Warriors blow chance to eliminate Mavs

May 2, 2007, 5:00 GMT

Dallas, TX - Dirk Nowitzki came up big when it counted, draining two threes and the go-ahead free throws during the late-game surge, as the Mavericks scored the final 15 points of the game and staved off elimination with a 118-112 victory over Golden State at American Airlines Center.

Trailing by 21 points at one juncture, Golden State swung the game in its favor, completing a 30-point turnaround and holding a 112-103 lead with just 3:21 to play.

Three-plus minutes from NBA history, pulling off the greatest playoff upset and becoming the first eight seed to knock off a top seed in a best-of-seven series all were in the Warriors' grasp.

That was until the shots stopped falling and the gravity of the situation set in. The Mavericks, on the other hand, played with desperation fueled by their star player.

Nowitzki drained a three from the right wing then buried one from nearly the same spot about one minute later with 2:06 left to cut the deficit to 112-109.

Devin Harris converted in the lane -- but missed the subsequent free throw -- then Nowitzki calmly sank a pair of free throws with 48.6 seconds left to put Dallas in front to stay.

Golden State missed its final eight shots and the frustration at a missed opportunity boiled over. Baron Davis, who was brilliant again with 27 points and nine assists, fouled out on a cheap foul with 21 ticks left and Stephen Jackson was tossed after a technical moments later.

'I guess he doesn't understand why clapping and not saying anything gets you thrown out,' Warriors head coach Don Nelson said of Jackson's antics. 'But it has before and he's going to have to figure it out, just don't do it. Hopefully this will refresh his memory for next time.'

Nelson said afterward he plans on fining Jackson an undisclosed amount of money.

The Western Conference quarterfinal series now heads back to Oakland's ORACLE Arena on Thursday night with the Warriors still holding a 3-2 series lead.

'I think they know if they don't get this win it's a great chance we're going to come back here and win,' Dallas forward Josh Howard said. 'I think the pressure is a little bit more on them than it is on us.'

Nowitzki made 14-of-15 from the foul line in a 30-point, 12-rebound performance. Howard scored 23 points with eight rebounds, Harris added 16 points with seven assists and Jerry Stackhouse came off the bench for 15 points for Dallas.

Jason Richardson totaled 23 points and seven rebounds, while Matt Barnes and Jackson scored 16 points apiece in defeat.

Dallas opened a 20-9 advantage early in the first quarter when Jason Terry drained two free throws. The Mavericks held a 38-28 edge after one stanza.

Austin Croshere's three-pointer proved to be Dallas' high-water mark in the opening half, pushing the lead to 53-32 with 5:20 on the clock in the half.

The Warriors finished the half on a 23-9 extended stretch as Mickael Pietrus' three and Richardson's tip off a Monta Ellis miss cut the deficit to 62-55.

Golden State tied the game at 67-67 in the third on another Richardson three- pointer. The forward drained 5-of-10 from beyond the arc on the game.

Davis' three with 18 ticks left capped the third-quarter scoring with Dallas holding a 70-67 lead.

Game Notes

Golden State drained 16-of-35 from beyond the arc, passing its previous playoff franchise record for three-pointers made (13)...The Warriors are still 9-3 against the Mavericks dating back to December 30, 2005...Golden State is in the playoffs for the first time since 1994 and hasn't won a playoff series since eliminating San Antonio in 1991...Terry managed 11 points in the victory...The back-and-forth contest featured seven ties and eight lead changes...The 21,041 was the largest crowd in American Airlines Center history.

© 2007 The Sports Network

Game Notes

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