The Utah Jazz were already reeling from the news that leading scorer Deron Williams had been traded. Then they ran into the Dallas Mavericks.

Dirk Nowitzki had 23 points to lead seven double-figure scorers, and the Mavericks cruised to a 118-99 victory Wednesday night.

Peja Stojakovic hit four 3-pointers and scored 18 points, and Shawn Marion contributed 16 points for the Mavericks, who stretched their winning streak to four games. Dallas has won 14 of its past 15 overall and eight straight at home.

"It's a good team even without Deron Williams," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "They had only one point guard so they had some makeshift lineups, but they can play. It was a win we needed to get."

Al Jefferson scored 30 points, Paul Millsap had 18 and Andrei Kirilenko 17 for the Jazz, who will have to snap a five-game losing streak as they revamp their lineup.

Associated Press

(China Daily 02/25/2011 page24)