OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- The Dallas Mavericks look to
maintain their dominance of the Golden State Warriors when the
teams meet Wednesday at The Arena in Oakland.
The Mavericks have won 22 of the last 24 meetings, including two
of three this season. They reeled off 20 wins in a row from
1999-2004 before losing in Oakland to close last season's
series.
Both teams carry three-game winning streaks into Wednesday's
action. Dallas dropped the first of four games at home before
taking the next three, including a 103-86 victory over New
Orleans on Monday.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds and
rookie Devin Harris made the most of his minutes with 17 points
off the bench.
The win bumped the Mavericks to 11-4 overall under coach Avery
Johnson, who took over the reins when Don Nelson retired
Saturday, and pulled the club within 5 1/2 games of the San
Antonio Spurs in the Southwest Division.
The Warriors' three-game run is one shy of matching a
season-high and includes a pair of impressive victories at
Phoenix and Sacramento.
In a 104-94 win over the Kings on Sunday, Troy Murphy finished
with 29 points and 14 rebounds, helping Golden State offset the
absence of leading scorer Jason Richardson, who was attending to
personal matters.
Richardson, who was named Western Conference Player of the Week
on Monday, is expected back in action Wednesday for the first of
three straight games at home.
Nowitzki scored 35 points in Dallas' 114-107 win over Golden
State on February 15.




