Sports / NBA Mavericks Clinch Playoff Berth With Win Dirk Nowitzki hits game-winning 3; leads Dallas with 32 points By Jamie Buss, Newser Staff Posted Apr 11, 2008 12:31 AM CDT Copied Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer, left, defends against Dallas Mavericks guard Eddie Jones (6) in the first half of their NBA game in Dallas, Thursday, April 10, 2008. (AP Photo) Dirk Nowitzki swished a 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left to give the Dallas Mavericks a 97-94 victory over the Utah Jazz tonight that also clinched a playoff berth. Dallas got in on the combination of the victory and Golden State losing to Denver. With three games left, the Mavericks have a two-game edge on the Nuggets for the No. 7 seed. Nowitzki scored 32 points for the second time in five games since returning from knee and ankle injuries. The Mavs have reached 50 wins and made the playoffs for eight straight seasons. Kidd scored Dallas' first seven points but didn't score again. He still contributed seven assists and six rebounds. Memhet Okur had 19 points and 14 rebounds for Utah. (More NBA stories.) Report an error