MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Dallas Mavericks have struggled at times this season to close out. They didnt let that happen against the Memphis Grizzlies. Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points, Brandan Wright added 17 and the Mavericks used a second-half surge to grab a 110-96 victory over Memphis on Wednesday night. "Weve obviously had a little trouble sometimes finishing games with leads, especially on the road," said Nowitzki, who was 10 of 14 from the field, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. "Teams are putting pressure on us and really getting into us, and we havent really responded well to that. But (against the Grizzlies) I thought we were solid." Samuel Dalembert and Monta Ellis had 14 points apiece and Dalembert added 10 rebounds. Vince Carter had 13 points and seven assists to help the Mavericks win their third straight game. Zach Randolph scored 25 points for Memphis, while Courtney Lee finished with 22. James Johnson added 17 and Nick Calathes scored 16 starting his third game in place of injured starting point guard Mike Conley. Dallas began its rally in the closing minutes of the third quarter and carried it into the fourth, eventually leading by as many as 17. The Mavericks are eighth in the Western Conference, two games ahead of the Grizzlies for the last playoff spot. Dallas also assured itself of winning the season series with its third win over Memphis this season. "If we would have won it, we would still be able to make the playoffs. If we lose, it doesnt change anything," said Memphis centre Marc Gasol, who had 12 points. "We have a lot of games left. . Of course, we would like to win every game, but if you lose, you move on. If you win, you move on. Theres no other way around it." The Mavericks dominated the paint, holding a 56-32 advantage in points and 35-32 edge on the glass. "To get 40, 50 points in the paint on them is impressive," Nowitzki said. "It means we were driving the ball and sharing. . Anytime we hold our own on the boards with this team and almost double them on points in the paint, thats a fantastic job for us." Memphis led 55-52 at halftime after having a basket taken away by a clock malfunction at the end of the half. Ellis scored with 10.1 seconds left, and on the ensuing Memphis possession Johnson appeared to hit a layup with less than a second left. But the clock didnt start properly following Ellis basket, and officials ruled that if it had, Johnson would not have gotten the shot off in time. "In the first half, we didnt defend very well," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "We knew we were going to play better in the second half." The Mavericks took their first lead of the game on a 3-pointer by Nowitzki early in the third period, but then the game settled into poor shooting on both sides. The result was a quarter with six ties and three lead changes. Dallas broke a 71-all tie by closing the period with a 7-1 push for a 78-72 lead. That started a 14-3 Mavericks rally spanning the quarters. When Wright converted a 3-point play with 8:27 left, Dallas had stretched the lead to 14 points. The Mavericks 110 points snapped a Memphis string of seven games during which the Grizzlies had not allowed an opponent to surpass 90 points. "They always have five guys on the floor that you have to guard, and they can all shoot," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. "I did a poor job at getting us ready against the multiple action pick-and-rolls that they ran. "Defensively, we were awful." NOTES: It took 7 minutes after the teams left the floor at halftime for officials to review the final play before disallowing Johnsons basket. ... Mavericks F Shawn Marion returned after missing two games with shoulder and rib contusions and had eight points. ... Calathes, who hadnt committed a turnover in the last two games starting for Conley, had six turnovers. ... Nowitzki has five straight games with at least 23 points. Oakland Athletics Store . He was with the New York Jets in 2011 when the NFL locked out their players after they failed to agree on a new contract. Willy went undrafted but was given a look by four NFL teams before heading north. Cheap Athletics Jerseys . -- New York Yankees centre fielder Jacoby Ellsbury was sent for an MRI Thursday of his ailing right calf, which was negative. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/115m-chris-bassitt-jersey-athletics.html . That was OK with him. He was just happy his team came away with two points. Letestu redirected Jack Johnsons shot from the point with 2:38 left, lifting the Blue Jackets past the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Monday night. Wholesale Athletics Jerseys . - The Jacksonville Jaguars are leaning more toward playing injured quarterback Blake Bortles against Tennessee on Thursday night. Athletics Jerseys 2019 . So he and his Toronto FC teammates say they will have no problem getting up for their Amway Canadian Championship final against rival Montreal Impact, even if the result doesnt count toward Major League Soccer standings.MONTREAL – The perseverance of Marty St. Louis continued to shine and inspire his teammates in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals as St. Louis scored 4:35 into the game and added an assist in a 7-2 Rangers win that gave New York a 1-0 series lead over the Montreal Canadiens. Ryan McDonagh tied a team record for most points by a defenseman in a playoff game with a goal and three assists but the rallying cry around St. Louis in his time of need also served as a major factor in the Rangers fourth straight win. "Its been an emotional time for everybody but the guys have been behind me and supporting me," St. Louis said after Game 1. "Their effort is unbelievable. We feel really close right now and were trying to keep feeding off that." Since his mother passed away suddenly on May 8, Rangers forward Marty St. Louis has found solace in the shelter of his team and hockey. With his team trailing 3-1 in their second round series with the Penguins, St. Louis decided to keep playing and while he didnt register any points in their 5-1 victory that night, his presence served as an inspiration that got even greater when he scored in their Game 6 win on Mothers Day. Since his mothers passing, St. Louis now has two goals and two assists and the team is feeding off his strength. "Its been a week of emotions," said goalie Henrik Lundqvist who made 20 savves in Game 1.dddddddddddd "Playing in the playoffs is so intense; you try to perform at a high level. At the same time a teammate trying to go through a rough time, so you try to be there as a support, and it makes you think a lot about a lot of things, not only hockey. So you go back and forth. Pay attention to your game and what you need to do, and obviously, other things are important in your life. But I think as a group in dealing with it the right way, we come together and work for one another, and you could see that in the Pittsburgh series. Games 5, 6 and 7, we played really well as a team, and we were on the same page. I think tonight we started the game really well. We set the tone the way we were playing and played just a smart game." On Friday night the wake for St. Louis mom was held in nearby Laval and the 38 year-old veteran didnt return to the team hotel until almost midnight. On Sunday, the team will accompany St. Louis to the funeral. "Its been very emotional for our whole group," head coach Alain Vigneault said following the game. "Hes handled it in an incredible way that probably has helped our team come closer together. Tomorrow is going to be a tough day for our group but we need to be there to support him." James Murphy is the host of Murphys Hockey Law Radio Show on Sirius/XM NHL Network Radio ' ' '