Dallas 120 - Golden State 115
OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 8 (AP) -- Baron Davis lined up a straightaway 3-point shot to tie it in the waning seconds, and the Golden State crowd rose while the Mavericks' hearts sank.
From Dirk Nowitzki to the peanut vendors, everybody assumed the man who became a Bay Area folk hero with his dynamic playoff performances against Dallas last spring would hit another magical shot to hurt the Mavs.
"We gave Baron a look like that, and it looked like he was going to get it,'' Nowitzki admitted.
But Baron blew it, and the Dallas Mavericks fled Oracle Arena with a 120-115 victory over the winless Golden State Warriors on Thursday night -- and a bit of hollow revenge from their historic playoff defeat in the same arena they finally silenced.
Nowitzki scored eight of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, while Jason Terry and Josh Howard both had 24 points as the Mavericks snapped a five-game regular season losing streak against an opponent that always brings out the worst in one of the NBA's best franchises.
Until Davis' 3-point attempt clanged off the front of the rim with 4 seconds to play, the Mavericks were all but expecting a calamity. They lost three games in Oakland last spring in front of frenzied crowds as Davis led the eighth-seeded Warriors to the NBA's first upset of a top-seeded opponent in a seven-game series.
"We're always going to look at how that season ended,'' Nowitzki said. "That won't leave us, but this is a young team, and our team may still have its time.''
With a whole lot less at stake Thursday night, the Mavericks needed strong efforts from every veteran to hang on against an 0-5 Golden State team with 10 players in uniform. No matter the circumstances, the Mavs finally moved their biggest mental block a few inches.
"If we lose, maybe it's a big deal,'' said Jerry Stackhouse, who hit a key 3-pointer with 37 seconds left. "If we win, I don't know if it's that much of a big deal. With what's gone on over the past year and a half between these teams, any time we meet it's going to be a big game.''
Davis was outstanding again, scoring 15 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter and carrying his team's six-man rotation into the final minutes. Kelenna Azubuike had 27 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for the Warriors, who had a short bench because of injuries and the suspension of Stephen Jackson, their defensive leader against Nowitzki last spring.
"I think it was a big step for us,'' said Howard, who fouled out with 5:50 to play. "We took on a great team and beat them on their home court. That's something we can use later on.''
After Golden State pulled within one point in the final minute, Stackhouse hit a 3-pointer from the sideline to put the Mavs up 117-113. Davis cut the lead to two points, but Brandon Bass -- who wasn't around for last season's defeat -- grabbed an offensive rebound amid four Warriors with 8 seconds left.
Stackhouse made just one free throw, giving Golden State a final shot to tie it. But Davis' 3-pointer was short, and Devin Harris hit two free throws to finish with 21 points.
While the Mavs spoke of the win's cathartic aspects, the Warriors have bigger problems -- their 0-5 start and another night of dismal free throw shooting (16-for-30).
"It's tough, because we're not putting ourselves in position to win the game when we're not making free throws,'' said Davis, who went 6-for-9. "I'm one of the culprits. We played well enough to win. We just didn't make our free throws.''
The Warriors lost their first four games this season while struggling to replace Jason Richardson and Jackson, who was suspended for pleading guilty to a felony charge of criminal recklessness. Golden State also played Thursday night without forward Mickael Pietrus, who stayed home with the flu, and injured veteran reserves Troy Hudson and Austin Croshere.
"I wouldn't count us out,'' Davis said. "This team is capable of winning 10 games in a row. We have to lock in, get Jack back and we're going to be good.''
Notes: Moments after Davis made an electrifying putback dunk in the second quarter, Harris and Matt Barnes both got technical fouls for a confrontation under the basket. ... Warriors rookie Stephane Lasme made his NBA debut, playing the final 3.8 seconds of the first half. Lasme was a second-round draft pick from Massachusetts. ... Guitarist Carlos Santana, a Bay Area resident, watched the game in a courtside seat.
2:04 AM | Labels: Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors | 0 Comments
Cleveland 108 - Golden State 104

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 6 (AP) -- The water-saturated stat sheet floated between LeBron James' shins as he soaked his feet in the ice bath. Lifting one swollen eyelid, he could just make out his numbers: 24 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists and three big blocked shots.
Yet the most eye-popping parts of James' all-out effort in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 108-104 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night weren't reflected in that soggy box score.
For starters, James took an accidental blow to the face in the first quarter, but barely missed 90 seconds before returning. He barked orders at his teammates with authority, and he demanded a fourth-quarter defensive assignment on Baron Davis.
And when the Warriors triple-teamed him with the game on the line, James got what coach Mike Brown termed "the big hockey assist,'' making the pass that led to the pass that set up the shot that won it for Cleveland.
James already has a place among the NBA's elite, yet he's still growing - and his latest sublime performance was a sight for a sore eye.
"It bothered me some, and it's bothering me now, but I had to be there for my teammates,'' said James, who fell just shy of his 11th career triple-double. "If I could barely see, I still had to be out there.''
Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 22 points and 13 rebounds for the short-handed Eastern Conference champions, who kept the Warriors winless with a calm finish on their third victory in their last four trips to Golden State.
Cleveland went up 103-98 with 1:03 left after Damon Jones' 3-pointer and Ilgauskas' free throws, but Golden State trimmed the lead to one point on Davis' free throws and Andris Biedrins' hook shot.
James drew three defenders on the Cavs' next possession. He passed to Ilgauskas, who quickly rotated the ball to Daniel Gibson - and the playoff hero's 3-pointer with 19 seconds left sealed Cleveland's second win of the season. Gibson finished with 22 points.
"That's the way I envision our team eventually playing every day,'' Brown said. "Our guys did a great job driving and kicking the basketball. ... I take my hat off to our guys. It was absolutely fun basketball down the stretch.''
Davis, who sat out both of the Cavaliers' last two visits to Oakland because of suspensions, had 29 points and 10 assists. Monta Ellis scored 22 points and Al Harrington added 19 for the Warriors, who fell to 0-4 in their tough early season schedule without suspended swingman Stephen Jackson.
"I felt we were playing good basketball, and at one point we had the game under control,'' Davis said. "Then we had a couple of bad breaks defensively. It's a tough loss, but it was a great NBA game. We're young, and we keep trying to figure it out. (James) dominated the game. He's a great player.''
The Cavaliers played without guard Larry Hughes, who bruised his left knee in a collision with Phoenix's Leandro Barbosa on Sunday in the opening game of their six-stop road trip. Sasha Pavlovic scored just six points on 2-of-11 shooting in Hughes' starting spot, and only seven players scored for the Cavs.
"It's a challenge for me, but I'm trying to do more things in my game,'' James said. "We're not as deep as they are, but we're experienced, and we know how to play basketball.''
James left the court after Biedrins accidentally hit him in the face while reaching for a rebound. James walked gingerly to the locker room with a towel over his left eye, but returned moments later.
This wasn't James' first big night in Oakland. He got the second triple-double of his career against the Warriors nearly three years ago - a feat that occurred just three nights after he became the youngest player in NBA history with a triple-double.
Davis and James dueled down the stretch this time, with James sometimes guarding the Warriors' smaller star when Golden State had the ball. James made his biggest defensive plays on Golden State's fast breaks, roaring from behind to swat away layup attempts three times.
"The key plays were the three blocks by James in the open court,'' Golden State coach Don Nelson said. "All three blocks were sensational, just phenomenal. ... We played our best game of the year. We had a chance to win.''
Ellis scored 14 points in the second quarter as the Warriors erased Cleveland's 10-point lead. Golden State closed the third quarter on a 13-2 run, taking the lead entering the fourth on Ellis' buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
Notes: Cleveland also played without F Donyell Marshall (sprained right wrist) and G Eric Snow (sprained left knee). ... Harrington dunked on James in the third quarter, earning a standing ovation from the Oakland crowd. ... Ellis, who made just 27 percent of his 3-point attempts last season, was 3-for-4 after missing every 3-pointer he shot in the Warriors' first three games.
8:04 AM | Labels: Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors | 0 Comments
Utah 133 - Golden State 110

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 3 (AP) -- The Utah Jazz took a page from the Golden State Warriors playbook, going with an uptempo offense.
Deron Williams scored 16 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and the Utah Jazz beat the Golden State Warriors 133-110 on Saturday night.
With the Jazz holding a six-point lead, Williams made seven of his final eight shots to turn the game into a rout. Utah's 133 points were the most for the team since a 133-124 overtime victory over Minnesota on Nov. 24, 1997.
"I have been disappointed in my shooting effort, but I got a couple of easy ones and I got my confidence going,'' said Williams, who also had 11 assists. "I felt good out there.''
Al Harrington led Golden State with 38 points on 15-for-20 shooting. Kelenna Azubuike added 17 points.
Mehmet Okur scored 28 points and Ronnie Brewer added 19 for the Jazz, who had seven players score in double figures. Williams hit four of the Jazz's 12 3-pointers. Utah was 12-for-16 from behind the arc.
"D-Will had a fantastic fourth quarter,'' Carlos Boozer said. "He got hot, Memo (Okur) got hot and I got hot too and we ended up shooting the ball really well.''
The Jazz built a 23-point lead in the third quarter before the Warriors rallied to 99-93 with 9:09 left in the fourth.
"Unbelievable. I looked up and I thought we had a shot to win it,'' said Warriors coach Don Nelson. "We got within eight points with five minutes or so, and the next time I looked up, it was 18 points.''
Williams ended any hope of a comeback with his late-game shooting.
"D-Will flourishes in this kind of a game,'' Brewer said. "He got us into a flow and we have an ability to score a lot of points when that happens.''
The Warriors started fast and led 20-9 on Harrington's dunk midway through the first quarter, but Utah closed the period on a 19-8 run to take a one-point advantage. The Jazz outscored the Warriors 36-18 in the second quarter to take a 19-point halftime advantage.
It was the second victory for Utah over Golden State this season. The Jazz beat the Warriors 117-96 to spoil Golden State's home opener Tuesday night.
"We're coming. We're coming,'' said Baron Davis, who had 11 points for Golden State. "We just have to continue gelling. The Jazz really move the ball well as a team. They have a system and the system has worked for them for years.''
2:24 AM | Labels: Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz | 0 Comments
Kaman Leads Clippers to Opening Win Over Warriors
L.A. Clippers 120, Golden State 114
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 2 (AP) -- Chris Kaman had 26 points and 18 rebounds, Cuttino Mobley hit two fadeaway jumpers in the final 76 seconds, and the Los Angeles Clippers opened their season with a 120-114 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.
Kaman missed part of the third quarter, leaving the floor to get three stitches to close a cut above his left eye. He was hit when he tried to block a driving dunk by Kelenna Azubuike 1:10 into the period. He returned to the court with 2:58 left in the quarter.
Mobley, who finished with 21 points, made a 16-footer for a 115-112 lead with 1:16 left, then added a 15-footer off the glass for a five-point lead with 48 seconds to go. Kaman added three free throws in the closing seconds.
Tim Thomas added 20 points for Los Angeles, and Corey Maggette had 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Azubuike had 33 points and eight rebounds, and Baron Davis had 22 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for the Warriors, who lost their second straight. Utah beat them 117-96 on Tuesday.
The Clippers are missing their best player, Elton Brand, and point guard Shaun Livingston, with neither expected back for several months.
Brand tore his left Achilles' tendon working out in August. Livingston tore three ligaments in his left knee in a game last Feb. 26.
The Warriors were without Stephen Jackson, sitting out the second game of seven-game suspension levied by the league following his guilty plea to a felony charge of criminal recklessness for firing a gun into the air outside an Indianapolis club.
The Clippers were behind 95-94 when they went on a 13-0 run started by Ruben Patterson's layup with 10:44 left. Mobley scored six points during the run, capping it with a 21-footer with 7:22 remaining.
The Warriors responded with a 17-6 spurt to trim the deficit to 113-112 on a fastbreak layup by Monta Ellis with 1:31 left. But they got no closer.
Los Angeles led 92-90 heading into the fourth quarter, with Thomas scoring 12 points in the third.
Notes: The game was Mike Dunleavy's 329th as coach of the Clippers, most in franchise history. Jack Ramsay (1972-76) and Bill Fitch (1994-98) both coached the team in 328 games. Dunleavy has 153 wins as the Los Angeles coach; Ramsay is first on the team's list with 158. ... The Clippers and Warriors split their series 2-2 last season, both winning their two home games.
1:07 AM | Labels: Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers | 1 Comments