Mavs Hand Wiz 6th Straight L

Donn Nelson took good care of the Dallas Mavericks during his 21-game stint in place of his ailing father.

Michael Finley scored 26 points and Dirk Nowitzki had 25 points and 10 rebounds as the Mavericks stretched Washington's losing streak to six games with a 112-105 victory over the Wizards on Saturday night.

The younger Nelson compiled a 13-8 record filling in for his dad, Don, who returns to the bench for Tuesday night's game against the Lakers. Don Nelson has been at his off-season home in Maui recovering from prostate cancer surgery since early January and will rejoin the team on Sunday.

"We didn't lose significant ground," said the younger Nelson. "I expected that coming in. This is the kind of team that can coach itself. All 12 guys stepped up and contributed."

Steve Nash added 16 points and nine assists, and Greg Buckner had 11 points for the Mavericks, winners of five of their last seven.

The players said they wanted to give Donn Nelson a victory in his last game.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was missing from his regular baseline seat as he began a two-game league suspension. Cuban was also fined $10,000 by the league for running onto the court during an altercation between Dallas and Cleveland players and coaches in the closing seconds of Thursday night's game.

Juwan Howard had 27 points and 11 rebounds and Mitch Richmond added 23 points for the Wizards, who got as close as 108-102 on Howard's 15-foot jumper with 1:30 left.

Nash, the league' leading free throw shooter, missed two of four foul shots in the final minute, but the Wizards were unable to take advantage.

Wizards coach Leonard Hamilton was pleased with his team's energy level and its 50 percent shooting.

"We played with a very determined attitude, but we came up just short," Hamilton said. "It wasn't from a lack of effort. We couldn't quite get over the hump."

Mavericks center Shawn Bradley, who finished with 10 points, made three baskets during a stretch of 3:24 in the fourth quarter, the third giving Dallas a 105-96 lead with 3:16 to play.

"They were able to penetrate and Bradley got a couple inside that hurt us," Howard said. "Finley hit some tough shots. That got the crowd into it."

Dallas was ahead by as many as 13 points early in the third quarter and carried an 86-79 advantage into the final quarter.

After trailing by as many as nine in the first quarter, the Mavericks took a 59-55 halftime lead behind Finley's 17 points.

Finley said he expected the Wizards to put up a fight despite their 12-40 record.

"I wasn't surprised at all," Finley said. "I talked to Juwan (Howard) before the game and they were off yesterday so I knew they'd have their legs. Defensively we weren't as sharp as we needed to be. This wasn't one of the prettiest wins we've had, but it's a win."

While his teammates struggled offensively, Finley kept the Mavericks close early with 11 first-quarter points.

"I have confidence in myself," Finley said. "If the team is a little sluggish I demand the ball in those situations and the coach usually calls my number. It worked out for us tonight and and it usually does."

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