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Saturday, Dec. 2 10:30pm ET
Mavs win sixth straight vs. Warriors

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- The Golden State Warriors cannot solve Dirk Nowitzki.

Nowitzki scored 21 of his 24 points in the first half and Michael Finley recorded his first triple-double of the season as the Mavericks defeated the Warriors 97-78 on Saturday night for their third straight win.

"Nowitzki is a major player and just seems to get better and better," said Dallas coach Don Nelson. "He's just scratched the surface."

Finley had 13 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the Mavericks, who have beaten Golden State six consecutive times, dating to April of 1999. It was Finley's sixth career triple-double.

Nowitzki has averaged 18.8 points in his last five games against Golden State.

"He's one of those guys who likes to sit in the corner, and he can shoot all day," said Golden State's Antwan Jamison. "We left him open, and he's a talented player. He can really shoot the ball."

Steve Nash scored 19 points and Shawn Bradley recorded his first double-double of the season with 11 points and a season-best 14 rebounds for Dallas, which has won six of its first nine road games this season, its best road start in 12 years.

"It's a very nice position to get out to a big lead," said Nash. "It's not always easy to hold it, but tonight we were able to sustain it."

Jamison had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors, who had their three-game home winning streak snapped. The Warriors were held to under 80 points for the third time this season, and shot a season-low 33 percent.

"There's no secret. If you look at all the boxscores, the team that shoots the best percentage wins most of the time," Warriors coach Dave Cowens said. "We had some pretty good looks. I wouldn't say we took a lot of forced shots. Sometimes we didn't make good decisions."

Golden State fell behind early and never got closer than 14 after the first quarter. The Mavericks led by as many as 22.

The Warriors missed 18 of their first 23 shots and Dallas, which shot 54 percent in the first quarter, opened an 18-point lead in the first 12 minutes.

"We played well on the defensive end," said Nelson. "They had an off game, but our defense played pretty well, too. They deserve some credit."

Larry Hughes missed nine of 12 shots in the first half and finished with 10 points.

Nowitzki shot 8-for-11 from the field in the first half as the Mavericks built a 51-33 halftime lead.

Game notes
The Warriors were without Adonal Foyle, who was placed on the injured list Friday with ligament damage in his right ring finger. ... Dallas is 11-1 when holding opponents to 99 points or under. ... Hubert Davis missed his second straight game with a strained groin. ... The Warriors scored a season-low 13 points in the first quarter after averaging 25.5 points in their previous four games. ... Golden State is 1-11 when trailing after the first quarter. ... The Mavericks hit nine 3-point field goals, the most by a Warriors opponent this season. ... Dallas is 5-0 when they score in the 90s. The 33 points Golden State scored in the first half was a season low.
NBA Scoreboard

Dallas Clubhouse

Golden State Clubhouse

RECAPS
Atlanta 101
Milwaukee 94

Charlotte 94
Utah 89

Philadelphia 112
Cleveland 78

Orlando 95
New Jersey 74

New York 100
Minnesota 90

Miami 93
Washington 90

Portland 96
Houston 85

Denver 103
Seattle 92

Dallas 97
Golden State 78


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