NBA: Marvin Bagley III's 22 points help Mavericks take down skidding Nets

Marvin Bagley III scored 22 points off the bench, including a clutch basket down the stretch, as the Dallas Mavericks grabbed a 123-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night. The Mavericks went ahead for good in the first quarter and never looked back.

The blizzard in the New York area forced Dallas to arrive from Indianapolis earlier in the day, while Brooklyn flew in from Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon.

Bagley made 10 of 13 shots, finishing just one point shy of his season high, and helped the Mavericks snap a 10-game losing streak with their second straight win. Dallas reserves combined for 61 points, with Naji Marshall scoring six of his 21 in the fourth quarter and Brandon Williams adding 11 of his 19 after halftime. The team shot 58.5%, scored 66 points in the paint, and gave coach Jason Kidd his 200th win with Dallas.

Klay Thompson contributed 17 points, hitting five of Dallas’ eight 3-pointers. Max Christie and P.J. Washington each added 13 points, though Washington appeared to tweak his ankle late in the game.

For Brooklyn, Michael Porter Jr. led with 26 points but missed two shots on consecutive possessions, stalling the Nets’ comeback. Noah Clowney added 22 points as Brooklyn dropped its fifth straight game. Terance Mann scored 17, and Nic Claxton finished with 16 points and nine assists as the Nets shot 51.2%.

The Mavericks’ lead never exceeded 15, and the Nets cut it to 104-102 with 7:42 left when Mann hit consecutive 3-pointers. Dallas saw the lead shrink to 115-111 after Clowney made two free throws with 2:43 remaining, but Marshall hit a tough layup 20 seconds later. Bagley sealed the win with a layup past rookie Egor Demin to make it 119-111 with 1:43 left.

Dallas opened the game strong, taking a 36-29 first-quarter lead and holding a 76-64 advantage at halftime after building two separate 15-point leads in the second quarter. The Nets stayed close in the third, cutting the deficit to 89-83 on Porter’s 18-footer with 3:44 left, but Dallas maintained a 99-91 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

-Field Level Media/Reuters