Nowitzki lifts Dallas past San Antonio

NBA: Dirk Nowitzki scored 27 points, responding time after time despite being pushed and swatted at to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 106-99 victory over the visiting San Antonio on Saturday night.

Jason Terry added 17 points and Rodrigue Beaubois 16 for the Mavericks, who won their third consecutive game since a 2-7 stretch over 12 days.

• Watson leads Rose-less Bulls: C.J. Watson scored 20 points and Joakim Noah added 13 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 89-80 win over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers.

The Bulls overcame an early 14-point deficit without Derrick Rose, who missed his third straight game with a strained groin.

Jrue Holiday led the 76ers with 30 points, who dropped its third straight overall and have lost seven of nine on the road.

NHL: Matt Cooke scored two goals, Evgeni Malkin had one and Sidney Crosby added three assists to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to their 11th straight win, 5-2 over the New Jersey Devils in Newark, N.J.

• Bruins blow lead but win shootout: Tim Thomas stopped Danny Briere on the final shot after the first five skaters in the shootout all scored, and the Boston Bruins snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the visiting Philadelphia Flyers 3-2.

Isner beats Djokovic to make Paribas final

Tennis: American John Isner fired 20 aces, including a 135-mph one on his fourth match point, to beat top-ranked Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7), 3-6, 7-6 (5) in the BNP Paribas Open semifinals at Indian Wells, Calif.

Roger Federer overcame Rafael Nadal and the rain for the other semifinal victory, with a 6-3, 6-4 win.

Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka and No. 2 Maria Sharapova will meet for the women’s title.

Calcavecchia leads Toshiba Classic

Golf: Mark Calcavecchia shot his second straight 4-under-par 67 in rainy conditions to take a two-stroke lead in the Champions Tour’s Toshiba Classic in Newport Beach, Calif.

• Goosen, Furyk tied for lead: Retief Goosen ran off three straight birdies late in his round for a 6-under 65, giving him a share of the lead with Jim Furyk at Palm Harbor, Fla.

• Miyazato, Tseng share lead in LPGA Founders Cup: Ai Miyazato birdied three straight holes on the back nine and finished with a 6-under 66 for a share of the lead with Yani Tseng in the LPGA Founders Cup in Phoenix.

Warhawks win NCAA Division III title

Miscellany: Chris Davis scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half and Wisconsin- Whitewater rallied to win the NCAA Division III title, beating Cabrini 63-60 in Salem, Va. The Warhawks (29-4) overcame an 18-point deficit in the second half to win their third men’s basketball title.

• Court gives Bonds extension: Barry Bonds has been given a 30-day extension until April 20 to file written arguments in his appeal to overturn his obstruction of justice conviction.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco granted the extension Wednesday after it was not opposed by federal prosecutors.

• Thorpe fails in bid to qualify for Olympics: Ian Thorpe, the five-time Olympic champion, didn’t make it through the heats in the 100-meter freestyle at the Australian selection trials in Adelaide, Australia.

• Hirscher wins World Cup overall title: Marcel Hirscher of Austria won the overall World Cup championship, overtaking Beat Feuz of Switzerland with a giant slalom victory in Schladming, Austria.

• Australia’s Gerrans wins Milan-San Remo classic: Simon Gerrans became the second consecutive Australian winner of the Milan-San Remo cycling classic, edging Swiss standout Fabian Cancellara and top Italian hope Vincenzo Nibali in a three-man sprint finish in San Remo, Italy.

Include Me Out wins Santa Margarita

Horse Racing: Include Me Out defeated Love Theway Youare by 3 3-4 lengths to win the $300,000 Santa Margarita Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

The victory, worth $180,000, increased Include Me Out’s career earnings to $363,600, with four wins in eight races.

• Tiz Miz Sue pulls upset in Azeri: Tiz Miz Sue pushed away a small but quality field for a confident win in the $150,000 Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn Park as favorite Absinthe Minded faded late in Hot Springs, Ark.

• Marilyn’s Guy wins Excelsior: Marilyn’s Guy held off San Pablo by a neck in the $150,000 Excelsior Stakes at Aqueduct in New York.

• Secret Circle bursts for win in Rebel Stakes: Secret Circle burst from the 12-horse field to win the Rebel Stakes and give trainer Bob Baffert his third straight victory in the Grade II race at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark.