DALLAS -- Brandan Wrights season debut just happened to come on a night when Dirk Nowitzki was home sick. Wholesale Custom Astros Shirts . The trade-off worked out just fine for Dallas. Wright led the Mavericks with 19 points, Jose Calderon got the offence going early and finished with 18, and Dallas shrugged off the absence of Nowitzki and coach Rick Carlisle to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 106-93 Saturday night. Nowitzki and Carlisle missed the game with an undisclosed illness. Carlisle has been fighting an upper respiratory problem since before a four-game road trip that started last week. Wright, who missed the first 23 games with a shoulder injury, scored seven straight points in a 19-5 run that put Dallas in control, 43-26, early in the second quarter. "Im going to be aggressive either way it goes," said Wright, who was 9 of 10 from the floor and added six rebounds in 19 minutes. "If Dirk plays or Monta (Ellis) plays or none of those guys play, Ive got to play the same way. Ive got to play hard." John Henson had 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Bucks, who fell behind by 34 late in the third quarter before rallying in the fourth to make the final score respectable. O.J. Mayo, who played despite the recent death of his grandmother, had four points on 1-of-6 shooting in his first game in Dallas against his former team since signing with the Bucks as a free agent last summer. "We came in here and laid an egg," Milwaukee coach Larry Drew said. "We didnt play well. We had very low energy, which was disappointing." Nowitzki and Carlisle missed the shootaround earlier Saturday and werent at American Airlines Center for the game. The Mavericks dont play again until Wednesday, so they should have plenty of time to recover. Even without their star and their coach, the Mavericks were never in much trouble with assistant Monte Mathis in charge. Dallas didnt even need much from Ellis, the teams leading scorer. He had seven points and five assists and essentially deferred to Calderon, who had 16 points at halftime on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. "Very important, especially with Monta kind of feeling things out and not getting some of the opportunities that he typically has, its good for another guy to step up and be aggressive," Mathis said. The biggest decision for Mathis was whether to bring back any other starters after the Bucks went on a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter and eventually got within 13 in the final 2 minutes. Mathis did reinsert DeJuan Blair after Wright had returned, and the Mavericks kept the lead in double digits. "One or two more baskets," Mathis said of how tempting it was to go with Ellis and Calderon again. "We didnt want to get them in there. We wanted our other guys to finish it out." Shawn Marion had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Mavericks. Vince Carter had 15 points and a game-high nine assists. Brandon Knight scored 16 for Milwaukee, but only four after the first quarter. "We came out flat," Henson said of the Bucks, who lost by a point to Chicago at home a night earlier and have played five sets of back-to-back games in their last 10. "The combination of these games and the travel, I think we kind of hit that wall." Wright grabbed two quick rebounds after coming in midway through the first quarter and finished the first half with 11 points and five rebounds in 10 minutes. The highlight for Wright was a putback dunk for a 79-51 lead in the third. Just 3 minutes later, Blair gave the Mavericks their biggest lead at 90-56 on a jumper. Blair had 11 points and nine rebounds. Samuel Dalembert, signed in the off-season to be the starting centre for the Mavericks, was the only Dallas player who didnt get off the bench. For Dalembert, it was something of a replay of his one season with Milwaukee, when he went through a long midseason stretch without playing and got into just one of the last 11 games. NOTES: Bucks G Carlos Delfino had surgery on his right foot performed by Dr. Donato Villani in Argentina. There is no timetable for the 31-year-olds return. ... Carlisle missed a game for the first time since the franchises only championship season of 2010-11. He missed a Dec. 27 victory at Oklahoma City a day after having arthroscopic knee surgery. Assistant Dwane Casey, now the head coach in Toronto, filled in then. ... Bucks G Gary Neal left late in the second quarter with plantar fasciitis and didnt return. Taylor Jones Jersey . Week 2s biggest games include Florida facing Miami and Notre Dame travelling to the Big House to conclude their rivalry against Michigan in primetime on TSN2 and TSN 1050. Custom Jeff Bagwell Jersey .Y. -- Sore nose and all, Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists to help Pittsburgh beat Buffalo 5-3 on Friday night, snapping the Penguins mini-slump and slowing the Sabres late-season surge. http://www.customastrosjersey.com/custom-doug-rader-jersey-large-616y.html . Forward Iker Muniain scored the winner in the 70th minute after Bilbaos incessant pressure recovered the ball and sparked a counterattack inside Barcelonas half. Neymar was once again tagged to pick up Messis goal-scoring duties, but when he wasnt frustrated by slippery footing Bilbaos defence got the better of him.GREEN BAY, Wis. - Eddie Lacy and Aaron Rodgers powered the Green Bay Packers to another big first half in a home victory.But the Atlanta Falcons furious late rally provided the Packers potential playoff foes some hope.Maybe Lambeau Field wont be that impenetrable after all in the post-season.Lacy ran for a touchdown and caught one of Rodgers three TD passes, and Green Bay built a 24-point halftime lead before holding on for a 43-37 victory Monday night.The Packers (10-3) earned their fifth consecutive victory to stay a game up on Detroit in the NFC North. They remained tied with Arizona for the NFCs best record.Theres been some ups and downs on both sides of the ball all season, Rodgers said. But were really getting this home-field advantage thing going, with the crowd noise, with the footing, with the way were playing being really balanced on offence.Rodgers acknowledged there may have been a slight relaxation at halftime up 24.What matters most in the end to Green Bay is that it held on for a victory, even though this win didnt go quite according to the script the Packers had written earlier this year against NFC foes.Defensively, a tale of two halves. You have to give Atlantas offence a lot of credit, coach Mike McCarthy said. We have plenty to clean up.The Falcons dropped to 5-8, but remained in a first-place tie with New Orleans in the woeful NFC South.Julio Jones had a career-best 259 yards receiving for the Falcons before leaving with a hip injury. Jones had a 22-yard touchdown catch in a 20-point fourth quarter that helped Atlanta cut into Green Bays big lead.Matt Ryans 2-yard touchdown pass to Harry Douglas with 2:15 left got Atlanta within six.But the Packers recovered the ensuing onside kick, and backup running back James Starks effectively ended Atlantas upset hopes with a 41-yard run to the Falcons 6 with 1:37 left.The Falcons had won three of four coming into the game. They havent lost hope that they can still make the playoffs.Yeah, absolutely. We scored 37 points tonight. If you cant believe in that, then you dont need to be in this locker room, we need to cut some people, receiver Roddy White said.Coach Mike Smith said it was difficult to lose Jones late. But the Falconns did damage even with their No. Mike Cuellar Jersey. 1 receiver hobbling on the sideline.Ryan threw for 375 yards and four scores, including a 1-yard touchdown catch by White with 6:20 left that trimmed Green Bays lead to 40-30. Jones didnt come out for Atlantas failed 2-point conversion attempt.Difficult. Theres probably never a good time for an injury, but thats part of the game, Ryan said.Mason Crosby kicked a 53-yard field goal with 4:37 left, helping the Packers withstand Atlantas final punch.Rodgers finished 24 of 36 for 327 yards. Lacy had 73 yards on 13 carries, and 33 yards on five catches.The tough running back wiggled from side to side to celebrate his 1-yard touchdown reception with 4:20 left in the second quarter. The score was set up by safety Morgan Burnetts interception.Later, Rodgers sidestepped his way out of a late blitz by Falcons defensive end Kroy Biermann and found Jordy Nelson in the back of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 24 seconds left in the half. Rodgers and Nelson connected on a 60-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.Nelson finished with eight catches for 146 yards.Jones was even better, catching 11 of the 17 passes thrown in his direction. His 79-yard catch-and-run to the Packers 3 on the first play of the third quarter set up a 5-yard touchdown catch by Eric Weems on fourth down.It was a sign of things to come in the second half before Green Bay was able to hang on at the end.We cant play one half or three quarters or anything like that, linebacker Julius Peppers said. Weve got to finish games.NOTES: Lacy was pulled in the fourth quarter with a hip injury. He said he thought he would be OK, though he was sidelined as a precaution. Asked when the injury occurred, Lacy joked, Whenever I ran into the two big dudes. ... Starks finished with 75 yards on 10 carries. ... McCarthy tied Vince Lombardi with 98 career victories, second on the franchise list behind Curly Lambeau (209). ... S Dwight Lowery had a team-high 13 tackles and a forced fumble for Atlanta.___Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL(The previous version of this story incorrectly identified Falcons receiver Eric Weems last name as Weeks.) ' ' '