Mavs race by Sonics to start new streak

After a brief exit off Victory Road, the Mavericks found their way back to the Winners’ Circle by easily lapping Seattle 111-96 Saturday night before 20,386 basketball-starved fans inside a packed American Airlines Center. The home crowd hadn’t seen their team in person in 10 days.

In the interim, Dallas (27-12) went on a three-game road trip followed by a season-high four-day break. Dallas had a seven-game winning streak before falling Monday at Sacramento. The Mavs hit the road Sunday tied for first place in the Southwest Division with New Orleans. The quick two-game trip begins Monday at Washington.

Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Devin Harris combined to score 54, leading a balanced attack of seven Mavs with at least eight points. Dallas shot 52 percent and its defense was considerably better than 122-120 loss at Sacramento. The Sonics were held to 44 percent from the floor and bottled up leading scorer Kevin Durant again.