NBA: Warriors have enough versus Mavericks, pick up third win in a row

The Golden State Warriors had enough down the stretch to put away a feisty Dallas Mavericks team, 100-97, Thursday (Friday, PHL time) at the Oracle Arena, in Oakland, California. The Warriors played without Stephen Curry, Harrison Barnes, Carl Landry and Andrew Bogut, Tuesday (Wednesday, PHL time) versus the Cleveland Cavaliers. Against the Mavs, all but Curry were active, though they did have to sweat out the game's final moments, prior to improving their record to 29-17. [Related: Wounded Warriors maintain stride, beat the Cavs] Dallas on the other hand falls to 19-27, as they continue to give up ground in the Western Conference playoffs picture. The Mavericks never led throughout the game, though after the Warriors forged a 10-point cushion, 80-70, Dallas unloaded three straight triples to close out the third period, including a buzzer-beater by Rodrigue Beaubois that put them within a point, 80-79. In the fourth period, Golden State began with a 12-0 run, for their largest lead, 92-79, three minutes into the quarter. Expecting their opponents to wilt, the Mavs instead scored 13 straight for another deadlock, 92-all, with 4:15 to play. A three-pointer by Jarret Jack, assuming the point guard position with Curry sidelined, and two charities by Andrew Bogut, gave the home team some breathing room, 97-92, with 3:18 to go. Back-to-back makes by Shawn Marion and Darren Collison pulled the Mavs to within a point anew, 97-96, with 1:05 on the clock, but the two sides then swapped free throws to keep things static. The Warriors had two chances in one possession to add to their total, but missed both. On the other end, center Andrew Bogut rejected former Warriors draft pick Brandon Wright, forcing the Mavs to foul. Jack cleanly converted both free throws, putting Dallas in a position where they could only force overtime. Off a timeout with 2.0 to play, Dallas went to veteran Vince Carter, but his three-pointer failed to connect, allowing GSW to walk away with the win. Sophomore Klay Thompson continued to wax hot for the Warriors, pouring in a game-high 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting. David Lee added 15 points and 20 rebounds, narrowly missing a triple-double by a single assist, while Jarret Jack scored 13 markers, to go with his nine dimes. OJ Mayo paced the Mavericks with 25 points, five rebounds, six assists and one swipe. Vince Carter came off the bench to offer 22, while Shawn Marion amassed a double-double of 18 points and 17 boards. - Adrian Dy, GMA News