DALLAS -— Dirk Nowitzki had 26 points and moved into the top 20 on the NBA career scoring list, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the short-handed and struggling Boston Celtics 89-73 on Monday night.

The defending champion Mavericks reached the midpoint of their regular-season schedule after never trailing against Boston.

Nowitzki, who also had a season-high 16 rebounds, scored all of Dallas’ points in a 10-2 run midway through the second quarter that pushed the Mavericks ahead by 14. They led by double digits the rest of the way.

Boston has lost four in a row and 6 of 7.

• Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo was suspended two games without pay by the NBA for throwing a ball at an official during Sunday night’s game against Detroit.