Mavericks 102, Pistons 99: O.J. Mayo hit five 3-pointers en route to 22 points and Dirk Nowitzki scored four of his 12 points down the stretch as visiting Dallas handed Detroit its fourth straight loss.

Brandan Wright had 14 points in 19 minutes off the bench and Mike James added 12 points for the Mavericks, who shot 52.6 percent from the field and pulled back within five games of .500 at 28-33.

Brandon Knight scored 21 points, Greg Monroe collected 14 and 10 rebounds and Jason Maxiell added 12 and 13 as the Pistons lost their fifth straight home game.

James and Vince Carter hit two 3-pointers each in a 12-2 run to begin the fourth quarter and give Dallas an 88-73 lead with 9:44 to play. Detroit called a timeout and then started chipping away, eventually grabbing a 97-96 lead on rookie Khris Middleton’s 3-pointer with 2:29 left.

The Mavericks turned to Nowitzki and were rewarded with jumpers on two straight possessions from the former MVP that pushed them back into the lead. The Pistons missed four 3-point attempts in the final 35 seconds and Darren Collison hit a pair of free throws with 3.8 seconds left to provide the final margin.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Dallas F Shawn Marion (calf) missed the game. Rookie Jae Crowder started in his place and contributed two points and five assists in 26 minutes. … The Mavericks went 11-for-22 from 3-point range while Detroit struggled to 9-of-30 from beyond the arc. … Middleton finished with a season-high 14 points in 20 minutes off the bench for the Pistons.