NEW ORLEANS -- Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points, Monta Ellis added 23 and the Dallas Mavericks sent the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans to their fourth straight loss, 107-90 on Friday night. Vince Carter added 14 points and Jae Crowder 12 for Dallas, which never trailed. The Mavericks led by as many as 23 points in the third quarter before cruising against a Pelicans squad minus starting point guard Jrue Holiday and leading scorer Ryan Anderson. Holiday missed his first game with a stress fracture in his right shin. Anderson went down last week with a herniated disk. Eric Gordon scored 27 points for New Orleans, while Anthony Davis added 21 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots. That wasnt nearly enough to keep pace with the Mavs, who hit 14 of 28 3-point shots and shot 52.6 per cent (41 of 78) overall. Dallas broke open the game with a 27-6 run that spanned from late in the second quarter until Brandan Wrights layup made it 76-53 with 3:35 to go in the third quarter. Nowitzki scored nine of his points during the run, including one of his four 3-pointers. Brian Roberts started in place of Holiday, but was limited by early foul trouble and finished with nine points. Austin Rivers had 12 points. But the Pelicans turned the ball over 18 times, setting up 25 Dallas points. Meanwhile, Pelicans guard Tyreke Evans sat out the second half with a sore left ankle after missing his only two shots and turning over the ball twice in the first half. The Pelicans struggled to keep pace with Dallas from the outset, and the Mavs led by as many as 12 in the second quarter when Samuel Dalemberts dunk made it 40-28. It might have been worse if not for Gordons 14 points in the first quarter, and 19 in the opening half. Gordons 3 and driving floater on successive possessions capped a 10-0 run that pulled New Orleans to 40-38. The Pelicans were still as close as 49-47 with 3:16 left in the period, but with Nowitzki and Dalembert returning to finish the quarter, Dallas pulled away again. Nowitzki had 14 of his points in the opening half, and his 18-foot jumper ignited a 13-2 run to close second quarter. During the spurt, Ellis twice converted layups set up by New Orleans turnovers, giving Dallas 19 points off of 11 first-half turnovers. Jose Calderon and Ellis both added 3s as Dallas took a 62-49 lead into halftime. NOTES: The teams play each other again Saturday night in Dallas. ... The Mavs 62 points at halftime were the most allowed in a first half by New Orleans this season. ... In the past 10 days, New Orleans has allowed 60-point first halves three times, giving up 61 to Minnesota on Jan. 1 and 61 to Washington on Jan. 8. ... Since Dec. 28, Dallas has eclipsed 60 first-half points five times in its last eight games, with a high of 70 first-half points against the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 3. 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In their first meeting for six years, the Frenchmen dropped serve twice in the first set, but Giquel broke Simon two more times in the second. Gicquel moves on to face sixth-seeded Jarkko Nieminen of Finland, who advanced with a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) win against wild card Pierre-Hugues Herbert, despite the Frenchmans 23 aces. Marvin Williams Jersey .C. Lions. The clubs former starting quarterback, assistant and head coach returned Thursday as its receivers coach. PRETORIA, South Africa -- Oscar Pistorius had a heightened concern for his personal safety and was making plans to take girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on international trips shortly before he fatally shot her, his agent testified at the double-amputee runners murder trial Tuesday. The defence called Peet van Zyl to the stand in an attempt to bolster Pistorius account that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder, providing testimony about a loving relationship and a fear of crime that may have pushed the Paralympian to fire through a closed toilet door. Van Zyl faced tough questioning from the chief prosecutor, however, about Pistorius alleged egotism and tantrums, high-speed driving and love of guns. The prosecution maintains that he intentionally killed Steenkamp in his home after an argument in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013. Pistorius, who is free on bail, faces 25 years to life in prison if found guilty of premeditated murder, but he could also be sentenced to significant time behind bars if convicted of murder without premeditation or negligent killing. He also faces gun-related charges. The agent, who helped guide Pistorius to success as a globally renowned athlete with lucrative sponsorship deals that have since been stripped away, testified that his client had a "heightened sense of awareness" and appeared preoccupied with security at times. On one occasion, he recalled, Pistorius drove with him at high speed to the airport and, when told there was no rush, recalled a traumatic episode in which Van Zyl was accosted at gunpoint while in his car in 2007. "He wantted to ensure that we are safe and not being followed," Van Zyl said.dddddddddddd He also remembered a time when Pistorius grabbed him by the arm in apparent fear when the pair heard a loud bang while walking in New York City, and described two occasions in which the runner lost his temper but was not aggressive under "abusive questioning" from journalists. He also said he was assisting Pistorius in plans to take Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, to races in Britain and Brazil, and a concert in Italy. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel tried to pick holes in Van Zyls testimony, pressing the agent for details about a reported incident in which a South African athlete who was sharing a room with Pistorius asked for them to be separated because Pistorius was allegedly arguing frequently on his telephone. He also referred to a 2012 Paralympics race in which Pistorius accused the winner of breaking the rules by using prosthetic limbs that were too long. Van Zul acknowledged that it was the "wrong place and wrong time for him to react in such a way" but noted there was a "long lead-up" to the incident in which Pistorius had expressed concerns that rules were being flouted. Nel also described Pistorius plans to take Steenkamp on trips as an example of alleged narcissism after Van Zyl quoted the athlete as saying he wanted his girlfriend "to see what my world is about, the pressure that Im under" and "how I need to perform." During an adjournment, Van Zyl and Pistorius shook hands. The two men patted each other warmly on the back. ' ' '