23 points and the Grizzlies finally got a strong effort from their struggling bench to beat the Lakers.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers (1-6) with 28 points, but shot 10 of 26 from the field and surpassed Boston Celtics great John Havlicek for the most missed field goals in an NBA career.
Reserve guard Wayne Ellington was not with the Lakers after his father was killed in Philadelphia on Sunday night.
Backup guard Beno Udrih had 16 points for Memphis. Courtney Lee scored 15 as six Grizzlies finished in double figures, including Zach Randolph with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
BUCKS 85, THUNDER 78
MILWAUKEE — O.J. Mayo scored 19 points and Brandon Knight added 16 as the Bucks held off a late Oklahoma City rally to beat the Thunder.
Reggie Jackson had 29 points, nine above his season average, for Oklahoma City. Serge Ibaka added 14 as the Thunder fell to 0-5 on the road.
The Bucks led by five after three quarters and extended their lead to as much as 11 in the fourth. Oklahoma City cut the lead to four on two free throws by Ibaka with 31 seconds left but got no closer.
TRAIL BLAZERS 102, HORNETS 100
PORTLAND, Ore. — Damian Lillard had 29 points and the Trail Blazers trailed by as many as 23 points in the first half before rallying in the fourth quarter to beat the Hornets.
Charlotte’s Gary Neal made a layup at the final buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime, but the refs reversed the call after a review.
LaMarcus Aldridge added 25 points and 14 rebounds for the Blazers, who have won four of their last five games and improved to 5-1 at the Moda Center.
SPURS 113, WARRIORS 100
OAKLAND, Calif. — Tony Parker had 28 points and seven assists, Kawhi Leonard scored 19 and the Spurs beat the Warriors.
The defending NBA champions played their aging Big Three — Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan — on consecutive nights to pull off California’s most difficult back-to-back. The Spurs rallied past the Clippers 89-85 on Monday in Los Angeles before cooling off one of the league’s hottest teams in Oakland.
Klay Thompson scored 29 points, and Harrison Barnes had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Warriors, who have lost two straight after a 5-0 start under new coach Steve Kerr.
By wire sources