DALLAS » Dirk Nowitzki changed his look and that changed his luck.

Nowitzki scored 25 points, including the go-ahead jumper with less than 20 seconds to play, and the Dallas Mavericks snapped Boston’s five-game winning streak with an 89-87 victory over the Celtics last night.

Jason Terry added 17 points, and Tyson Chandler had 12 points and 13 rebounds for Dallas.

On Saturday night, Nowitzki played poorly, going scoreless in the fourth quarter and committing seven turnovers in a home loss to Denver.

He had his longish blond hair cropped into a buzz cut during the day yesterday, then helped his team grind out a win over one of the league’s elite teams.

"Dirk cut his hair," Terry said. "He’s back to his MVP status. Tonight, he wasn’t going to settle."

Paul Pierce scored 24 points, Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 15 rebounds, and Rajon Rondo added 11 points and 15 assists for the Celtics, who’d won their last three trips to Dallas.

Boston held an 87-82 lead with 1:58 left on Pierce’s 17-footer. But Nowitzki converted a layup, then Terry made a 3-pointer with 1:13 remaining to tie it at 87. Garnett missed an inside shot with 36 seconds left, and Jason Kidd passed to Nowitzki, who connected from 16 feet on the left wing over Boston’s Glen Davis with 17.4 to play to give Dallas the lead for good.

"I knew Kidd was going to find me and then Davis was there," said Nowitzki, who had 10 points in the fourth quarter. "I was able to face him up and knock the shot down."

Rondo missed a 3-pointer with 3.8 seconds left, but Terry fouled going for a loose ball to give the Celts another possession. Garnett’s desperation 3-pointer from the right corner failed to hit the rim.

Boston coach Doc Rivers was looking for a better shot than what the Celtics got, calling it "a terrible play."

"I hope I can draw up a better play than that," Rivers said.

Terry’s 3-pointer in the final 2 minutes was another key basket for the Mavericks. A pass from Kidd, who finished with 10 assists, set up Terry.

"I told Jason that if he got in the lane, look for me because they were leaving me alone," Terry said. "He must have eyes in the back of his head."

Dallas finished the third with a 7-2 run for a 70-69 edge heading into the final quarter, but the Celtics went 8-for-21 from the field in the final quarter.

"It was a game we just let slip away," Pierce said.

Midway through the second quarter, Terry swished a 3-pointer from deep in the left corner that he had to loft high over Marquis Daniels of the Celtics. Terry high-fived a fan, Daniels was whistled for a foul on the shot, and Terry connected on a free throw for a four-point play to give Dallas a 40-30 lead.

Dallas carried a 50-40 lead into halftime behind Chandler’s 10 points and nine rebounds.

Celtics center Jermaine O’Neal missed the second half with a sore left knee. O’Neal started and played 11 minutes in the first half, contributing two points and three rebounds.

O’Neal said he had "no explosion" during the game and decided that the Celtics would be better off with him on the bench.

Warriors 109, Raptors 102

Stephen Curry scored a season-high 34 points, Monta Ellis added 28 points and visiting Golden State beat Toronto.

Ellis, the NBA’s leading scorer, fell heavily after a collision under Toronto’s basket late in the fourth quarter. He remained down for several minutes before being helped up and walking slowly to the locker room. Ellis topped 25 points for the third time in seven games.

Magic 93, Hawks 89

Dwight Howard had 27 points and 11 rebounds, and the host Magic continued their recent reign over the Hawks with a victory in a rematch of last season’s lopsided Eastern Conference semifinal.

Vince Carter finished with 19 points and made two huge layups in the final minute-plus to seal the Magic’s victory, the 11th in the last 12 meetings over Atlanta.

Spurs 95, Bobcats 91

Manu Ginobili scored 26 points, including a driving layup with 4.9 seconds left to end Charlotte’s late comeback bid, and visiting San Antonio held on for a win to continue the Bobcats’ early-season misery.

Grizzlies 109, Suns 99

Zach Randolph had 23 points and 20 rebounds, while Rudy Gay added 22 points to help host Memphis defeat Phoenix.

Bulls 94, Nuggets 92

Derrick Rose scored 18 points, including eight during a furious fourth quarter rally, to help host Chicago beat Denver.

NBA STANDINGS

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

Southeast Division

Central Division

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Southwest Division

Northwest Division

Pacific Division

Yesterday
» San Antonio 95, Charlotte 91
» Orlando 93, Atlanta 89
» Golden State 109, Toronto 102
» Chicago 94, Denver 92
» Memphis 109, Phoenix 99
» Dallas 89, Boston 87

Today
» Denver at Indiana, 2 p.m.
» Cleveland at New Jersey, 2 p.m.
» Utah at Miami, 2:30 p.m.
» New York at Milwaukee, 3 p.m.
» L.A. Clippers at New Orleans, 3 p.m.
» Detroit at Portland, 5 p.m.
» Minnesota at L.A. Lakers, 5:30 p.m.

Tomorrow
» Milwaukee at Atlanta, 2 p.m.
» Utah at Orlando, 2 p.m.
» Charlotte at Toronto, 2 p.m.
» Houston at Washington, 2 p.m.
» New Jersey at Cleveland, 2:30 p.m.
» Golden State at New York, 2:30 p.m.
» Dallas at Memphis, 3 p.m.
» Philadelphia at Oklahoma City, 3 p.m.
» L.A. Clippers at San Antonio, 4:30 p.m.
» Minnesota at Sacramento, 5 p.m.

Magic 93, Hawks 89

ATLANTA

Smith 6-15 0-1 13, Horford 8-13 0-0 16, Collins 3-6 0-0 6, Bibby 3-6 0-0 7, Johnson 9-15 3-3 23, Pachulia 0-0 2-2 2, Ja.Crawford 4-11 6-8 14, Powell 2-4 2-2 6, Teague 0-3 0-0 0, Thomas 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 36-76 13-16 89.

ORLANDO

Lewis 2-7 0-0 4, Anderson 1-5 2-2 4, Howard 10-20 7-11 27, Duhon 1-3 1-2 4, Carter 8-12 2-5 19, Gortat 4-8 0-0 8, Bass 3-8 0-0 6, Redick 4-12 3-4 11, J.Williams 3-5 0-0 8, Richardson 1-6 0-0 2. Totals 37-86 15-24 93.

3-Point Goals–Atlanta 4-13 (Johnson 2-4, Bibby 1-2, Smith 1-3, Teague 0-1, Ja.Crawford 0-3), Orlando 4-22 (J.Williams 2-2, Carter 1-1, Duhon 1-2, Howard 0-1, Anderson 0-3, Lewis 0-4, Richardson 0-4, Redick 0-5). Fouled Out–None. Rebounds–Atlanta 47 (Smith 13), Orlando 54 (Howard 11). Assists–Atlanta 18 (Smith 6), Orlando 16 (Duhon 4). Total Fouls–Atlanta 24, Orlando 18. Technicals–Howard, Lewis. A–18,846 (18,500).

Spurs 95, Bobcats 91

SAN ANTONIO

Jefferson 3-9 0-2 6, Duncan 5-12 4-6 14, Blair 2-6 0-0 4, Parker 6-15 0-1 12, Ginobili 9-17 3-3 26, Hill 0-4 0-0 0, McDyess 2-3 3-3 7, Anderson 2-8 0-0 6, Splitter 2-3 1-2 5, Neal 5-8 0-0 15, Gee 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 36-85 11-17 95.

CHARLOTTE

Wallace 2-11 2-2 7, Diaw 5-9 4-6 15, Mohammed 3-6 1-2 7, Augustin 3-15 0-0 7, Jackson 4-13 4-4 15, Diop 2-2 0-0 4, Henderson 3-7 2-2 8, Livingston 3-5 0-0 6, Thomas 5-11 6-8 16, D.Brown 3-3 0-0 6, Collins 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 33-83 19-24 91.

3-Point Goals–San Antonio 12-26 (Neal 5-7, Ginobili 5-11, Anderson 2-4, Hill 0-1, Jefferson 0-3), Charlotte 6-19 (Jackson 3-5, Diaw 1-2, Wallace 1-3, Augustin 1-7, Collins 0-1, Henderson 0-1). Fouled Out–None. Rebounds–San Antonio 58 (Duncan 10), Charlotte 52 (Thomas 8). Assists–San Antonio 22 (Parker 8), Charlotte 19 (Augustin 6). Total Fouls–San Antonio 20, Charlotte 18. A–14,152 (19,077).

Mavericks 89, Celtics 87

BOSTON

Pierce 10-19 2-2 24, Garnett 9-20 0-0 18, J.O’Neal 1-6 0-0 2, Rondo 5-15 1-1 11, Allen 4-11 2-2 11, Davis 4-7 0-0 8, Daniels 2-5 0-0 4, Erden 2-4 2-2 6, Robinson 1-4 0-0 3. Totals 38-91 7-7 87.

DALLAS

Butler 5-13 0-2 11, Nowitzki 9-16 7-7 25, Chandler 5-5 2-2 12, Kidd 0-5 0-0 0, Stevenson 2-5 0-0 6, Marion 1-2 0-0 2, Terry 5-11 5-5 17, Haywood 2-2 1-2 5, Barea 4-7 2-2 11. Totals 33-66 17-20 89.

3-Point Goals–Boston 4-8 (Pierce 2-3, Robinson 1-2, Allen 1-2, Rondo 0-1), Dallas 6-15 (Terry 2-3, Stevenson 2-5, Barea 1-2, Butler 1-3, Kidd 0-2). Fouled Out–None. Rebounds–Boston 47 (Garnett 15), Dallas 42 (Chandler 13). Assists–Boston 24 (Rondo 15), Dallas 20 (Kidd 10). Total Fouls–Boston 21, Dallas 12. Technicals–Barea, Stevenson. A–20,194 (19,200).

Bulls 94, Nuggets 92

DENVER

Anthony 11-22 9-9 32, Williams 1-5 0-0 2, Nene 3-4 2-4 8, Billups 5-10 2-2 14, Afflalo 7-13 0-0 15, Harrington 4-13 1-2 10, Smith 3-7 2-5 10, Lawson 0-2 1-2 1, Ely 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 34-78 17-24 92.

CHICAGO

Deng 6-18 4-7 17, Gibson 7-12 2-4 16, Noah 4-11 5-8 13, Rose 7-21 3-5 18, Bogans 4-7 0-0 10, Brewer 2-3 3-4 7, Asik 1-2 1-2 3, Korver 1-5 3-3 6, Watson 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 34-82 21-33 94.

3-Point Goals–Denver 7-18 (Smith 2-3, Billups 2-5, Anthony 1-1, Harrington 1-4, Afflalo 1-4, Lawson 0-1), Chicago 5-13 (Bogans 2-4, Rose 1-2, Korver 1-2, Deng 1-5). Fouled Out–Harrington. Rebounds–Denver 50 (Anthony 8), Chicago 61 (Noah 19). Assists–Denver 15 (Billups 4), Chicago 20 (Rose 6). Total Fouls–Denver 21, Chicago 19. Technicals–Anthony, Denver defensive three second, Chicago defensive three second. A–21,355 (20,917).

Grizzlies 109, Suns 99

PHOENIX

Hill 8-10 3-4 19, Turkoglu 2-5 2-3 8, Lopez 1-4 0-0 2, Nash 6-11 2-2 16, Richardson 7-18 1-2 17, Warrick 5-6 6-10 16, Frye 1-7 0-0 3, Dudley 3-8 0-0 7, Childress 2-5 0-0 4, Dragic 3-6 0-0 7. Totals 38-80 14-21 99.

MEMPHIS

Gay 8-18 4-4 22, Randolph 9-16 5-6 23, Gasol 5-6 0-0 10, Conley 6-16 3-4 16, Mayo 7-14 1-1 16, Arthur 0-0 2-2 2, Henry 4-9 6-7 14, Law 0-3 3-4 3, Young 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 40-84 24-28 109.

3-Point Goals–Phoenix 9-31 (Turkoglu 2-5, Nash 2-6, Richardson 2-8, Dragic 1-3, Dudley 1-4, Frye 1-5), Memphis 5-15 (Gay 2-5, Young 1-2, Mayo 1-2, Conley 1-4, Henry 0-1, Law 0-1). Fouled Out–None. Rebounds–Phoenix 48 (Hill 12), Memphis 49 (Randolph 20). Assists–Phoenix 23 (Nash 11), Memphis 19 (Conley 6). Total Fouls–Phoenix 19, Memphis 22. Technicals–Phoenix defensive three second, Memphis defensive three second 3. Flagrant Fouls–Gasol. A–10,786 (18,119).

Warriors 109, Raptors 102

GOLDEN STATE

D.Wright 1-5 4-4 7, Lee 6-11 2-2 14, Biedrins 4-5 0-2 8, Curry 12-21 8-8 34, Ellis 10-17 7-9 28, B.Wright 4-8 0-1 8, Lin 0-2 3-4 3, Carney 2-3 0-0 5, Williams 0-1 2-2 2, Radmanovic 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 39-74 26-32 109.

TORONTO

Kleiza 8-16 2-4 20, Evans 0-2 0-0 0, Bargnani 5-10 0-0 11, Jack 7-13 9-10 24, DeRozan 4-8 0-0 8, Andersen 3-6 2-2 8, Barbosa 3-8 1-2 7, Calderon 0-4 0-0 0, Johnson 3-7 6-7 12, Weems 5-9 2-2 12. Totals 38-83 22-27 102.

3-Point Goals–Golden State 5-16 (Curry 2-4, Carney 1-2, Ellis 1-3, D.Wright 1-4, Lin 0-1, Radmanovic 0-1, Williams 0-1), Toronto 4-14 (Kleiza 2-7, Bargnani 1-1, Jack 1-3, Andersen 0-1, Barbosa 0-2). Fouled Out–Lee. Rebounds–Golden State 50 (Lee 12), Toronto 41 (Kleiza 7). Assists–Golden State 19 (Curry 4), Toronto 19 (Jack 8). Total Fouls–Golden State 26, Toronto 23. Technicals–Toronto defensive three second. A–14,127 (19,800).