Mavericks down Grizzlies

MEMPHIS — Josh Howard scored 26 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 20 to power the Dallas Mavericks to a 103-84 road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in NBA action Monday.

Nowitzki also hauled down 11 rebounds for the Mavericks, who took control of the game in the first quarter when they outscored the Grizzlies 33-19.

"I think the first quarter really set the tone for us," Nowitzki said. "We didn’t want to trade baskets and get their confidence up and all of a sudden they make shots. Then, you’re in trouble."

The win was Dallas’ fourth straight win and 12th in the last 14 games. It was also the Mavs’ 13th consecutive over Memphis.

Dallas next plays Boston, Detroit and Orlando on a four-game trip before returning home Feb. 6 for a game against Milwaukee.

Jason Terry chipped in with 14 points for the Mavericks, who played without the injured Devin Harris and Jerry Stackhouse.

Rudy Gay scored 18 points for Memphis, Kyle Lowry added 17, Juan Carlos Navarro 16 and Pau Gasol came up with 13 for the Grizzlies, who have lost their third game in the last four.

The red-hot New Orleans Hornets cruised to their ninth straight victory, crushing the Denver Nuggets 117-93.

Chris Paul led the way with 23 points, 17 assists and nine rebounds as the Hornets improved to 12-1 for January and moved

within one win of a franchise record for consecutive victories.

Fans shouted "MVP" as Paul shot free throws in the third quarter while New Orleans coach Byron Scott said the Hornets point guard was deserving of a mention for the league award.

"For what he’s been able to achieve, for how he’s played and how we’ve played as a team, you have to give him some recognition for that award," Scott said.

Five other Hornets scored in double figures with Peja Stojakovic getting 19 and Melvin Ely scoring 16. Tyson Chandler worked the boards for 16 rebounds and 10 points.

"The biggest reason (for the team’s recent success) has been that our bench has played much better," Scott said. "Our starters have been fantastic all season, but when our bench plays as well as our starting five, we’re going to be tough to beat."

Allen Iverson led the injury-depleted Nuggets with 23 points, topping the 22,000 point mark for his career in the third quarter.

High-scoring Carmelo Anthony missed his fourth consecutive game with a sprained left ankle.

"Right now we are struggling to score points, but we caught a great team," Nuggets coach George Karl said.