Dirk Nowitzki scored a pressure jump shot with 1.3 seconds left to give Dallas a 101-99 win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, earning the Mavs eighth straight victory.

The game between the two NBA heavyweights had a playoff-like atmosphere, with Nowitzki sending the crowd into a frenzy after taking a pass from Jason Terry and slipping his shot over Shawn Marion to put Dallas ahead.

Phoenix had a chance to tie but Amare Stoudemire's shot bounced off the rim at the buzzer to end the Suns' eight-game road winning streak.

Dallas (22-7) started the season 0-4, but has had a 12-game win streak already this season in addition to its current eight-game run.

Phoenix (19-8) started the year 1-5 but won a franchise-record 15 straight before dropping two of its last three. The Mavericks and Suns also met in last year's Western Conference finals.

Terry led the Mavericks with 35 points and eight assists, while Nowitzki added 27 points and 10 rebounds.

Stoudemire led Phoenix with 25 points and 13 rebounds, and the Suns also got 24 points and 13 assists from Steve Nash. The Suns shot 51 percent from the field.

Tony Parker scored 22 points as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Utah Jazz 106-83, their 15th consecutive home victory over Utah.

Allen Iverson scored 44 points and had 10 assists in the Denver Nuggets' 112-98 win over the Seattle SuperSonics.

Source: Xinhua