After starting the season 0-4, the Mavericks turned their season around to become the hottest team in the NBA in November with a dozen wins on the trot, including demolitions of Southwest conference rivals the San Antonio Spurs, and the Phoenix Suns.

But Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas ran rampant over the visiting Dallas outfit, scoring 38 points with eight assists to steer Washington to a nine-point victory. Dirk Nowitzki was again the star for the Mavs with 27 points.

The loss sees the 12-5 Mavericks slip to second in the Southwest behind the Spurs, who walloped the Golden State Warriors 129-89 in San Antonio in a game that marked the return of Manu Ginobili.

The Spurs hardly needed the big man, who has missed a month with a lower back strain, as they let the bench do over half the scoring in the 40-point blowout.

The Utah Jazz continued their great form with an easy 101-88 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Australian Andrew Bogut again starred under the bucket for the losing team, leading his side with eight rebounds, but there was little he could do to stop the Northwest conference leaders cruising to their 15th win of the season.

In other games, the LA Lakers easily accounted for the Indiana Pacers 101-87 despite missing the services of star Kobe Bryant, and the Orlando Magic kept their on-the-road form rolling with a come-from-behind 92-89 win over the Sacramento Kings.

The Chicago Bulls coasted to a 100-82 victory over the Boston Celtics after jumping out to a 28-14 quarter-time lead, while Eddy Curry registered his seventh straight 20-point game to lift the Knicks to a 98-90 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

NBA results
Washington Wizards 106 Dallas Mavericks 97
New York Knicks 98 Memphis Grizzlies 90
San Antonio Spurs 129 Golden State Warriors 89
Chicago Bulls 100 Boston Celtics 82
Utah Jazz 101 Milwaukee Bucks 88
Orlando Magic 92 Sacramento Kings 89
LA Lakers 101 Indiana Pacers 87