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Dallas 94, Detroit 87

DALLAS, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- Michael Finley scored 34 points and Dirk Nowitzki exploded for 20 in the second half Tuesday night as the Dallas Mavericks won their opener at the American Airlines Center, 94-87 over the Detroit Pistons.

Coming off the best season in franchise history, Dallas is hoping to begin a new era of success in its new building, which is shared by the NHL's Dallas Stars. The Mavericks posted an 28-13 record at Reunion Arena last season and a change of surroundings did not change things.

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Finley made 14-of-28 shots from the floor and scored 12 points in the second quarter to keep the Mavericks afloat. Nowitzki missed all five of his shots in the first half and scored just one point as Dallas trailed at halftime, 44-40.

Nowitzki woke up in the second half, scoring nine points in the third quarter, including a 3-pointer that put Dallas ahead for good with 1:04 left. The shot sparked a 14-4 run that carried into the fourth quarter and put away the game.

Steve Nash had 14 points and 11 assists and Juwan Howard added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks. Shawn Bradley chipped in nine points and seven rebounds before fouling out.

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Jerry Stackhouse provided most of Detroit's offense, scoring 27 points on 7-of-19 shooting. He added six assists and eight rebounds.

Dell Curry was the only other Piston in double figures with 12 points and Dana Barros added nine and seven rebounds. Ben Wallace picked up where he left off last season with 12 rebounds and three blocked shots.

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