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Friday, Mar. 9 8:30pm ET
Dallas puts away a sub-.500 team in Warriors

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DALLAS (AP) -- The Dallas Mavericks are serious about earning their first playoff berth in a decade. They proved it by taking care of the Golden State Warriors.

Juwan Howard
Warriors center Erick Dampier, center, battles Juwan Howard, left, and Dirk Nowtizki for a first-period rebound.
Dirk Nowitzki shot 14-for-17 from the line and scored 32 points as the Mavericks beat the Warriors for the eighth consecutive time, 102-73 on Friday night.

Juwan Howard added 15 points and Shawn Bradley had 12 points, a season-high 20 rebounds and five blocked shots as the Mavericks won for the fifth time in six games and opened a six-game homestand with a victory.

"This is just what the doctor ordered," Mavericks coach Don Nelson said. "What looks like an easy win wasn't as easy as that score. But it was a good start to the homestand. I hope we keep it rolling."

Steve Nash and Michael Finley each had 12 points for the Mavericks, who won their fifth in a row against the Warriors in Reunion Arena.

"We have to take care of the teams that are sub-.500 and are out of the playoff race," Nash said. "You can't afford to lose one of these games."

Nelson thought the Mavericks won the game on defense as 24 Golden State turnovers led to 31 Dallas points. Golden State shot 31.6 percent (25-for-79) from the field.

"To me, it was on the defensive end that we were really good and found something that was working," Nelson said. "We were trapping the ball and Shawn was a big factor defensively, keeping people from the rim."

Antawn Jamison had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Warriors, who have lost 18 of their past 20. Marc Jackson finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds as the Warriors fell to 6-27 on the road.

Jamison said Bradley was the difference.

"People say, 'Oh, he's not tough, he's not this, he's not that,' " said Jamison. "But he's a great player in my opinion. You're intimidated before you walk on the court. He's a presence."

Golden State closed to 54-49 early in the third quarter, but Dallas countered with a 15-4 spurt. Nowitzki scored seven points in the run.

Nash converted a free throw off a Golden State technical foul and added a basket, then Nowitzki capped the decisive spurt by hitting one of two free throws for a 70-53 lead with 2:55 left in the third quarter.

Dallas led 73-58 at the start of the fourth quarter.

Golden State was unable to cope with Dallas' trapping defenses in the second half.

"We were doing all right until they pressed us," Warriors coach Dave Cowens said. "The press took us out of everything we wanted to do. We played a pretty good game. We were hard-nosed. But the end was just embarrassing."

The Warriors never got closer than 12 points in the fourth. Dallas put the game out of reach with a 17-0 run, highlighted by 10 consecutive points from Nowitzki, including two three-point plays.

Mark Bryant's layup with 2:30 left punctuated the run and built the Mavs' lead to 96-67.

"They made a run at us and we didn't come back and make a run on them," said Jamison. "That's what great teams do. When they make a run on you, you come back and make a run on them and we didn't do that."

The Mavericks were in front by as many as 17 in the second quarter and led 52-43 at the half. Nowitzki scored 15 points in the first half.

Game notes
The Mavericks were without guard Greg Buckner, who missed his third consecutive game due to a sprained left foot. ... Larry Hughes sat out for the Warriors due to a strained left shoulder. ...Dallas has won eight of its past 10 at home.

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RECAPS
Indiana 99
Cleveland 84

Philadelphia 108
Atlanta 103

Boston 104
Washington 72

Miami 86
Minnesota 79

New Jersey 96
New York 83

Detroit 108
Chicago 75

Dallas 102
Golden State 73

Utah 107
Phoenix 95

Toronto 110
Seattle 99

Vancouver 95
Portland 85

San Antonio 93
LA Lakers 89

Sacramento 110
Denver 104


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