Warriors-Mavericks Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Feb 09 2013 12:56AM

Just a week ago, the Golden State Warriors edged past the Dallas Mavericks without Stephen Curry.

This time, they'll likely need him to avoid their longest skid of the season.

Curry and the Warriors look to snap their three-game losing streak and sweep a season series from the Mavericks for the first time in six years Saturday night.

Golden State (30-20) beat the Mavericks 100-97 on Jan. 31, while Curry was out with a sore ankle. In fact, ankle injuries have sidelined the star guard for three of the past four meetings, and he was terrific in that other matchup.

Curry had 31 points, nine assists and six rebounds in a 105-101 overtime win at Dallas (21-28) on Nov. 19.

Another strong performance could give the Warriors their first season sweep of the Mavericks since taking all three meetings in 2006-07. They followed that by dropping 13 of 18 in the series entering this season.

Golden State squandered a superb performance from Curry on Friday, when he matched his season high with 32 points while adding eight assists, five boards and three steals in a 99-93 loss at Memphis. The Warriors showed improvement in the second half, holding the Grizzlies to 36 points on 38.2 percent shooting.

"We fell a little bit short," Curry said. "It's a frustrating feeling for us losing three in a row. But it is a positive that we can take from this game knowing that we got back to our brand of basketball the last 24 minutes."

The Warriors' three-game slide followed a four-game winning streak, which included the latest victory over Dallas.

The Mavericks have been an inconsistent team since a season-best four-game win streak last month. They've lost five of nine since that run, surrendering an average of 105.1 points to undermine their impressive 105.3 scored per contest.

Dallas will try to build on Wednesday's 105-99 win over Portland, opening this five-game homestand that leads into next week's All-Star break.

"It's an opportunity for us to gain ground in the standings before the All-Star break," said guard O.J. Mayo, who had 28 points on 11 for 14 from the floor against the Trail Blazers.

Although it hasn't helped Dallas win, Mayo has performed very well in two games this season against Golden State. He's totaled 52 points on 19-of-34 shooting, including 6 of 11 from 3-point range.

Vince Carter had 22 points in the latest matchup after being held to nine at home in November. His performance last week is part of an eight-game stretch, during which he's averaged 17.6 points while connecting on 20 of 40 from beyond the arc.

Carter had 17 points Wednesday after an illness forced him to miss Monday's 112-91 loss at Oklahoma City.

"There's a reason he's such an important guy to us," said coach Rick Carlisle, who got his 500th win Wednesday. "All year long, he's been one of our facilitators."

It's unclear if Golden State will have Jarret Jack available. The guard, who averages 12.8 points and a team-leading 5.8 assists, has missed three straight games due to a right shoulder contusion.

Jack has struggled against Dallas this season, totaling 15 points while missing 14 of 18 shots.

Marion, Mavericks down slumping Warriors 116-91

Posted Feb 10 2013 1:45AM

DALLAS (AP) Dallas didn't have to worry about another close finish against the weary Golden State Warriors.

Shawn Marion scored a season-high 26 points, O.J. Mayo added 19 and the Mavericks handed the Golden State Warriors their fourth straight loss, 116-91 on Saturday night.

Dallas had lost its first two meetings to Golden State by a combined seven points. The Warriors beat the Mavericks 105-101 in overtime on Nov. 19 and edged Dallas 100-97 on Jan. 31. The narrow loss last week was still on Dallas' mind, especially since coach Rick Carlisle was fined $25,000 for criticizing the late-game officiating.

Darren Collison, who had 18 points and eight assists, keyed a 21-6 first-quarter run. The Mavericks stretched the lead to 27 in the second quarter and were barely threatened after that.

"We were right in the game against Golden State when we played them at their place a week ago," Collison said. "I think everybody was upset about that game. We knew had to go at them in the first five minutes."

Marion went 11 of 16 from the floor and grabbed 11 rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki chipped in with 15 points for the Mavericks.

The Mavericks, five games behind eighth-place Houston in the Western Conference, improved to 2-0 on a five-game homestand.

Dallas took advantage of a tired Golden State team which was playing its fourth game in five days.

"Any time a team comes in playing four games in five nights, you want to attack them at both ends of the floor," Nowitzki said. "That was a big emphasis for us."

Golden State's Stephen Curry had 18 points on 8-of-23 shooting and Carl Landry added 13. The Warriors were winless on a four-game road trip that started with a 140-109 loss to Houston on Tuesday night.

The Warriors were outscored by an average of nearly 21 points on their four-game trip.

"It's very frustrating," Golden State All-Star David Lee said. "Not only losing four games in a row, but in the manner that we lost them. Every team goes through those ups and downs during the season. The key for us is to figure it out sooner rather than later."

Collison scored 11 points in Dallas' 21-6 surge in the first quarter, including a 3-pointer that put the Mavericks ahead 26-12. The Mavericks point guard finished with 18 points and eight assists.

Rodrigue Beaubois hit a 20-footer with 9.8 seconds left to give Dallas a 30-16 lead after the first quarter. Golden State, who missed 10 straight shots during one stretch, was 7 of 22 in the opening quarter.

The Mavericks pushed their advantage to 43-21 on Nowitzki's three-point play. Marion's dunk gave Dallas a 54-27 lead with 5:06 remaining in the first half.

"We started off aggressive on both ends of the floor and we were able to capitalize on their misses," Marion said. "We made them turn the ball over and that opened the game up."

Golden State, which trailed 62-36 at halftime, got within 87-74 early in the fourth.

Dallas answered with an 18-5 run, which was capped when Mayo saved a loose ball from going out of bounds near midcourt and hit a streaking Marion for a dunk that made it 105-79.

NOTES: Nowitzki passed Wilt Chamberlain for 15th place on the NBA's career list for free throws made. Nowitzki was 8 of 11 Saturday night and has 6,059 in his career. ... Golden State G Jarrett Jack (right shoulder) missed his third straight game. Warriors C Andrew Bogut also did not play. Bogut played a season-high 28 minutes Friday against Memphis on Friday, but the Warriors aren't playing the 7-footer on consecutive nights as he works his way back from left ankle surgery. ... After marching in the inaugural parade last month, the Grambling State band performed at halftime.

Notebook: Mavericks 116, Warriors 91

Dave Ivey, for NBA.com
Posted Sat Feb 09, 2013 11:38 PM - Updated Sun Feb 10, 2013 12:18 AM

THE FACTS: Playing their fourth road game in five nights, the Golden State Warriors rarely had a chance to catch their breath Saturday as Shawn Marion and the Dallas Mavericks pushed the tempo and handed the Warriors their fourth consecutive loss, 116-91.

Marion had a season-high 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Mavericks (22-28), who outscored the weary Warriors (30-21) by a decisive 29-8 margin in fastbreak points. O.J. Mayo tallied 19 points and nine assists, Darren Collison had 18 points and eight assists, Dirk Nowitzki scored 15 and Elton Brand added 11 points and 11 boards.

Golden State shot just 38.2 percent, with Stephen Curry scoring 18 points on 8-for-23 shooting and Klay Thompson held to 11 on a 4-for-14 night. All-Star David Lee, who leads the league with 32 double-doubles, finished with 10 points and six rebounds. The Warriors turned it over 16 times, leading to 27 points for Dallas.

QUOTABLE: "We're fine. There's no panic. We lost another game. We didn't play well, we made mistakes, we did not put together 48 minutes of basketball, but there's going to be no panic. We're going to regroup and be preparing for the next one."
-- Warriors coach Mark Jackson

THE STAT: The Warriors have allowed an average of 33.5 points in the first quarter during this losing streak, surrendering at least 30 in all four games.

TURNING POINT: Dallas seized control early with a 14-0 first-quarter run, with eight of those points by Collison. Golden State went 4:29 without scoring, missing seven consecutive shots and turning it over twice. Collison scored 13 in the opening frame.

HOT: The Mavericks shot 51.2 percent in the first half, including 6-for-11 from behind the arc, and led by as many as 27 points.

NOT: Golden State's starting backcourt of Curry and Thompson were a combined 4-for-21 (1-for-6 from 3-point range) in the first half.

GOOD MOVE: This game wasn't exactly a close shave for the Mavericks, who have vowed to grow out their beards until the team gets back to .500.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: The subject of recent trade rumors in Dallas, Marion is playing his best basketball of the year. It was his fourth double-double in his last five games and his fourth 20-point effort of the season. "The Matrix" was 11-for-16 overall and 2-for-3 from deep with two steals, one block and one assist. His previous season high was 23.

QUOTABLE II: "It'll take care of itself. Right now, I'm a Dallas Maverick and that's what it's about."
-- Shawn Marion on the upcoming NBA trade deadline

INSIDE THE ARENA: The Grambling State University Tiger Marching Band performed at halftime on African-American Heritage Night at the American Airlines Center.

ROOKIE WATCH: Draymond Green fell just short of his first career double-double, contributing eight points and a team-high nine rebounds off the Warriors' bench.

NOTABLE: Dallas center Chris Kaman (concussion) missed his sixth straight game. For the Warriors, center Andrew Bogut did not play after logging a season-high 28 minutes in Friday's loss at Memphis and guard Jarrett Jack (right shoulder contusion) missed his third straight game. ... Golden State scored the fewest points in the first quarter (16) and first half (36) by any Dallas opponent this season. That was also the fewest first-half points scored by the Warriors this year. ... The Warriors swept the first two meetings this season, although Nowitzki didn't play in either contest. ... With two free throws at the 11:06 mark of the fourth quarter, Nowitzki passed Wilt Chamberlain (6,057) for 15th place in NBA history. ... Dallas swingman Vince Carter went to the locker room to have his left ankle treated in the third quarter, but was back on the floor in the fourth. ... The Mavericks are 13-3 at home when scoring 100-plus points and 11-1 at home when leading at halftime.

UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Monday vs. Atlanta, Wednesday vs. Sacramento, Feb. 20 vs. Orlando. For the Warriors, Tuesday vs. Houston, Feb. 19 @ Utah, Feb. 20 vs. Phoenix.

• Warriors: Bogut, Rush
• Mavericks: Cunningham, Kaman

• Warriors: --
• Mavericks: --

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• Officials: #28 Zach Zarba, #74 Curtis Blair, #35 Kane Fitzgerald
• Attendance: 20355
• Duration: 2:16