The Dallas Mavericks Defeat the Boston Celtics 89-73 As Dirk Nowitzki Reaches the Top 20 in Career Points [VIDEO]

Dirk Nowitzki had 26 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks past the depleted Boston Celtics 89-73. Nowitzki's 26 points moved him to number 20 on the all time NBA career scoring list. Nowitzki has 23,335 points over his 14 seasons in the league.

The Mavs had a solid performance against the Celtics, but there performance is lessened in value considering the players the Celtics were without. Rajon Rondo was suspended for two games for throwing a ball at an official, Kevin Garnett was out for personal reasons, Brandon Bass was injured.  the Celtics also lost starters Jermaine O'Neal  and Chris Wilcox in the third quarter.

The Mavs are starting to hit their stride. Despite the loss to the Knicks earlier this week, the Mavs are playing some of the best basketball in the league right now.

Check out Dirk Nowitzki breaking into the top 20 on the scoring list below.