It doesn't much matter whether the Mavericks are playing elite teams or riffraff. These days, they can beat them all without Dirk Nowitzki going into his otherworldly MVP mode.

For the seventh consecutive game, Nowitzki wasn't the Mavericks' leading scorer Saturday night. And while he made some huge plays in the final moments, he had plenty of help again as the Mavericks survived a hearty effort from Memphis, finally outlasting the Grizzlies, 108-105, on Saturday at American Airlines Center.

It was perhaps a more difficult victory than expected. The Grizzlies went to overtime in a loss Friday night in Memphis. Yet, the Mavericks couldn't shake them all night, surviving two 3-point looks in the final seconds from rookie Juan Carlos Navarro to secure the win.

Josh Howard had 27 points, and Devin Harris had 19 points, eight assists and five steals, including one on Pau Gasol with 19.9 seconds left, after which Harris was fouled and made a free throw for a three-point Dallas lead.

Nowitzki certainly was a presence at crunch time. He had six of the Mavericks' final seven points and finished with 21 to go with nine rebounds.

But it's becoming evident that the Mavericks are going to rely on diversity more than Nowitzki's greatness – at least when the opportunity presents itself. To put it in perspective, the last time Nowitzki went seven games without leading the Mavs in scoring, when healthy, was the 2001-2002 season.

"We're taking away their plan of keying on one guy," said Jason Terry. "That's something we didn't do last year. But we're starting to get it done this year.

"The less we have to depend on [Nowitzki] to get 40, the better. And you know it [a huge game] is coming. He's going to have those."

Avery Johnson has seen Nowitzki adjust and couldn't be happier that his game has evolved to the point where he's averaging almost five assists per game.

"I think it's been better than even the previous years because now he's beating teams with the pass," Johnson said. "He's still ultra-aggressive. Teams have been watching us. They're playing three on him right now, and he's trusting his teammates. But when we need him there for a stretch to get us eight straight points, he still can do it."

Like he did down the stretch against the Grizzlies. The Mavericks had a 101-91 lead with under three minutes to play. They thought the Grizzlies would be getting leg weary, but not so.

Memphis scored 10 in a row to tie the score, and Nowitzki decided it was time to make some noise. He hit a 20-foot jumper and four free throws in the final 1:01.

Still, the Grizzlies had a shot at the end. Harris made a dandy steal from Gasol, who inexplicably shied away from an open 20-foot jumper, only to get stripped by Harris.

"We know he likes to spin back to his left, and I just timed it right," Harris said.

He made only one of two free throws, though, leaving Memphis with a shot at a tie. But Navarro missed both 3-point tries.

"Up three with less than 20 seconds on the clock, we've fouled in the past and did it a couple times, but we didn't do it on the very last play when we were supposed to," Jerry Stackhouse said. "It could have cost us, but we got away with the win."

Johnson didn't like the way his team reacted after winning emotional games early in the season. They followed a season-opening win at Cleveland with a dull effort in losing at Atlanta. They beat nemesis Golden State on the road, then came up empty in a loss at Portland.

Things didn't change after beating San Antonio on Thursday. They had to scrap to beat the 2-7 Grizzlies.

"We're looking to get some consistency," Johnson said. "We're not a very consistent team right now. No excuses. Whatever lineup we put out there, we should be consistent."

At this point, they'll just be happy to continue banking wins.