Mavericks 115, Bucks 108: Vince Carter scored 23 points and Dirk Nowitzki collected 19 and 11 rebounds as visiting Dallas held off Milwaukee and ran its winning streak to four games.

Jae Crowder and O.J. Mayo added 14 points apiece and Mike James had 13 and seven assists for the Mavericks, who stayed within three games of the Los Angeles Lakers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Monta Ellis had 32 points and nine assists, but the Bucks missed a chance to gain ground on the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings. Mike Dunleavy added 18 points for Milwaukee, which fell for the second time in eight games.

The Bucks used a 12-3 run to draw within 101-96 with 4:39 left. Carter hit a 3-pointer out of a timeout and had 10 points over the final 4:16 to help Dallas hold off the rally and put the game away.

Milwaukee shot out to a 17-9 lead and was up 35-28 at the end of the first quarter. The Mavericks got seven points from Crowder and four from James during a 15-0 burst in the second quarter to take the lead, and led by as many as 18 points in the third quarter before the Bucks chopped it back down to 90-79 heading into the final period.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Milwaukee C Larry Sanders (left knee) and F Ersan Ilyasova (left knee) both returned to the lineup. Sanders recorded 13 points and 12 rebounds after a one-game absence and Ilyasova had seven points after sitting out the previous two contests. … Dallas F Shawn Marion (calf) missed his third straight game. … Two of Nowitzki’s three double-doubles have come against the Bucks. He had 21 points and a season-high 20 boards in a 95-90 home loss to Milwaukee on Feb. 26.