LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The Mavericks built a 12-point lead with 2:50 to play, gave away all but two points of it, and still managed to hang on. Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points and Jose Calderon added 19 in the 113-107 win over the Clippers on Thursday night, the Mavericks first against Los Angeles this season. Blake Griffin had 25 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in his first triple-double of the season for the Clippers, who had won 17 of their previous 19, including four straight. They beat the Mavs in their first three meetings of the season, coming from behind each time. A night earlier, the Clippers came back from a 17-point deficit to beat Phoenix on the road, clinching their second straight Pacific Division title and third consecutive playoff berth. They nearly pulled it off again. Trailing by 12 points, Los Angeles scored 10 in a row, including six by Darren Collison, to trail 109-107 with 1:26 left. The Mavericks missed four straight shots and had a turnover before Griffin fouled Nowitzki near mid-court. "The win was nice; not so much the last couple of minutes," Nowitzki said. "We started giving the ball away again. (J.J.) Redick made some shots to actually give them the lead, which is unbelievable after we just had a 10-point lead. But Im glad we survived." Nowitzki made both of his free throws for a 111-107 lead with 17 seconds left. Collison fouled Shawn Marion and he made both to keep the Clippers down by six. "We ran out of miracles," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. Samuel Dalembert and Monta Ellis added 12 points each, and Vince Carter had 16 for the Mavs, who won their third straight on a road while battling Memphis for the eighth and last Western Conference playoff spot. "It was a big win for us against a very good team, a team we hadnt beaten yet this year and a team that hasnt lost much on their home floor," Nowitzki said. "Were going to keep fighting. Theres six games left and theres plenty of challenges for us down the road." Dallas had the Clippers trailing for much of their last matchup of the season against each other. Los Angeles rallied to tie it 89-all early in the fourth on two free throws by Redick, who finished with 12 points in his first game since Feb. 3. He missed 25 games with a bulging disk in his back. "I felt limited by my rustiness," said Redick, usually a starter. "I felt like I couldve given us a bigger boost and didnt do that. I havent moved at that speed in two months. Definitely my brain wasnt reacting well." Nowitzki led a 10-0 run, sandwiching 3-pointers around a basket by Carter, to put Dallas back in front 99-89. A 3-pointer by Carter extended the Mavs lead to 104-93. Dallas clamped down on Chris Paul and Griffin for a stretch before the Clippers got hot. Paul finished with 17 points and nine assists. "We needed every single point of it," Nowitzki said. "The way we give away leads is sometimes mindboggling." DeAndre Jordan added 21 points and 15 rebounds, and Collison had 22 points for the Clippers. "We just ran out of time," Paul said. "We waited too long. Its a tough loss because we could have found a way to win." The Clippers rallied to start the third, using a 13-7 run to take a 69-65 lead. Jordan scored six points and four others scored. But their lead was short-lived. Dallas outscored the Clippers 21-12 to end the third leading 86-81. Calderon scored 10 in a row, Dalembert and Ellis had four each, and Carter and Devin Harris hit 3-pointers to keep the Clippers from regaining the lead. The Mavericks led by 11 twice in the first half, and were up 58-56 at halftime. NOTES: Clippers backup G Jamal Crawford missed his third straight game with a sore left Achilles tendon. F Danny Granger sat out with a strained left hamstring. Coach Doc Rivers said hed be surprised if either of them return before the playoffs begin in two weeks. ... The Mavs avoided getting swept by the Clippers for the first time since 1993-94. ... It was Griffins fourth triple-double of his career. Glenn Hubbard Jersey . SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. Tony Phillips Jersey . -- The Denver Broncos retired John Elways No. http://www.athleticsrookiestor.....ds-Jersey/ . He will play 10th-seeded Feliciano Lopez in Sundays final, after the Spanish left-hander defeated Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic 7-6 (7), 6-4. Jose Canseco Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Steve Mason, Philadelphia (4) - Mason was brilliant all night long with save after big save on Benoit Pouliot, Carl Hagelin and Derick Brassard. Reggie Jackson Jersey . Notes on Bergeron, Marchand, Gorges, Vanek, Gaborik, Doughty, Hiller and more. BRUINS STORM BACK TO TAKE GAME TWO The Boston Bruins rallied from a 3-1 deficit, scoring four unanswered goals, to win Game Two, 5-3 over the Montreal Canadiens.With the Labour Day Classics now in the books, the CFL schedule makes its midseason turn to the fall. The games get all the more important now leading up to the postseason, but theres just time enough to look back at the first half and award the midseason Most Outstanding Player. It comes down to a three-horse race with two of those horses wearing the green of the first place Saskatchewan Roughriders, but ultimately Toronto Argonauts QB Ricky Ray deserves the most MOP consideration for his outstanding first half. Ray and Roughriders QB Darian Durant have had similarly spectacular starts to the season but what gives Ray the edge is he isnt working with a potential record breaking running back in Kory Sheets (the other candidate for the midseason MOP), taking pressure off the pass game. Ray has missed some time so far this season (and is expected to miss a lot more in the second half) but when hes on the field hes nearly automatic. His 78 percent completion rate is 10 points higher than any other QB in the league and his 15 touchdowns to zero interceptions is almost unheard of. The 33-year-old continues to deliver even with teams keying on the Double Blues passing game. Ray has been without his top RB Chad Kackert for most of the season and Torontos ground game has produced just 718 yaards combined on the season, just more than 60 percent of Sheets total alone.dddddddddddd Durants stat line (21 touchdowns to one interception) is just as breathtaking as Rays; what Sheets has done in the first half is historic (and we all know how much the league loves record breakers); and the Riders league leading 8-1 record all made the decision anything but easy, but Ray and the Argos passing game has led the team to an East leading 5-4 record with little to no help on the ground. You could argue Durant and Sheets are splitting votes at the time. Durant and Sheets will have plenty of time to catch up by seasons end, and with Ray out for up to the next five weeks now the award is all but guaranteed to go to someone else when the votes count, but for now Rays incredible renaissance in the Big Smoke continues. Fringe candidates to keep an eye on in the second half of the season include last years winner Chad Owens and last years runner-up Jon Cornish, and the leagues passing leader Henry Burris. And if the award could be shared among teammates, the Calgary Stampeders trio at quarterback would deserve consideration as well. The Rouge asks: Who is your midseason Most Outstanding Player? Youve heard what weve had to say, now its your turn. As always, its Your! Call. ' ' '