OAKLAND, Calif, March 16 (Ticker) -- Blown away in their last game, the Dallas Mavericks took out their frustrations on a regular target.

Dirk Nowitzki and Raef LaFrentz each scored 30 points and Michael Finley added 27 as the Mavericks recorded their 13th straight victory over the Golden State Warriors, 117-100.

Dallas was coming off Thursday's 132-106 whipping by the Portland Trail Blazers, a loss that snapped a five-game winning streak. But the Mavericks improved to 4-0 this season against the Warriors and moved within a half-game of the Los Angeles Lakers for the top spot in the Western Conference. They open a home-and-home series with the Lakers on Sunday in Los Angeles.

"I was worried about this game all day long," said Mavericks coach Don Nelson, who once coached the Warriors. "I knew we were going to have to play a great game to win this and we did. We have won here quite a lot and this is a game that we had to have."

NBA TV highlights from Mavericks-Warriors: 56k | 300k Raef Lafrentz scored 23 of his 30 points in the second and third quarters. Rocky Widner NBAE/Getty Images

Antawn Jamison scored 20 points and Chris Mills contributed 19 off the bench for Golden State, which dropped its fifth straight game.

The Warriors, who have lost 15 of their last 17 and are in last place in the Pacific Division, have not defeated Dallas since a 91-90 win on March 10, 1999.

"The thing about (the Mavericks), is that from the 1 (point guard) to the 5 (center), they all can run the floor, all can pass the ball, and can really shoot the ball," Jamison said. "It makes it hard to outscore them, and they do kind of lull you into running up and down the court."

Golden State was playing without forward Danny Fortson, who served the first game of a two-game league suspension for exceeding the maximum allowable five flagrant foul penalty points for the season.

"I don't think it was a huge factor," Warriors coach Brian Winters said. "I thought some of the other guys stepped up and played well."

Leading by just two at halftime, the Mavs scored the first seven points of the third quarter, starting a 21-8 run that gave them an 80-65 lead. Nowitzki scored 12 of his team's first 19 points of the period.

"The Warriors scored 33 points in the first quarter and our defense saved us in the third," said Nowitzki, who had 14 points in the quarter. "We can't allow that in the playoffs, we have to clamp down during the whole game not just the third quarter."

Dallas shot 65 percent (13-of-20) from the field in the period, including 5-of-7 (72 percent) from 3-point range.

"Our defensive energy in the third quarter is what won the game for us," LaFrentz observed. "We got hot during the third period but it was our defensive pressure that got the win tonight."

LaFrentz also had 12 points in the third and 13 in the first, when Dallas was outscored, 33-30. He had 11 more in the second but did not score in the fourth, marking the fourth time he has reached 30 points this season.

"My release felt good and my shot was going down and my teammates got me the ball where I could do something with it," said LaFrentz, who shot 12-of-19 from the field, including six 3-pointers.

"We have encouraged him to shoot the 3-pointer because we know that he can shoot it," Nelson said. "He shoots a great percentage from behind the arc and then he got on a roll and even made some when he was covered. It was quite a performance from Raef."

In the fourth quarter, the Warriors used a 14-6 run to close within 100-90 on rookie Jason Richardson's driving finger roll with 6:36 left. But the Mavs answered with a 13-4 spurt, going ahead by 19 points on Finley's 3-pointer with 2:18 to go.

Dallas made 13-of-28 from beyond the arc and shot 50 percent (45-of-90) overall.

Nowitzki and Greg Buckner each pulled down nine rebounds, but the Mavericks were outrebounded, 42-39.

The Warriors, who shot 48 percent (38-of-79), had five starters score in double figures for the first time since December 15 against Memphis. Erick Dampier had 15 points and Richardson finished with 13.

Replacing Fortson in the lineup, rookie Troy Murphy made his first NBA start and scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds while a season-high with 28 minutes.