MEMPHIS, Tenn. Buy Shoes Black Friday . -- 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. Wholesale Shoes Black Friday . -- James Harden scored 31 points, including 25 in the second half, and the Houston Rockets dug out of a double-digit, first-half hole to beat the Orlando Magic 101-89 on Wednesday night. Discount Shoes Black Friday . New York (16-9-8) took over first place in the Eastern Conference and has the best record in the league with one game remaining. Houstons five-game unbeaten streak was snapped, and the Dynamo (13-11-9) are sixth in the East with one game remaining.The New York Islanders have acquired the rights to pending unrestricted free agent defenceman Dan Boyle from the San Jose Sharks for a conditional 2015 fifth-round draft pick. If Boyle were to re-sign with the Islanders, the pick would become a fourth-round selection. Boyle, who will turn 38 in July, has spent the last seven seasons with the Sharks. A Stanley Cup winner with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004 and a 2010 Olympic gold medal winner with Canada, Boyle is heading into his 17th NHL season. Wholesale Shoes Black Friday Free Shipping. He had 12 goals and 24 assists for the Sharks last season. Boyle is a veteran of 954 NHL games. In his career, the native of Ottawa has tallied 144 and 417 assists. The Islanders can begin negotiating with Boyle at any time. Teams can sign unrestricted free agents as of July 1. ' ' '