NBA: Dallas 105, Denver 90

DALLAS, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Josh Howard had a career-high 30 points and 11 rebounds Saturday to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 105-90 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

Dirk Nowitzki added 25 points and nine rebounds and Jason Terry had 24 points for the Mavericks.

Carmelo Anthony had an off night, hitting only 8-of-26 shots on his way to an 18-point performance for Denver. J.R. Smith also scored 18 for Denver, while Marcus Camby had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets.

Dallas erupted for 41 points in the first quarter, and Denver played from behind the rest of the game.