NEW ORLEANS – The Mavericks' 3-point defense in crunch-time situations has been shaky all season.

On Saturday night, it cost them a victory.

A 3-pointer that, by all accounts, never should have happened ended one of the longest-running winning streaks in sports. The Mavericks suffered a defensive breakdown in the final seconds of regulation, allowing Peja Stojakovic to tie the score with a corner 3-pointer that forced overtime, where the Mavericks wilted for a 112-108 loss to the New Orleans Hornets on Saturday night.

Mavericks over Hornets was the most reliable bet in sports this side of Tony Romo being romantically linked to a celebrity babe.

They had won 21 consecutive games over the Hornets, dating to the franchise's days in Charlotte. It was the longest winning streak going by one franchise over another in any of the four major American pro sports.

And it all ended because of a 3-pointer that the Mavericks knew they had to defend. Usually, they would foul on such a play to avoid allowing a player to get the shot off. This time, a screen set by Tyson Chandler was not negotiated by the Mavericks, and Stojakovic got loose with 2.9 seconds left in regulation.

It's not the first time it's happened to them. But in other games, the shots missed.

"There's no way we should give up a 3-pointer with five seconds left, especially to Stojakovic," said Dirk Nowitzki. "We've got to deny him the ball and not let him catch it. We were up three a bunch of times now. Golden State got a [chance for a] three. Memphis, we gave them two threes that could have tied it. You can't keep doing that, and tonight it hurt us.

"We fought our way back and hustled. One dumb play at the end and we lose the game."

Nowitzki had a look at a 3-pointer at the buzzer that could have avoided overtime, but the shot clanged off the back iron.

"The whole way it was right on line," he said. "It was just a little long."

In overtime, the Hornets scored first on a 3-pointer by Jannero Pargo and never trailed. Chris Paul, who had a monster game, hit a 16-footer with 56 seconds left to make it 109-106, and the Mavericks couldn't score until a meaningless bucket just before the buzzer.

When it was over, the Mavericks couldn't stop kicking themselves over Stojakovic's 3-pointer.

"I was there," said DeSagana Diop, who tried to close on the shot for a block. "But he made a hell of a shot. I didn't want to foul him. I just wanted to contest the shot. It's tough to lose like that. I feel like I let the team down."

The shot indeed was contested, but it didn't matter. Stojakovic made it anyway.

"You hate to lose and learn," the Mavs' Jason Terry said. "But that's what happened. We're three points up with five seconds to go. What more can you ask for?"

A riveting stretch started late in the third quarter, when the Mavericks overcame a nine-point deficit, and extended throughout the fourth quarter.

Jerry Stackhouse, whose shot had betrayed him pretty much all season, finally found a groove just when the Mavericks needed it. He hit 5 of 6 shots in the third quarter to escort the Mavericks to an 81-80 lead going into the fourth.

Paul was outstanding, finishing with 33 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds.

Mavericks coach Avery Johnson said his team battled throughout in the sort of game that will be hard to top for intensity and excitement. But the Hornets had too much Paul and too much execution when it counted.

"It was back and forth all game," the Mavs' Devin Harris said. "When we made runs, they made runs. I didn't have a great game, and defensively, it definitely wasn't my best. Chris Paul's a load. He made a lot of tough shots."