DALLAS – Josh Howard scored a career-high 47 points, Devin Harris had a career-high 12 assists and Erick Dampier provided a season-high 21 points – and the Dallas Mavericks needed every bit of it to beat Deron Williams and the Utah Jazz 125-117 Saturday night.

Williams scored a career-high 41 points, 32 coming in the second half. His scoring and leadership carried Utah from 16 down in the third quarter to within 112-110 with 3:41 left.

But the Mavericks regained control on a basket by Dirk Nowitzki, then Utah’s Carlos Boozer fouled out on Dallas’ next possession and things weren’t tight again.

Utah shot 60.5 percent for the game and an incredible 14-of-17 (82.4 percent) in the third quarter, yet the Jazz lost its third straight.

Dallas shot 59.7 percent to end skids of two straight losses, three of four and six of nine. However, the Mavericks’ defensive problems continued as they allowed a 30-point quarter for the 11th time in 12 games. They gave up two, actually, with Utah going for 34 and 35 in the second half.

Enjoying all the action courtside were roughly 125 military personnel from Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and a National Guard unit from Fort Worth who recently returned from a year of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the fourth annual “Seats for Soldiers,” a fan-started initiative in which front-row season ticket-holders donate their spots for one night. The troops were recognized between the first two quarters and received a standing ovation to the tune of “Proud To Be An American.”

AP-ES-12-08-07 2302EST