WASHINGTON - With his Dallas Mavericks locked in a tight fourth quarter, Dirk Nowitzki twisted his left ankle by accidentally stepping on an opponents foot, then fell to the court.Moments later, Nowitzki was limping off to the locker room to get his ankle taped.And minutes after that, he was back in the game, delivering a key basket.Nowitzkis 3-pointer with 80 seconds left sealed a fifth consecutive victory for Dallas, 105-102 over the Washington Wizards, after Monta Ellis scored 24 of his 34 points in the first half Wednesday night.It was a close game, so if I can walk, I want to be out there. And it actually felt OK, once it loosened up, said Nowitzki, who on Monday became the fourth NBA player to reach 27,000 points with one franchise.Just rolled (the ankle) a little bit, like Ive done a million times in my career. Just had to walk it off coming back here, re-taped it and came right back out, Nowitzki said, before adding with a laugh: Popped some pills.Nowitzki went down with about eight minutes left after getting tangled with Kris Humphries. But the German came back with 3 1/2 minutes to go and Dallas trailing by a point.After sinking his important 3 to put the Mavs ahead 102-97 — part of a 13-point night on 4-for-12 shooting — Nowitzki held out three fingers on one hand and slammed it against his other palm.Monster shot, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. And even though he didnt have a great night shooting the ball or scoring, his ability to make timely plays and change the dimensions of the court show what his impact is.Washington lost at home for the first time this season, despite Bradley Beals first action following left wrist surgery.Beal was terrific, too, leading Washington with 21 points, and even drawing a charge on Ellis with about 30 seconds to go. But with a chance to tie the game, John Wall missed a 3-pointer at the other end. Ellis then made two free throws to push Dallas edge to five points.Over the first two quarters, Ellis made seven of 10 shots, including a 3-pointer, and nine of 10 free throws.Nobody else on their team touched the ball, Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. And I was fine with that.Later, though, reserves J.J. Barea and Brandan Wright got involved, each scoring 14 points for Dallas, which leads the NBA in scoring.Wittman criticized his players for getting discouraged after a poor start to the third quarter.Weve got to grow up from an emotional standpoint, Wittman said, adding: We quit playing, is the way I term it.___WRIGHT STUFFBarea and Wright combined for 18 of Dallas fourth-quarter points. Wright shot 6 for 7, repeatedly turning lobs and alley-oops into dunks or easy layups. Dude is one of the most athletic guys in the league. He does some freakish things out there, teammate Tyson Chandler said. I dont think you can overthrow him.HITTING A WALLWall, Washingtons All-Star point guard, missed his first eight shots and finished 5 for 17 for 11 points.BEALS BACKWittman and Beal both said the shooting guard felt winded by games end. Beal had wrist surgery last month and began practicing this week. It was a big lift, just to see him come out there confident, especially after so much time off, teammate Paul Pierce said. Seems like he really didnt miss a beat.TIP-INSMavericks: G Devin Harris sat out with right lower leg soreness. ... Dallas came in scoring 109.3 points per game.Wizards: The Wizards had been 4-0 at home. The last time Washingtons NBA team started a season 5-0 at home was in 1974-75, when the franchise was known as the Bullets.UP NEXTMavericks: Host Lakers on Friday.Wizards: Host Cavaliers on Friday.___Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich Tyler Johnson Jersey . Less than 24 hours after the Wolves lost at home to the Mavericks, 100-98, NBA president of basketball operations Rod Thorn announced Tuesday that Kevin Love was fouled on his right arm by Shawn Marion in the closing seconds and should have been awarded two free throws. Dwyane Wade Heat Jersey . Bjoerndalen, who had failed to win any major race for two years before Sochi, writes in a Facebook entry that he is "full of energy and inspiration" after winning the 10-kilometre sprint and mixed relay at last months Olympics. https://www.heatlockerroom.com/Meyers-Le...Edition-Jersey/. Crawford hit his slam off Pirates starter Edinson Volquez to give San Francisco a four run lead in the fourth and they never looked back. Brandon Belt had three runs batted in as well. Bumgarner pitched all nine innings and allowed just four hits. Wayne Ellington Heat Jersey .com) - New England Patriots starting center Bryan Stork will not play in Sundays AFC Championship against Indianapolis due to a knee injury the rookie sustained last week. Derrick Jones Jersey . Van Slyke drove in a career-high four runs with two homers off struggling left-hander Tony Cingrani, and the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled away to a 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night, a rare comfortable win in their pitching-dominated series.Its another year and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are once again tying their fate to quarterback Buck Pierce. Pierce has been the Bombers starting QB the past three seasons, but has played far less than 54 regular season games across that span; the 31-year-old has made 28 appearances in his three seasons in Winnipeg. Theres no doubt if Pierce is healthy the Bombers are a better team - even a contender. But that is likely the biggest ‘if in the entire league. Pierces reckless style of play makes him even more of a target than most quarterbacks. Hes missed time with injuries to his knee, elbow, and head during his Bombers tenure. For his part, the New Mexico State product said hes feeling healthy and strong heading into the season. Pierce said he knows his health is a hot topic for fans and media, but its not something he is fixated on. Hes also lost 25 pounds this off-season in an attempt to be more agile in the pocket. Head coach Tim Burke and the rest of the Bombers orgganization have also stated their faith in the veteran QB, and the team made no moves to add any CFL experience to their backup ranks in the off-season, instead eschewing the only two backups on their roster – Alex Brink and Joey Elliott – to have started multiple games in the league.dddddddddddd Behind Pierce, the Bombers have just Justin Goltz - he of 14 career CFL passing attempts - and rookie Max Hall on the depth chart. Its no coincidence the Bombers East Division-winning 2011 was also Pierces healthiest year in Winnipeg, but the other two years of the Pierce era resulted in a combined 10 wins. Is Pierce too much of an injury risk at this point in his career to consider Winnipeg a legitimate contender in 2013, or can he recapture the magic – and health – of his 2011 season? The Rouge asks: What do you expect from Buck Pierce in Winnipeg this season? Youve heard what weve had to say; now its your turn. As always, its Your! Call. ' ' '