DALLAS The newcomers combined with the Dallas Mavericks veterans to defeat the NBA leading Sacramento Kings 111-97 on Saturday.

The all star duo of Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki led the scoring for Dallas with 28 points and 26 points and 21 rebounds, respectively.

They teamed up with Nick van Exel and Raef Lafrentz who were part of a seven player deal with the Denver Nuggets, where they combined for an average of 35 per game.

Van Exel and Lafrentz were greeted with a standing ovation as they hit the court.

Lafrentz scored 14 points and six rebounds in 31 minutes. Van Exel played 30 minutes, totaling eight points and eight assists.

Nash nailed 15 points in a row during a 22-6 third quarter drive that gave the Mavs the lead.

Michael Finley had 15 points for Dallas who moved within 1 1/2 games of Sacramento for the best record in the Western Conference, Reuters reported.

Sacramento power forward Chris Webber had 28 points and 14 rebounds and Predrag Stojakovic added 16 points.

The Kings have lost three of their last four games.