Close only counts in horse shoes, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the NBA's all-time biggest losers.
Jason Terry scored 23 points, including a huge jumper with 36 seconds left, and the surging Dallas Mavericks sent the free-falling Cavaliers to their history-making 25th consecutive loss, 99-96 on Monday night.
After setting the record for most consecutive losses in a single season on Saturday against Portland, the Cavaliers broke their own all-time record for futility, bridging the 81-82 and 82-83 seasons.
"We came out and played against a very, very good basketball team and fought them tooth and nail all the way down to the end," Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott said. "I have no qualms about the way we played.
"Just like I said to the guys afterward, we've just got to keep playing like that and it's going to happen. It's going to happen real soon."
Shawn Marion had 17 points and 10 rebounds, German juggernaut Dirk Nowitzki scored 12 despite a sore right wrist while Tyson Chandler also had 12 with 11 rebounds as the Mavericks (36-15) stretched the NBA's longest active winning streak to nine games.
"Everybody put such a big emphasis on this game just because of their record," Marion said. "You just can't go out there expecting to blow a team out just because they've got 20-something losses in a row. I watched how hard they competed out there. They've just had some bad luck, that's all it is."
J.J. Hickson had 26 points with 12 rebounds, Ramon Sessions added 19 points and 13 assists for Cleveland (8-44), which hasn't won since Dec. 18 at New York.
Trailing by 10 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining, the Cavs mounted a 7-0 run to close within 97-94. Terry, however, buried a 15-pointer to put the Mavs ahead by five.
Hickson's basket got Cleveland back within 99-96 with 30 seconds remaining. When Sessions stole the ball from Nowitzki, the Cavs had a shot to square it at the buzzer.
Anthony Parker came down in transition and launched a straightaway 28-foot three-point attempt that bounced high off the front rim with five seconds left.
Antawn Jamison ran down the rebound and passed it to Cavs teammate Jamario Moon. Instead of taking the final shot, he sent it back to Jamison, but time expired and the hard-luck Cavs had their franchise-record 26th consecutive road loss.
"It is disappointing to come up short again," said Parker who finished with seven points. "I thought we fought hard and played the right way. We just have to keep at it.
"We are there, we are close," he continued. "We are making great strides, we are doing things the right way and the signs are there. We are improving, but the next thing is we have to get over that hump."
Elsewhere: Houston Rockets 108, Denver Nuggets 103 Kevin Martin scored 37 points, Argentine Luis Scola added 25 and the visiting Rockets (25-28)withstood Carmelo Anthony's career-high-tying 50 to slip past the short-handed Nuggets (30-22), playing without flu-ridden starting centre Nene).
Charlotte Bobcats 94, Boston Celtics 89 Gerald Wallace had 19 points, 16 rebounds and a pair of clinching free throws with three seconds left, and the Bobcats relied on their bench to overcome the early second quarter ejection of their top scorer Stephen Jackson to bounce the visiting Celtics.
Reserves Shaun Livingston had a season-high 18 points, Gerald Henderson had 15 and Eduardo Najera buried a big three with 1:48 to go as Charlotte's ((22-29) second unit outscored the Celtics' substitutes 44-15 to snap a six-game slide in the series.
Ray Allen scored 25 points, Paul Pierce added 22 points while Rajon Rondo finished with 10 and 14 assists in Boston's (38-13) second loss in the last three games.
LA Lakers 93, Memphis Grizzlies 84 Kobe Bryant scored 19 points, Lamar Odom had 15 with 11 rebounds and the visiting Lakers (36-16) went on a late game-breaking 11-0 to earn a split of the four-game season series.
Sam Young led Memphis (27-26) with career-high-tying high 22 points.
Minnesota Timberwolves 104, New Orleans Hornets 92 Kevin Love had 27 points with 17 rebounds and the T-Wolves (12-39) overcame injury losses to starters Michael Beasley (left leg) along with Darko Milicic (left hip flexor) to move to 3-23 on the road this season.
Chris Paul had 17 points with 13 assists in the Hornets' (32-21), third straight setback.
Phoenix Suns 104, Golden State Warriors 92 Channing Frye had 19 points with 11 rebounds, Steve Nash added 14 points with 15 assists, and the hot-shooting Suns (24-25) drilled 13 threes to fire past the Warriors.
Monta Ellis scored 21 points for host Golden State (22-28), which hit just 2-of-18 threes.
Utah Jazz 107, Sacramento Kings 104 Al Jefferson scored 23 points, Deron Williams had 21 with nine =assists and the visiting Jazz (31-22) won its second straight following a six-game slide.
DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points with 14 rebounds for the Kings (12-36), losers of three in a row.
Jason Terry scored 23 points, including a huge jumper with 36 seconds left, and the surging Dallas Mavericks sent the free-falling Cavaliers to their history-making 25th consecutive loss, 99-96 on Monday night.
After setting the record for most consecutive losses in a single season on Saturday against Portland, the Cavaliers broke their own all-time record for futility, bridging the 81-82 and 82-83 seasons.
"We came out and played against a very, very good basketball team and fought them tooth and nail all the way down to the end," Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott said. "I have no qualms about the way we played.
"Just like I said to the guys afterward, we've just got to keep playing like that and it's going to happen. It's going to happen real soon."
Shawn Marion had 17 points and 10 rebounds, German juggernaut Dirk Nowitzki scored 12 despite a sore right wrist while Tyson Chandler also had 12 with 11 rebounds as the Mavericks (36-15) stretched the NBA's longest active winning streak to nine games.
"Everybody put such a big emphasis on this game just because of their record," Marion said. "You just can't go out there expecting to blow a team out just because they've got 20-something losses in a row. I watched how hard they competed out there. They've just had some bad luck, that's all it is."
J.J. Hickson had 26 points with 12 rebounds, Ramon Sessions added 19 points and 13 assists for Cleveland (8-44), which hasn't won since Dec. 18 at New York.
Trailing by 10 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining, the Cavs mounted a 7-0 run to close within 97-94. Terry, however, buried a 15-pointer to put the Mavs ahead by five.
Hickson's basket got Cleveland back within 99-96 with 30 seconds remaining. When Sessions stole the ball from Nowitzki, the Cavs had a shot to square it at the buzzer.
Anthony Parker came down in transition and launched a straightaway 28-foot three-point attempt that bounced high off the front rim with five seconds left.
Antawn Jamison ran down the rebound and passed it to Cavs teammate Jamario Moon. Instead of taking the final shot, he sent it back to Jamison, but time expired and the hard-luck Cavs had their franchise-record 26th consecutive road loss.
"It is disappointing to come up short again," said Parker who finished with seven points. "I thought we fought hard and played the right way. We just have to keep at it.
"We are there, we are close," he continued. "We are making great strides, we are doing things the right way and the signs are there. We are improving, but the next thing is we have to get over that hump."
Elsewhere: Houston Rockets 108, Denver Nuggets 103 Kevin Martin scored 37 points, Argentine Luis Scola added 25 and the visiting Rockets (25-28)withstood Carmelo Anthony's career-high-tying 50 to slip past the short-handed Nuggets (30-22), playing without flu-ridden starting centre Nene).
Charlotte Bobcats 94, Boston Celtics 89 Gerald Wallace had 19 points, 16 rebounds and a pair of clinching free throws with three seconds left, and the Bobcats relied on their bench to overcome the early second quarter ejection of their top scorer Stephen Jackson to bounce the visiting Celtics.
Reserves Shaun Livingston had a season-high 18 points, Gerald Henderson had 15 and Eduardo Najera buried a big three with 1:48 to go as Charlotte's ((22-29) second unit outscored the Celtics' substitutes 44-15 to snap a six-game slide in the series.
Ray Allen scored 25 points, Paul Pierce added 22 points while Rajon Rondo finished with 10 and 14 assists in Boston's (38-13) second loss in the last three games.
LA Lakers 93, Memphis Grizzlies 84 Kobe Bryant scored 19 points, Lamar Odom had 15 with 11 rebounds and the visiting Lakers (36-16) went on a late game-breaking 11-0 to earn a split of the four-game season series.
Sam Young led Memphis (27-26) with career-high-tying high 22 points.
Minnesota Timberwolves 104, New Orleans Hornets 92 Kevin Love had 27 points with 17 rebounds and the T-Wolves (12-39) overcame injury losses to starters Michael Beasley (left leg) along with Darko Milicic (left hip flexor) to move to 3-23 on the road this season.
Chris Paul had 17 points with 13 assists in the Hornets' (32-21), third straight setback.
Phoenix Suns 104, Golden State Warriors 92 Channing Frye had 19 points with 11 rebounds, Steve Nash added 14 points with 15 assists, and the hot-shooting Suns (24-25) drilled 13 threes to fire past the Warriors.
Monta Ellis scored 21 points for host Golden State (22-28), which hit just 2-of-18 threes.
Utah Jazz 107, Sacramento Kings 104 Al Jefferson scored 23 points, Deron Williams had 21 with nine =assists and the visiting Jazz (31-22) won its second straight following a six-game slide.
DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points with 14 rebounds for the Kings (12-36), losers of three in a row.
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