EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (AP) – The New Jersey Nets were beaten into NBA infamy Wednesday night, falling 117-101 to the Dallas Mavericks for their 18th straight loss to start the season.

The Nets passed the 1988-89 Miami Heat and 1999 Los Angeles Clippers, who both dropped their first 17 games. New Jersey’s next chance to end the streak comes Friday night at home against Charlotte.

Dallas shot 81 percent in the first half, the first NBA team to make 80 percent of its shots in a half since the Denver Nuggets hit 82 percent against the Clippers on April 4, 2006, according to STATS, LLC.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points, and former New Jersey captain Jason Kidd had 16 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Mavericks. Chris Douglas-

Hawks 146, Raptors 115
At Atlanta, Al Horford had 24 points to lead nine scorers in double figures as Atlanta had its best offensive night in 16 years.

The Hawks had their highest-scoring game since Jan. 30, 1993, when they beat Philadelphia 149-123. They had nine players in double figures for the first time since Dec. 4, 1987, against New Jersey.

Cavaliers 107, Suns 90
At Cleveland, Shaquille O’Neal scored 12 points against his former team, and LeBron James just missed a triple-double for Cleveland.

O’Neal added nine rebounds in 21 minutes, and James finished with 12 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds. Cleveland center Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 14 points while setting the club record for games played with 724.

Magic 118, Knicks 104
At Orlando, Florida, Rashard Lewis scored 17 of his 20 points in Orlando’s 41 points third quarter, and Dwight Howard added 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Wizards 104, Bucks 102
At Washington, Earl Boykins scored 11 of his 13 points in the final 10 minutes, including the winning free throws with a second left for Washington.

Gilbert Arenas led Washington with 22 points, and Nick Young scored 21. Luke Ridnour and Hakim Warrick each scored 20 points for Milwaukee. (Tempo Sports)