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The Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics got together for a throwdown Monday night at American Airlines Center.

If you were looking for offensive fireworks, then this wasn’t the game for you. If anything, this matchup provided what I like to call “molasses-ball.” By that analogy, I mean the game was very half-court in nature. Transition baskets? You could count them on both of your hands. The game was that slow.

Nevertheless, the Mavericks found a way to shoot 50 percent from the floor despite taking only66 shots from the floor while Boston took 91 (which probably accounted for the Celtics shooting 41.8%).

The uniqueness of this game made this one interesting as Dirk Nowitzki’s basket with 25 seconds left on the game clock enabled Dallas to squeak past Boston 89-87.

Halfway through the second quarter, Jason Terry drained a 3-pointer over the outstretched hands of the Celtics’ Marquis Daniels. Daniels was whistled for a foul on the basket and Terry converted on the free throw, giving Dallas a 40-30 lead.

The Mavericks would take a 50-40 lead into their locker room at halftime behind Tyson Chandler’s 10 points and 9 boards. Boston would lose a key player in the first half as Jermaine O’Neal left the game with a sore left knee and would not return.

Trailing by ten at the intermission, the Celtics went on an 18-6 run, capped by a Paul Pierce trey, giving Boston a 4-point lead with 1:57 left in the third quarter.

Dallas would finish out the period with a 7-2 spurt, taking a 70-69 lead into the final 12 minutes.

The Celtics held an 87-82 lead with 1:58 left on a Pierce 17-footer. But Nowitzki made a layup, then Terry made a 3-pointer with 1:!3 remaining in the game and tie the game at 87.

Kevin Garnett would miss a jumper with 36 seconds left and Nowitzki connected on a 16-foot jumper with 17.4 ticks left to give the Mavericks the lead for good.

Nowitzki led the Mavericks scorers with 25 points along with 7 rebounds and 2 assists while Terry came off the bench to add 17 with 3 rebounds, 4 assists and a block. Chandler secured a double-double, scoring 12 with 13 rebounds.

The Celtics were led by Pierce with 24 points, 7 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block while Garnett chipped in 18 with 15 rebounds and 2 assists. Rajon Rondo, while scoring only 11, dished out 15 assists.

Dallas (4-2) plays again on Wednesday when they travel to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies while Boston (6-2) travels to Miami to take on the Heat Thursday night.