Dallas at Golden State (March 23) Golden State is no longer the cupcake team they have been most of the season as they had won their last 3 games, and all were against Western Conference playoff teams. The Warriors were without Troy Murphy and Calbert Cheaney for this game, though. Dallas connected on their first 2 shots to take a 4 point lead, but the Mavs then missed their next 10 shots and Golden State scored the next 12 points to go up 12-4 with 7:20 remaining. But Dallas started scoring again and 8 points would be Golden State's largest lead. Golden State led 31-28 after 1. Baron Davis had 11 points and Dirk Nowitzki had 11 points. Rodney White opened the 2nd quarter with a bucket and then Golden State missed their next 6 shots and Dallas scored 11 straight points to go up 39-33 with 8 minutes left. But Mickael Pietrus converted a 3-point play to cut Dallas' lead down to 3 points and the game stayed close the rest of the quarter. Dallas led 57-54 at the half. Nowitzki had 20 points in the half. Dallas shot 46.5% FG including 4-10 3-pointers and Golden State shot 55% FG including 1-9 3-pointers. Dallas scored the first 7 points of the 3rd quarter to go up 64-54 with 9:15 to go. The chippiness of the quarter started with 10 minutes left when Davis and Nowitzki exchanged bumps and both got technicals. It escalated when Mike Dunleavy was called for an offensive foul (the call could have gone either way) and picked up his 4th personal foul and he went nuts in aggressively yelling at the ref and the ref one-T ejected him. It was Dunleavy's first career ejection and he will likely be fined for his outburst. The ejection did seemed to motivate his teammates (and influence the refs) as after Jason Terry hit the technical free throw to give Dallas an 11 point lead, Golden State then scored the next 6 points to pull within 62-67 with 6:55 left - included in the mini-run were 2 bad offensive fouls (both flops) against Dallas and a technical on Josh Howard as a result of one of the bad calls. Dallas then re-gained their composure and went on an 11-1 run to go up 78-63 with 3:40 remaining. Dallas led in the low teens the rest of the quarter. Dallas led 83-70 after 3. There were 6 technical fouls called in the 3rd quarter (including 2 defensive 3 seconds). Dallas out-scored Golden State 26-16 in the quarter as the Warriors shot just 4-23 FG. Dallas opened the 4th quarter with an 8-2 run to take their largest lead at 91-72 with 10 minutes to go. Golden State then scored the next 7 points, but could get no closer than 11 points over the next 8 minutes. After another verbal exchange between players where 2 more technicals were handed out and coach Mike Montgomery got a T for protesting that one of the technicals should have been given to Nowitzki instead of Keith Van Horn, Dallas led 103-86 with 2:35 left. Golden State made a last push by scoring the next 7 points to pull within 93-103 with 1:30 remaining, but Terry hit 6 free throws the rest of the way. Dallas won 109-97. It was a surprising chippy and physical game and Dallas was able to keep (and regain) their composure better than Golden State was. The game was basically won in the 3rd quarter when Golden State could not buy a bucket and got distracted by the refs and spent too much time complaining instead of focusing on the game. For the game, the Warriors shot 40% (34-85) FG including a mere 2-23 3-pointers - Golden State had made at least 6 3-pointers in each of their previous 16 games. Dallas shot 46.8% (36-77) FG including 5-15 3-pointers. Despite the Warriors and their fans feeling they were being cheated, the free throw attempts were fairly even as Dallas shot 32-36 FT (and 4 were on intentional fouls) and Golden State shot 27-34 FT as Dallas was called for 24 fouls and Golden State was called for 27 fouls. Both teams were whistled for 6 technicals, tying a Dallas record with 12 technicals called. After winning 4 straight against non-playoff teams, Dallas now has a tougher schedule with 5 of their next 6 games on the road and all 6 against playoff teams - and it starts tonight with the 2nd night of a back-to-back in the always tough Arco Arena (and usually entertaining Dallas-Sacramento matchup). Dirk Nowitzki had a solid outing with 29 points on 9-14 FG and 9-10 FT and 10 rebounds. He did have 6 turnovers, though. Keith Van Horn had his best outing as a Mav with 24 points on 8-11 FG and 6-6 FT off the bench. Jason Terry rebounded well from a poor outing and was the 3rd Mav with 20+ points. He had 23 points including 13-13 FT and 8 assists. Michael Finley again struggled with his shooting, but continued to rebound well. He had just 6 points including 2-11 FG, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. Josh Howard did let the officiating get to him and fouled out in 27 minutes. He had 10 points and 7 rebounds. Shawn Bradley continued to enjoy his re-emergence from the dead as he had 4 points and 4 rebounds in 19 minutes. [Before people go overboard and say it's all the coaching change, Bradley did not get many minutes when Avery Johnson was filling in for Don Nelson.] Marquis Daniels had 6 points and 3 rebounds in 21 minutes and Devin Harris had 7 points in 18 minutes. Alan Henderson only attempted 1 shot and had 6 rebounds in 10 minutes. Baron Davis had a nice first half, but lousy 2nd half as he only shot 1-10 FG in the 2nd half. He finished with 22 points including 7-20 FG and 1-9 3-pointers, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists before fouling out with 15 seconds left. Mickael Pietrus came off the bench to contribute 22 points and 5 rebounds in 28 minutes. Mike Dunleavy had 8 points on 4-6 FG and 3 rebounds in 11 minutes before his ejection. Derek Fisher struggled with his shot, but hit most of his free throws. He had 14 points on 2-8 FG and 10-13 FT, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Jason Richardson also struggled with his shot, but had an excuse in that he had just returned to Oakland the night before the game after attending to personal matters. He had 11 points on 5-17 FG and 1-6 FT, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in 43 minutes. Adonal Foyle missed the only shot he attempted and had 9 rebounds and 4 blocks in 30 minutes. Zarko Cabarkapa had 12 points and 4 rebounds. Quotes Avery Johnson on returning to Oakland: "It felt good. I have a number of friends out here and I've spoken with Mario Elie, Chris Mullin, and Rod Higgins, so it's good to come back here and compete with those guys. We're all NBA lifers, so it feels good to see those guys and some of the guys I played with last year. I like the way Jason Richardson has developed. I know Mike Dunleavy had a tough night tonight, but I really enjoyed working with a lot of those guys last year." Johnson on Golden State: "You have to take your hat off to this team. They've been playing really well and they're a hot team right now. For us to come in here tonight and hold them under 100 points is pretty good for us." Johnson on the technicals: "We're just battling right now. We're just not going to back down from any team. You don't have to get thrown out of the game, but I'd want my players to hold their ground in any of those situations." Johnson on Van Horn: "Keith stepped up big for us. That's what we brought him here for. And more than him scoring points tonight, he is one of our better pick-and-roll defenders. He does a good job of posting, he's physical, and really loves being here, so he's been a real nice addition to our basketball team." Johnson on if he considered returning this season: "No. I had one practice with the team this year, and Devin Harris ran by me so fast, he confirmed the fact that I need to stay retired." Dirk Nowitzki on his technical: "Whenever I get pushed, I feel like I have to push back. I'm not going to let anybody bully me out there. ... That kind of stuff happens a thousand times out there, though. We have to toughen up. Teams still think we're soft in the paint. I thought we played a really physical game." Jason Terry: "I thought it was a hard fought battle by both teams, very intense. Golden State has been on a roll of late, but we came out and matched their intensity. It's not a situation where we're going to back down. We have no soft players on this team. That's not our identity. Teams want to get physical, we do it right back, and make it a long night for them. We're going to get to the free throw line more than them, and we shoot a good percentage from there." Keith Van Horn: "I just tried to stay focused and not get too caught up in all the stuff that was going on. It was a crazy game. I felt that the game could have been controlled a little better, but that stuff happens in competition. I just tried to stay focused, go out there and do my job." Van Horn on the physical game: "I like to bang. I like to guard people down low. I like that challenge and I always have, so I try to pick up in that aspect of my game. It's an aspect that this team needs and I try to provide it." Van Horn: "I felt defensively and rebounding-wise, I played a little bit better. But it was a solid game and we needed this win. We need to get this road trip off to a good start." Van Horn on the win: "Every game is important. You have San Antonio, who obviously lost their best player, who we're trying to catch. You have 2 or 3 teams behind us that have the possibility to get on a roll and get on our heels, so we take every game and realize its importance." Mike Montgomery: "The game was disjointed, there was not a lot of flow to it. There were a lot of technical fouls. The Mavericks are a big team and there were some tough matchups for us all around. Jason Richardson did a good job, but you have to give them credit they came in here a did a nice job tonight." Montgomery on Dunleavy: "He got 2 fouls right off the bat and had to come out of the game. Then he got a 3rd and had to come out again and it just boiled over on him." Baron Davis on his bumps with Nowitzki: "It was all in good fun. That's what basketball is about. It's emotional. We got down and we needed a spark. I got a tech, came back and cut it to 6. It's just that they had the energy. They beat us to the punch tonight on all our loose balls. We had an opportunity of turning the tables and they come up with an offensive rebound and a putback or a big 3-pointer and kept us at bay, and that's what a good playoff team does." Jason Richardson on 3-pointers: "It was a tough night for us. We had a lot of opportunities but the shots didn't go down." Richardson: "It was a tough night for us for shooting. We missed a lot of opportunities with shots and layups, but when you're playing a team like Dallas, you've got to take advantage of that, you've got to knock those shots down. We just weren't playing well. Without the ball going down, with turnovers and stuff like that, I think that caused a lot of frustration for us." Richardson on Dunleavy's ejection: "You never know what will happen when refs get under a guy's skin. It was one of those nights where a lot of technicals were given out. He showed us he's got a lot of enthusiasm. He doesn't show that often, but that's good to see that from Mike." Mickael Pietrus on Dunleavy: "Mike is one of our leaders for us so we missed him tonight after he fouled out. We just have to come back on Friday and try and pick up a win." Dallas Mavericks 109, Golden State Warriors 97 at Golden State (March 23) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 28 29 26 26 - 109 .500 .333 .468 .889 Golden State 31 23 16 27 - 97 .516 .087 .400 .794 Halftime: Dallas 57-54 3rd Q: Dallas 83-70 Technicals: Dallas defensive 3 seconds 8:59 2nd, Golden State defensive 3 seconds 2:42 2nd, Avery Johnson 1:06 2nd, Dirk Nowitzki 10:01 3rd, Baron Davis 10:01 3rd, Mike Dunleavy (ejected) 8:14 3rd, Josh Howard 6:54 3rd, Dallas defensive 3 seconds 5:10 3rd, Golden State defensive 3 seconds 2:33 3rd, Keith Van Horn 2:34 4th, Jason Richardson 2:34 4th, Mike Montgomery 2:34 4th Refs: Mike Callahan, Rodney Mott, Bill Spooner Attendance: 16,183 (cap 19,596) Did not play due to injury: Troy Murphy (personal reasons), Calbert Cheaney (sprained right ankle) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Jason Terry 38 5-10 0-2 13-13 23 1-4 8 1 4 1 0 Michael Finley 38 2-11 0-3 2-2 6 1-9 4 1 2 0 0 Dirk Nowitzki 39 9-14 2-4 9-10 29 2-10 2 6 1 2 0 Josh Howard 27 4-10 0-0 2-3 10 3-7 1 3 6 2 0 Shawn Bradley 19 2-4 0-0 0-0 4 1-4 1 0 1 0 0 Keith Van_Horn 28 8-11 2-2 6-6 24 1-2 1 0 4 0 0 Marquis Daniels 21 3-8 0-1 0-2 6 0-3 2 1 3 0 1 Devin Harris 18 3-8 1-3 0-0 7 0-1 1 1 2 0 0 Alan Henderson 10 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1-6 0 0 1 0 0 Pavel Podkolzin 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Darrell Armstrong 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 36-77 5-15 32-36 109 10-46 20 15 24 5 1 Golden State Warriors REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Baron Davis 41 7-20 1-9 7-8 22 0-5 8 1 6 4 0 Derek Fisher 36 2-8 0-1 10-13 14 1-6 5 3 1 1 1 Jason Richardson 43 5-17 1-6 0-1 11 1-5 5 1 1 1 0 Mike Dunleavy 11 4-6 0-1 0-1 8 2-3 0 1 4 0 0 Adonal Foyle 30 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1-9 1 3 3 0 4 Mickael Pietrus 28 8-13 0-3 6-7 22 3-5 0 2 2 2 0 Zarko Cabarkapa 25 4-9 0-1 4-4 12 1-4 1 2 4 0 0 Andris Biedrins 14 3-3 0-0 0-0 6 1-1 0 0 5 0 0 Rodney White 12 1-8 0-2 0-0 2 2-3 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 48 34-85 2-23 27-34 97 12-41 20 14 27 8 5 patricia