Mavericks 106, Bucks 93: Brandan Wright was brilliant in his season debut, finishing with 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting as Dallas cruised to a home win over the NBA's worst team.

Jose Calderon scored 18 points for the Mavericks, who played without coach Rick Carlisle and star forward Dirk Nowitzki, both of whom were unavailable due to an undisclosed illness. Wright, playing his first game since suffering a shoulder fracture in October, also grabbed six rebounds during his 19-minute stint, and Shawn Marion chipped in 13 points and 12 boards for Dallas.

John Henson recorded 18 points and 13 rebounds and Brandon Knight scored 16 for Milwaukee, which owns the worst record in the league at 5-19. The Bucks trailed by as many as 34 points in the third quarter before outscoring the Mavericks 32-13 in the fourth to make the final score more respectable.

Sparked by his 4-of-6 shooting from behind the arc, Calderon scored 16 points in the first half to help Dallas take a 59-41 lead into the break. Milwaukee allowed 38 points in the first quarter and committed 11 turnovers in the opening half to set the tone for its third straight defeat.

The Mavericks scored the first eight points of the second half, including a pair of baskets by DeJuan Blair, and took their largest lead at 90-56 on Blair's jumper with one minute remaining in the third quarter. Vince Carter, who had 15 points and nine assists, made a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to make it 93-61 entering the fourth.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Mavericks G Monta Ellis, who left Milwaukee to join Dallas in the offseason, scored just seven points - his second-lowest total of the season - on 3-of-7 shooting. ... Bucks G O.J. Mayo also was facing his former team and managed only four points on 1-of-6 shooting. ... Blair finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.