MEMPHIS, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Juwan Howard picked up the slack for the injured Dirk Nowitzki Sunday, scoring 36 points while hitting 16 of 23 shots from the field to lead the Dallas Mavericks past the Memphis Grizzlies, 94-85.
Nowitzki missed the game with a sprained ankle, but Howard moved into a scoring role to offset a tremendous effort by the Grizzlies' Lorenzen Wright.
Wright had career highs of 33 points and 26 rebounds. A Memphis native, Wright was acquired in a trade with Atlanta during the offseason and addressed the fans of the NBA's newest city prior to Thursday night's home opener.
After a 90-80 loss to Detroit, Wright said he never wanted to win a game more than that one. The 6-11 center tried hard to celebrate his 26th birthday with a victory.
He dominated the paint on both ends, made 10 of 21 shots and 13 of 17 free throws. He also had nine offensive rebounds, a steal and a block, but it still wasn't enough to topple the Mavs.
Michael Finley scored 24 points and Tim Hardaway added 13 for Dallas, which improved to 20-4 all-time against the Grizzlies.
