The Dallas Mavericks held off a late run to beat the New York Knicks 99- 89 on Monday night.

Dirk Nowitzki was the key figure that led the Mavericks to victory. The reigning league MVP scored a season-high 36 points and had seven rebounds. The other Mavs players that finished the game in double figures were: Josh Howard with 22 points and Jerry Stackhouse with his 13 points.

"I was fortunate to find the rhythm very quick," said Nowitzki, who hit 14-of-23 shots. "The last couple of weeks, my jumper didn't feel great. But from the beginning, I stayed aggressive, had some good looks. Pretty much I was on attack mode all night long."

Although this was the 11th time in the last 12 meetings when the Mavs have beaten the Knicks, Coach Avery Johnson was very upset with the fact that his players allowed a 23-point third-quarter cushion slip to seven late in the fourth quarter.

"We had a big enough lead and we should have kept it. The last two minutes or three minutes of the third quarter was absolutely pathetic. The guys who were in there let the whole team down. We can't afford the team to do that." Johnson said.

Dallas (14-8) shot a sizzling 54 per cent from the floor.

On the other side, it was Zach Randolph who led the team in scoring. He scored allhis 24 points in the second half, but this couldn’t help the Knicks (6-14) avoid losing their third straight game.

Jamal Crawford followed with 19 points and Fred Jones chipped in with 16.

A few hours before the game, Madison Square Garden and Thomas reached an 11.5- million-dollar settlement in the sexual harassment case brought by former team executive Anucha Browne Sanders.

"The outcome was a travesty of justice, and we vehemently disagree with the jury's decision," MSG said in a statement.



Other NBA results:

Philadelphia 76ers 100, Houston Rockets 88
Miami Heat 117, Phoenix Suns 113
Atlanta Hawks 98, Orlando Magic 87
Sacramento Kings 96, Milwaukee Bucks 93.