Naji Marshall's 22 leads Mavericks to 120-101 rout of Nets in Anthony Davis' return

NEW YORK (AP) — Naji Marshall scored 22 points off the bench to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 120-101 rout of the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.

P.J. Washington and Spencer Dinwiddie finished with 16 each, Brandon Williams scored 15 and Kai Jones added 13. Anthony Davis, in his first game back after missing six weeks with a groin injury, had 12 points in 27 minutes.

Brooklyn dropped to 23-49 with its fourth straight loss. Nic Claxton led the Nets with 19 points.

Mavericks: For a team that is in a neck-and-neck race with Phoenix for the final Western Conference play-in spot, Dallas believes that the reinsertion of Davis — among others — can provide a boost. “We understand what’s at stake here,” coach Jason Kidd said before the game. “We got to figure out how to win.”

Nets: With three weeks remaining, coach Jordi Fernandez wants his team to use the final 11 games of the season to work on in-game execution. “We have to control (in order) to (have) one more possession,” Fernandez said before the game. “I think winning teams take care of those possessions.”

Dallas guard Spencer Dinwiddie knocked down a left corner 3, and then assisted on buckets by Marshall and Jones in a 26-second span midway through the third quarter that allowed the Mavericks to extend their lead to 75-56.

Brooklyn entered the game ninth in the NBA in 3-pointers attempted per game (39.1) and 27th in percentage of 3-pointers made per game (34.5%). Against the Mavericks, the Nets made 11 of their 33 attempts from beyond the arc.

The Mavericks play the Knicks on Tuesday night. Brooklyn hosts Toronto on Wednesday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Dallas Mavericks forward Kai Jones (23) dunks during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Monday, March 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams (10) loses control of the ball before regaining it and scoring a two-pointer during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Monday, March 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) attempts a three-pointer during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Monday, March 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Dallas Mavericks guard Max Christie (00) pushes toward the basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Monday, March 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington (25) makes a basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Monday, March 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Brooklyn Nets forward Jalen Wilson (22) catches a rebound during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Monday, March 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Dallas Mavericks guard Max Christie (00) searches for a basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Monday, March 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Dallas Mavericks center Dwight Powell (7) celebrates a basket after falling to the ground during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Monday, March 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations in multiple states after at least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard around 2 a.m. local time Saturday in the capital, Caracas.

The Pentagon and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Smoke could be seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas. Another military installation in the capital was without power.

People in various neighborhoods rushed to the streets. Some could be seen in the distance from various areas of Caracas.

“The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes,” said Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, her voice trembling. She was walking briskly with two relatives, returning from a birthday party. “We felt like the air was hitting us.”

Venezuela’s government, in the statement, called on its supporters to take to the streets.

“People to the streets!” the statement said. “The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and repudiate this imperialist attack.”

The statement added that President Nicolás Maduro had “ordered all national defense plans to be implemented” and declared “a state of external disturbance.”

This comes as the U.S. military has been targeting, in recent days, alleged drug-smuggling boats. On Friday, Venezuela said it was open to negotiating an agreement with the U.S. to combat drug trafficking.

Maduro also said in a pretaped interview aired Thursday that the U.S. wants to force a government change in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves through the monthslong pressure campaign that began with a massive military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in August.

Maduro has been charged with narco-terrorism in the U.S. The CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels in what was the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes on boats in September.

U.S. President Donald Trump for months had threatened that he could soon order strikes on targets on Venezuelan land. The U.S. has also seized sanctioned oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela, and Trump ordered a blockade of others in a move that seemed designed to put a tighter chokehold on the South American country’s economy.

The U.S. military has been attacking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean since early September. As of Friday, the number of known boat strikes is 35 and the number of people killed is at least 115, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration.

They followed a major buildup of American forces in the waters off South America, including the arrival in November of the nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier, which added thousands more troops to what was already the largest military presence in the region in generations.

Trump has justified the boat strikes as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the U.S. and asserted that the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.

Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported on the explosions in Caracas on Saturday, showing images of the Venezuelan capital. Iran has been close to Venezuela for years, in part due to their shared enmity of the U.S.

Pedestrians walk past the Miraflores presidential palace after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Residents evacuate a building near the Miraflores presidential palace after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Smoke raises at La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Pedestrians run after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Smoke raises at La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Smoke raises at La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Pedestrians run after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)