Los Angeles - Dirk Nowitzki was at his best at the end to put an end to the Dallas Mavericks' worst start in a decade.

The German juggernaut erupted for seven of his season-high 39 points in overtime and pulled down 15 rebounds as the Mavericks stopped a five-game slide with a 124-114 come-from-behind road victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday.

"We had to get off this losing streak, so whatever I had to do," Nowitzki said. "The team told me to keep shooting and play aggressively."

Los Angeles  - Firefighters on Sunday were battling three wildfires in southern California that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands of residents to be evacuated, local media reported.

The blazes had destroyed hundreds of homes since Thursday, including 500 mobile homes in Sylmar, where officials on Sunday were use dogs to search for bodies of possible victims. About 630 structures were destroyed in that fire alone, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Los Angeles - Wild fires Saturday consumed 600 mobile homes as they raged near Los Angeles, opening a second front on the California flame wars that have already devastated areas outside of Santa Barbara.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa declared states of emergency as fire swept across the nearby San Fernando Valley, forcing the evacuation of 10,000 people.

Los Angeles Fire Captain Steve Ruda confirmed that 600 of the 700 mobile homes in the area were destroyed, the Los Angeles Times reported online.

Los Angeles - Wild fires in California spread to a second city on Saturday after ravaging hundreds of luxury homes the day before.

According to firefighters cited by US media, 5,000 people had to be evacuated from the town of Sylmar just north of Los Angeles as bush fires approached. One man suffered severe burns, US broadcaster CNN reported.

The fires were being driven strong winds, said Deputy Fire Chief Don Fraser, adding that the fires was moving faster than a human could run.

Around 1,000 homes were threatened by the flames in the Sylmar area, with 15 already engulfed.

Los Angeles  - The Detroit Pistons made sure the Los Angeles Lakers would not go undefeated this season.

Rasheed Wallace had 25 points with 13 rebounds, and Allen Iverson also scored 25 as the Pistons snapped the Lakers' seven-game winning streak, with a convincing
106-95 road victory on Friday night.

Iverson didn't put much stock in sending the Lakers to their first loss of the season.

Los Angeles  - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency Friday as more than 1,000 firefighters battled a raging wildfire near the celebrity hideaway of Montecito.

Up to 200 houses had been destroyed by the wind-driven flames by Friday night as fire teams worked to contain the damage amid winds that picked up again after a day of calm.