Warriors Give Up 18 Point Lead In Loss To Mavericks
OAKLAND (CBS / AP) -- Dirk Nowitzki had 34 points and 13 rebounds, and the Dallas Mavericks rallied from 18 points down to beat the Golden State Warriors 112-106 on Wednesday night.
Jason Terry scored 19 points and Rodrigue Beaubois had 18 to help the Mavericks score 15 consecutive points in the fourth quarter and pull away for the victory. Dallas (48-20) moved into a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for second place in the Western Conference.
Monta Ellis had 26 points and 11 assists, and David Lee scored 22 in another disappointing defeat for a Warriors team seemingly headed for the draft lottery. They built a big lead with an incredible shooting start but couldn't keep pace late.
Dallas came back from big deficits over and over in this one. It was big turnaround from a night earlier, when the Mavericks lost at Portland despite shooting 59 percent from the floor.
Golden State made one final run that didn't last.
Ellis and Dorell Wright hit consecutive 3-pointers to put the Warriors ahead 96-89 about halfway through the fourth quarter. Then it all fell apart.
Jason Kidd made a 3-pointer. Beaubois and Terry followed with easy layups. And Nowitzki, just as he's done so many times, scored the final six points in a 15-0 Dallas run—going ahead 104-96 on a crisp and cool jumper to seal it.
Golden State simply couldn't sustain its sizzling start.
In what has historically been a high-scoring matchup, the Warriors made 15 of their first 17 shots to take a 32-14 lead late in the first quarter. It was as strong of an offensive display as they've shown all season, and it still wasn't enough to guarantee a runaway.
The slow-footed Mavericks twice sliced the lead under double digits in the second quarter despite sloppy defense and erratic shooting that led to a poor transition game. All it took to come back was the smallest amount of defense and a little shooting spark.
Dallas did just enough of both.
By the time the halftime buzzer sounded, a once-commanding Warriors lead was whittled down to six. The Mavericks took their first lead, 73-72, on Nowitzki's free throws with 3:12 left in the third quarter and never looked back.
NOTES: Ellis had seven assists in the first quarter, the most for any Golden State player in any quarter this season. ... Warriors C Andris Biedrins sprained his left ankle in the third quarter and did not return. ... Dallas' Brendan Haywood (lower back stifness) did not play. ... Golden State hosted its first-ever "Bollywood Night." Festivities included traditional Indian dancing, music, food and attire before the game and during timeouts.
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