Mavericks hand Hornets first loss of season

Jason Terry, Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki made pressure shots down the stretch to spoil the New Orleans Hornets' perfect start.

Terry scored 26 points, including the go-ahead jumper in the final minute, Nowitzki contributed 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the Dallas Mavericks handed the visiting Hornets their first loss of the season, 98-95, last night.

In the fourth quarter, Terry drained two three-pointers and had 10 points, Kidd connected on all three three-pointers, and Nowitzki added eight points and five rebounds.

Terry went 2-for-11 from the floor in the first half, but he stayed aggressive and hit seven of eight second-half shots.

"I was missing wide-open shots, ones that I practice," Terry said. "I'm a shooter, I'm going to keep shooting."

The Mavs rallied from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit with a three-guard lineup featuring Terry, Kidd and J.J. Barea to stretch their winning streak to four games.

"It was an attempt to get more playmaking into the game, get more penetration in the game," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "That was a gamble because when you go small, you don't have the length and they are a very long team. But the group that finished did a great job."

The teams have a rematch tomorrow night in New Orleans.

"It's special because it's like a mini-playoff series," Terry said. "And we held serve by winning at home, and now we go on the road. That's kind of fun, this early in the season to have something like that."

Chris Paul, averaging 17 points in the first eight games, went 8-for-11 from the field to send New Orleans to a 52-47 advantage at the break. Dallas made defensive changes that limited Paul to 1-for-5 shooting in the second half.

In other games:

* At Charlotte, Gerald Wallace scored 26 points, set a franchise record with 17 free throws made and had a key steal late as the Bobcats rallied to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 113-110.

* At Orlando, Dwight Howard had 18 points and 14 rebounds, Vince Carter scored 19 points and the Magic smothered the Memphis Grizzlies defensively for an 89-72 victory. Jameer Nelson. The Magic held the high-scoring Grizzlies to 36 percent shooting and their fewest points in a game in two seasons.

* At Salt Lake City, Kevin Durant scored 30 points, Serge Ibaka and Russell Westbrook added 22 apiece, and the Oklahoma City Thunder halted the Utah Jazz' five-game winning streak with a 115-108 victory.

* At Phoenix, Hakim Warrick scored 21 points to lead a balanced attack, helping the Suns overcome a 15-point, first-half deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets for the 12th straight time at home, 100-94.

In Suns news, center Robin Lopez is expected to miss several weeks with moderate sprains of two ligaments in his left knee.

* At Oakland, Monta Ellis scored 24 of his 27 points in the first half and the Golden State Warriors remained undefeated at home despite losing nearly all of a 32-point, first-half advantage, beating the Detroit Pistons, 101-97.