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Glenn James/NBAE/Getty Images
Dirk Nowitzki passed Rolando Blackman to become Dallas' all-time leader in points scored.
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By Lauren Brill
The Global Top 10 is your weekly guide to NBA global news. In this week's edition find out who broke their clubs' former all-time scoring record, who is stealing the spotlight from Shaq and who made two clutch freebies to defeat the Lakers.
Nowitzki Breaks Record Devin Harris' homecoming was a story that lived in shadow of Dirk Nowitzki's accomplishment on Saturday night. While Harris, now with the Nets, faced his former team, the Germany-native scored his 16,644th point en-route to a 111-91 home court win. The Dallas superstar passed Rolando Blackman, who previously owned the Mavs' scoring record. Even more impressive, Blackman achieved the feat in 865 games, while the 2007 MVP reached the milestone in only 743 matchups. So, how did the achievement resonate with the seven-footer? He told the Dallas Morning News, "Ro Blackman is a friend of mine and he coached the German national team one year, so I'm really, really close to him. I hate to break that record and take it from him. But it's definitely a great honor for me."
 Photo: Fans Applaud Dirk
1. Nowitzki Breaks RecordDevin Harris' homecoming was a story that lived in shadow of Dirk Nowitzki's accomplishment on Saturday night. While Harris, now with the Nets, faced his former team, the Germany-native scored his 16,644th point en-route to a 111-91 home court win. The Dallas superstar passed Rolando Blackman, who previously owned the Mavs' scoring record. Even more impressive, Blackman achieved the feat in 865 games, while the 2007 MVP reached the milestone in only 743 matchups. So, how did the achievement resonate with the seven-footer? He told the Dallas Morning News, "Ro Blackman is a friend of mine and he coached the German national team one year, so I'm really, really close to him. I hate to break that record and take it from him. But it's definitely a great honor for me."
Photo: Fans Applaud Dirk
2. Udrih Makes Two Crucial Freebies  After Mike Bibby was traded to the Atlanta Hawks it was obvious that Beno Udrih, who had replaced the 10-year vet while he was sidelined with an injury, would take over the starting spot. On Sunday night Udrih proved he could fill the big shoes Bibby left behind, as he registered a team-high 25 points and 10 dimes. While his overall performance was crucial in the 114-113 road win over the Lakers, it was a clutch play down the stretch that sealed the deal for the Kings. With 4.6 seconds left, the Yugoslavia-native made two decisive freebies that put the Kings ahead by a point. However the 6-3 guard explained to the Sacramento Bee, that the outcome would have been the same if a foul was not committed. "' Cisco' told me he ( Sasha Vujacic) flopped, and otherwise I would've been wide open. I would've had a layup. Brad made a good pass. I caught the ball, and he tripped me trying to get it up."
Photo: Beno comes through for Kings
3. Duncan Leads by ExampleDenver brought the Spurs' season-high 11-game win streak to a screeching halt last Friday when they defeated the reigning champs 109-96 in Denver. On Monday night in San Antonio, Denver was on the verge of being responsible for San Antonio's new streak, a losing streak. With a third consecutive loss on the line, team leader Tim Duncan played with the poise and passion of a true captain. On the night he logged 23 points and a game-high 18 boards. In the fourth with a 1:32 left, The Big Fundamental nailed a pair of tiebreaking freebies. The Virgin Islands-native told HOOPSWORLD, "We are trying to play harder for 48 minutes than anyone else." Evidently, the 10-time All-Star is leading by example.
4.Deng Shows How It's DoneWith the hope that they could quiet their critics, the Chicago Bulls had the home fans cheering following their 108-96 victory over Utah. Luol Deng, who contributed 14 points, eight boards and three dimes to the win, was very aggressive. After receiving a pass from teammate Drew Gooden, Deng was unstoppable as he went up for the basket. For his display of speed and agility the Sudan-native received the Haier Play of the Day honor. As Jazz coach Jerry Sloan explained to the AP , the play was a perfect example of why the Bulls went home winners. "They beat us with points in the paint (48-34). They drove down the middle. We got out of the way and let them shoot layups. They were the aggressors from the beginning and we never did get to that point. We just tried to outscore them,'' said Sloan.
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Deng: Haier Play of the Day
5. Giricek Takes Center Stage While all eyes have been on Shaquille O'Neal in the desert, another recent acquisition, Gordan Giricek, has demanded some of the attention. The Croatia-native joined the Suns roster on Mar. 4 after being waived by the Philadelphia 76ers. On Tuesday night the 6-6 earned his keep in Phoenix as he logged a season-high 30:41 minutes and 18 points en route to the Suns' 132-111 victory over the Grizzlies. Elated about his performance, the reserve told Suns.com, "It’s great. I didn’t play like that in a long time, being so relaxed and just having so many touches." Another spark off the bench in Tueday night's victory was Leandro Barbosa who also chipped in 18 points. The Brazilian guard received praise for a defensive play in the first quarter where he intercepted a pass and tipped the ball off to teammate Amare Stoudemire. Air Force One completed the play by jetting down the court and scoring an easy layup. Stoudemire told the AP, "We're just scratching the surface of how good we can be."
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Barbosa: Steal of the NIght
6. Kleiza Comes to the Rescue  With three of Denver's starters scoring only eight points against the Grizzlies, including the injured Allen Iverson, the Nuggets needed a spark off the bench to pull them through. Fortunately for Denver, Linas Kleiza stepped up and registered 19 points and 6 boards en route to Denver's 108-86 victory over Memphis. The matchup marked the Lithuania-native's 14th game in double-digits in the past 24 games. In 26 minutes the reserve shot 7-of-13 from the field and drained 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. Kleiza's high-scoring performance was much appreciated by his teammates as the club appears to be feeling a sense of urgency. Kleiza's teammate Kenyon Martin told the AP, "It's now or never. We don't have a choice. It's either win now or be watching come April, and I don't think anyone around here wants to be watching. We've got too much talent and the guys have too much pride, so we're going to approach every game like it's our last. That's what it's all about."
7. Navarro: A Rising Star If there was any silver lining to Memphis' 108-86 loss to Denver, Juan Carlos Navarro was it. The rookie, who hails from Spain, paced his squad with 16 points. Coming off the bench Navarro also contributed seven boards and drained 4-of-9 from three-point land. Navarro, who is averaging 10.7 points and 2.2 dimes, is among the elite players in the 2007 rookie class. However his gallant effort in Wednesday night's matchup against Denver was not enough to secure a win. Disappointed and frustrated, teammate and fellow first-year, Mike Conley, told the Memphis Commercial Appeal, "It's tough because we're playing hard and everyone here hates to lose." Clearly, Navarro is the bright up and coming star in Memphis' cloudy sky.
8. Dalembert Does It AllThe 76ers let the good times roll on Friday night at the Wachovia Center. Philadelphia defeated Seattle 117-83 to stretch their home-court win streak to eight. Center Samuel Dalembert paced the 76ers in both points and rebounds with 22 (tying his season-high) and 13 respectively. The game marked the former Seton Hall Pirate's 19th double-double of the season. While the team achieved balanced scoring with seven players scoring in double-digits, it was the Haiti-native that brought the team home as he played with energy and accuracy, nailing 10-of-11 of his shots from the field. Teammate Andre Iguodala, who believes the 6-11 center had an extra spring in his step on Friday, told the Philadelphia Inquirer how important Dalembert is to the Sixers' squad. "It's good having that presence of a guy who can not only block shots and defend, but can give you a double-double every night," said Iguodala.
9. Pietrus Plays Like A WarriorEvery win matters and every Warrior knows it. Currently in the eighth seed of an extraordinarily competitive Western Conference, Golden State must leave it all on the court night in and night out if they want to actively participate in the postseason. On Wednesday night against the Raptors, Golden State needed each player to go that extra mile to ensure a win. With five players scoring in double-digits their mission was accomplished as Golden State defeated Toronto 117-106. France-native Mickael Pietrus, who registered 14 points and eight rebounds, certainly brought his "A" game as he seamlessly drove through several defenders for monstrous two-handed jam. For the impressive display of athleticism and intensity Pietrus received the Dunk of the Night honor.
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Pietrus: Dunk of the Night
10. Nash: Assist of the Night Despite the fact that Phoenix lost to the Jazz 126-118 on Friday night, the Suns' star guard Steve Nash did what he does best, score and pass. On the night Nash registered a double-double with 17 points and a game-high 15 dimes. While his performance did not help Phoenix rise in the rankings, Nash was awarded with the Assist of the Night honor for a slick feed to Grant Hill on the break in the first quarter of the matchup.
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Nash: Assist of the Night
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