RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 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.
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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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