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DALLAS—Josh Howard took over a tight game midway through the third quarter, carrying the Dallas Mavericks past the Los Angeles Clippers 103-90 on Tuesday night in their first game since losing Dirk Nowitzki to injury.

Dallas led only 60-58 when Howard got rolling.

Howard scored 20 of the Mavericks’ next 26 points, putting them up by 16 early in the fourth quarter. He finished with 32 points.

Erick Dampier also stepped up for Dallas, scoring 19 points and matching his season high with 17 rebounds. Jerry Stackhouse scored 20 and Jason Kidd had 10 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

The Mavericks need all the contributions they can get with Nowitzki, the team’s top scorer and rebounder, out with a sprained left knee and ankle. The team is tightlipped about a return date, but the reigning MVP is likely to miss most of the remaining games.