Matthews Three-Pointer Gives Mavericks Win Over Bulls, NBA Scores

By ESPN

Wesley Matthews was mad at himself after Jimmy Butler's clutch shot in the final minute. He exacted his revenge on the other side of the court.

Matthews made a go-ahead 3-pointer from the wing with 12 seconds left, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Chicago Bulls 99-98 on Tuesday night for their first three-game winning streak of the season.

"We've been struggling, it's been tough for 2 1/2 months, but guys kept hanging in and believing in each other," coach Rick Carlisle said. "Games like this give us even more confidence."

Six players scored in double figures for the Mavericks (14-27), including all five starters. Harrison Barnes had 20 points, Seth Curry added 18 and Dirk Nowitzki finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Dallas trailed 98-96 after Butler's long jumper over Matthews in a matchup of Marquette products with 23 seconds left, but Carlisle decided against a timeout and Deron Williams drove into the lane before kicking out to Matthews for the 3.

"Jimmy came down and made a great play. He went over the top of me and shot," Matthews said. "And I can't really take much credit for the other end of the court. D-Will came down in transition. I think everyone was expecting a timeout, which was a good play by Coach to not do that.

"D-Will made a great play, he found me, and I just had to knock it down."

Matthews then prevented Butler from getting a shot off in the final seconds, and Dwyane Wade missed a potential game-winning jumper from the corner on his 35th birthday.

"They did a good job of pressuring on us, making us make tough shots," Wade said. "Wes Matthews is a great defender and he did a great job of just pressuring Jimmy and making us get to other things at the end."

Butler finished with 24 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds for the Bulls, who had won two in a row. Robin Lopez scored 21, and Wade had 17 on 8-for-21 shooting.

Wade's fadeaway jumper gave the Bulls a 94-90 lead with 3:18 remaining, but they struggled to score down the stretch of another disappointing performance at home. Chicago (21-22) dropped to 13-9 at the United Center, including home losses to the under-.500 Knicks, Lakers, Trail Blazers, Timberwolves and Mavericks.

"We've just got to be better, man," Butler said. "It's the same mistakes over and over again."

Chicago played without forward Taj Gibson, sidelined by left ankle soreness. Paul Zipser, a second-round pick in last year's draft, started in Gibson's spot and finished with five points and three rebounds in his 13th game of the season.

Gibson, averaging 12 points and 7.3 rebounds, could return Friday night at Atlanta. He had played in every game this season.

Tuesday, January 17 Scoreboard

Toronto 119, Brooklyn 109

Miami 109, Houston 103

Dallas 99, Chicago 98

San Antonio 122, Minnesota 114

Denver 127, Los Angeles Lakers 121

Wednesday, January 18 Schedule (All Times Central)

Toronto at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.

Memphis at Washington, 6 p.m.

Portland at Charlotte, 6 p.m.

New York at Boston, 6:30 p.m.

Orlando at New Orleans, 7 p.m.

Milwaukee at Houston, 7 p.m.

Atlanta at Detroit, 7 p.m.

Oklahoma City at Golden State, 9:30 p.m.

Indiana at Sacramento, 9:30 p.m.