Dallas Mavericks' Daniel Gafford, left, and Dereck Lively II, right, stand on the court during a time out from play in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans in ...

Instead, the Mavericks squandered a 10-point fourth-quarter lead to a Nets team that will be hoping for the right combination of ping-pong balls at the NBA Draft Lottery later this spring.