Warriors-Mavericks Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Apr 19 2012 2:35PM

The Dallas Mavericks need one victory to clinch a playoff berth. A home matchup with the injury depleted Golden State Warriors appears to provide the perfect opportunity.

The defending champions look to secure a return to the postseason and send Golden State to its season-high seventh straight loss Friday night at the American Airlines Center.

The Mavericks (35-28) snapped a two-game skid with a 117-110 win over Houston on Wednesday, moving them into sixth place in the Western Conference, one-half game ahead of Denver.

Dirk Nowitzki got off to a slow start, then scored 21 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter to help Dallas pull away.

"We really needed the win and our guys weren't going to let it go," coach Rick Carlisle told the team's official website.

Nowitzki has averaged 30.0 points over his last five games.

"Dirk put the team on his back," guard Delonte West said. "It's not how you start, it's how you finish. Dirk was a prime example of that."

The Mavericks would certainly like to get their ticket to the playoffs punched Friday, as they close the regular season with road games against playoff teams Chicago and Atlanta.

Nowitzki's hot stretch started with a 27-point effort in a 112-103 win at Golden State last Thursday, when the Mavericks' bench outscored the Warriors' 57-33.

David Lee had a game-high 30 points for Golden State in that contest, but he hasn't played since and has been shut down for the season with a strained groin.

The Warriors (22-39) have been without Stephen Curry since he sprained his right ankle March 11, and they were missing Andris Biedrins and Nate Robinson in a 99-87 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

Golden State has dropped six straight and 13 of 15.

"Some would perceive these to be dark days," coach Mark Jackson said. "I believe these are times to build character and hold on to the rope even tighter."

Klay Thompson scored a team-high 17 points Wednesday and had 24 in the last meeting with Dallas. He's averaging 18.3 points while starting the last 23 games since Curry's injury, often being guarded by the opposition's top defender.

"It's great experience, being doubled, grabbed and getting beaten up," Jackson said. "The great ones ... it's a complement. I think its valuable experience for him."

Including Thompson, the Warriors started four rookies Wednesday and will be looking at a similar lineup Friday. Jackson guaranteed a playoff appearance before the season began, but the rash of injuries has contributed to Golden State's problems.

A much different-looking Warriors team beat the Mavericks 111-87 on March 10, as Thompson scored 13 points off the bench, but Golden State hasn't had much luck on the road in this series of late. Dallas has won nine of the last 10 home meetings, including postseason.

Mavericks beat Golden State 104-94 in home finale

By STEPHEN HAWKINS
Posted Apr 21 2012 12:09AM

DALLAS (AP) Vince Carter and Brandan Wright are showing how much they can help Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry.

And that can be significant for the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks heading into the playoffs.

Wright had 17 points in 17 minutes and Carter's 19 points included eight straight for Dallas early in the fourth quarter, when the Mavs finally pulled away from the young Golden State Warriors for a 104-94 victory Friday night.

"When it's my turn, I'm going to come in aggressive and ready to play," said Carter, the 13-year veteran who joined the Mavericks just before the season. "I just want to help these guys, Dirk and Jet (Terry), really take pressure off them so they don't have to take double-teams all the time."

Carter, who didn't score before halftime, hit a long jumper to start the fourth quarter. When he ended his personal scoring streak with an assist on Terry's breakaway 3-pointer, Dallas had stretched its lead to 87-75 with 9 minutes left.

"We were looking to get him involved," coach Rick Carlisle said. "He made good decisions, made shots and made a couple of good passes. It gives us another attacker out of the small forward position. That's a plus."

It was the last regular season home game for the Mavericks, who clinched a playoff spot Thursday night without even playing. They were guaranteed their 12th straight playoff appearance after Houston's sixth consecutive loss, in New Orleans a night after the Rockets lost in Dallas.

The Mavericks finished 23-10 at home. Nowitzki and Delonte West each had 16 points, and Shawn Marion 14 in the finale.

"We're playing as a cohesive unit out there," said West, who had some big plays in the third quarter.

Dallas, sixth in the Western Conference standings, plays at Chicago on Saturday night. The regular season finale is Thursday at Atlanta.

Klay Thompson, one of four rookie starters for Golden State, had 26 points. Brandon Rush had 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting for the Warriors.

"I thought it was an outstanding effort when you look at the team we put on the floor," coach Mark Jackson said. "We found a way to hang in until the fourth quarter when they got some separation."

The Warriors, playing the first of three straight road days, were without five injured players.

Dallas didn't go ahead for good until late in the third quarter.

Two free throws by Carter tied the game at 58 before West had a three-point play, driving and reaching around a defender for a bank shot high off the glass while being fouled and then making the free throw.

The third quarter ended with a scrambling possession by the Mavs. West made a 3-pointer from the right corner at the buzzer for a 76-70 lead.

"Our main goal is to finish strong and compete," said Dorrell Wright, the only veteran starter for the Warriors. "It's a learning process with four rookies starting. ... They finished. That's why they're the defending champs."

Wright had 19 points. Jeremy Tyler had 15 points and Charles Jenkins had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Center Andris Biendrins didn't even make the trip, missing his third straight game because of a mild concussion, and guard Nate Robinson missed his second game in a row with a strained right hamstring. Also out were center Andrew Bogut (broken left ankle), guard Stephen Curry (sprained right ankle) and post player David Lee (strained groin).

Dallas led 40-29 midway through the second quarter after Wright scored 11 points in a 4 1/2-minute span. Nowitzki had the only other Mavs basket in that stretch.

Wright, the 6-foot-10 forward, is getting some of the minutes that were going to Lamar Odom before he played his last game with the Mavericks two weeks ago.

When Terry missed a 3-pointer, Wright grabbed the rebound among three defenders and went right back up for the first basket of the second quarter. Terry then had a steal and passed ahead to Wright for a powerful two-handed dunk.

Wright had another putback of a missed 3-pointer before Terry made a nifty behind-the-back bounce pass to Nowitzki for a long jumper. Less than 2 minutes after that, Nowitzki penetrated and passed off to Wright for a slam instead of taking a shot himself.

"I'm pretty much keeping the same way. I'm a pretty low key, calm guy and not get rattled," Wright said. "I'll keep the same routine, but obviously the games mean a lot more."

Notes: It was the ninth consecutive game Dallas had at least five players score in double figures. ... Carter became the eighth player in NBA history with 1,500 3-pointers when he made one in the closing minutes. ... Carlisle doesn't plan for Jason Kidd to play Saturday night in Chicago. It is just a chance to rest the 39-year-old guard.

Notebook: Mavericks 104, Warriors 94

Posted Friday April 20, 2012 11:45PM

By Dave Ivey, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Vince Carter scored all of his team-high 19 points in the second half Friday night as the playoff-bound Dallas Mavericks finished strong and closed out their home schedule with a 104-94 victory against the injury-depleted Golden State Warriors.

Brandan Wright added a season-high 17 points off the bench, Dirk Nowitzki and Delonte West each scored 16 and Shawn Marion added 14 for the defending champs, who extended their streak to nine straight games with at least five players scoring in double figures. Dallas (36-28), which had already clinched its 12th straight postseason berth, moved a game ahead of idle Denver (34-28) for the sixth seed in the Western Conference playoff picture. The Mavs dominated the glass with a 52-35 rebounding margin and a 16-2 difference in second-chance points. Their bench outscored the Warriors 54-22.

Golden State (22-40) extended its season-long losing streak to seven and has dropped 14 of 16. Klay Thompson paced the Warriors with 26 points. Brandon Rush added 20 points and eight rebounds off the pine and Dorell Wright scored 19.

QUOTABLE: "I really enjoyed the season here. I love the crowd. The crowd was on my side the whole year. They cheered us and they stood behind us every game. We really appreciate their support."
-- Wright on playing at the American Airlines Center, where Dallas finished the regular season with a 23-10 record.

THE STAT: Friday's entire starting lineup for the Warriors has played a combined total of 12 seasons. Including 2011-12, seven different players on the Mavericks' roster have played at least 12 seasons.

TURNING POINT: The game was tied at 67-67 with less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter when Dallas took control with a 22-8 run through the 7:31 mark of the fourth. Carter scored 10 points during that stretch, including the Mavericks' first eight points in the fourth quarter.

QUOTABLE II: "I thought it was an outstanding effort when you look at the team that we're putting on the floor. A lot of injuries, a lot of young guys. I'm proud of the way they competed and battled against a championship team and found a way to hang in until the fourth quarter when [the Mavericks] clearly separated themselves."
-- Warriors head coach Mark Jackson.

HOT: Wright scored 13 points for Dallas on 6-for-6 shooting in the second quarter alone. He only missed one of his nine shots in the game and added seven rebounds in 17 minutes.

NOT: The Mavericks misfired on their first 14 attempts from 3-point range before West drained a third-quarter buzzer-beater from the corner. Dallas finished 3-for-19 and extended the longest streak in NBA history to 1,084 straight regular-season games with at least one trey, dating back to Feb. 27, 1999.

GOOD MOVE: Facing a tough back-to-back Saturday at Chicago, Dallas was able to rest veteran point guard Jason Kidd, 39, for the entire fourth quarter.

BAD MOVE: Golden State had some momentum going early in the third, but left a lot of points on the board by missing its first seven free-throw attempts in the quarter. The Warriors finished 11-for-21 at the stripe, compared to a near-perfect 25-for-26 effort by the Mavericks.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Thompson continued his push for All-Rookie honors, going 11-for-22 from the field (3-for-4 behind the arc) and registering four assists and three rebounds.

ROOKIE WATCH: Charles Jenkins had a double-double with 10 points, 10 assists and three steals and Jeremy Tyler tallied 15 points, eight rebounds and three steals.

INSIDE THE ARENA: The Mavericks sold out all 33 home games this season, extending the league's longest active streak to 432 consecutive regular-season sellouts (490 including the playoffs). The streak began on Dec. 15, 2001.

NOTABLE: Nate Robinson (right hamstring strain) missed a second straight game and Andris Biedrins (concussion) did not make the trip for Golden State. ... Swingman Kelenna Azubuike, signed on March 23, made his debut for the Mavericks against his former team. He checked in for the first time at 8:46 of the second quarter and played 6:06, going 0-for-2 from downtown. Azubuike last played in the NBA in November 2009. ... Dallas improved to 30-2 when leading after three quarters, including 20-0 at home. ... Carter's 3-pointer with 3:11 left in the game made him the 18th player in NBA history with 1,500 career triples. ... Dallas outscored the Warriors 16-2 in second-chance points.

UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Saturday @ Chicago, Thursday @ Atlanta. For the Warriors, Saturday @ Houston, Sunday @ Minnesota, Tuesday vs. New Orleans.

• Warriors: Bogut, Curry
• Mavericks: Jones, Odom

• Warriors: --
• Mavericks: --

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 8

• Arena: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• Officials: #38 Michael Smith, #23 Jason Phillips, #79 Kevin Scott
• Attendance: 20547
• Duration: 2:10