Warriors Hand Mavs Worst Loss Of Season
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Nate Robinson gave the Golden State Warriors a boost when Stephen Curry left the game after aggravating an injury.
David Lee scored 25 points, Robinson added 21 and the Warriors beat the road-weary Dallas Mavericks 111-87 on Saturday night.
"I fed off the crowd and my teammates," Robinson said. "It just made it easy and it's fun. Basketball is fun. I try to win for my teammates and to get everybody involved, run the show and fill in for Steph or Monta."
Monta Ellis added 20 points and eight assists for the Warriors, who won their second straight from Dallas following a six-game losing streak. Klay Thompson had 13 points in the Warriors largest margin of victory this season.
"Nate is a great spark plug for us," Lee said. "He brings a lot of energy, and he did a great job. A couple of the biggest plays he made were on loose balls when we were up 10 or 12, and he was able to come up with the ball that lead to a fast break."
Dirk Nowitzki scored 22 points to lead the Mavericks, who lost their seventh straight on the road, including three in the past three nights. Jason Terry added 15 points and Rodrigue Beaubois had 12 as Dallas suffered its worst loss of the season.
"We're just not playing well enough to win games," Mavericks' forward Lamar Odom said. "The chemistry is not there right now. We'll pick it up, this is a veteran team. Sometimes you have to take your lumps. We can bounce back."
Curry, making his first start since returning from a tendon sprain in his right foot, added 10 points before leaving the game with 6:59 remaining to play in the third quarter with a mild sprain in his right ankle.
Curry limped to the end of the bench and slammed his right hand into a chair, more out of frustration than pain, before taking a seat. His foot was re-taped and he remained on the bench.
"I just had a reaction because it's frustrating being the same ankle," Curry said. "I probably could have gone in and played but we had the game under control at that point, and knowing we have a game tomorrow in L.A., I had to keep that in mind."
The Warriors never trailed in the game, taking a 20-point lead when Robinson made a pair of foul shots early in the final period.
Ellis and Robinson combined for 25 points in the third quarter to help the Warriors carry an 83-66 advantage into the fourth.
"It was tough but I'm not going to make any excuses about the schedule," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "We were 8 for 25 shooting in the paint in the first half. Those were great opportunities and we didn't cash in. Ellis made some unbelievable shots in the third quarter. It was a bad combination."
The Warriors got off to a much better start against the Mavericks than they did three days earlier against Memphis, when they fell behind by 17 points in the first quarter.
Lee was 6 of 10 from the field and scored 13 of his points in the opening period to help the Warriors open an 11-point advantage.
"He was aggressive, setting screens, posting up, forcing one of the best players in the world to play defense," Warriors' coach Mark Jackson said of Lee. "He really set the tone early for us, which was big."
NOTES: The Mavericks finished a stretch of nine games in 12 days. ... Terry appeared in his 1,000th game, becoming the 17th active player to do so. ... Mavs C Brendan Haywood missed his fourth game with a sprained ankle. ... The Mavericks completed their first back-to-back-to-back games since April 20-22, 1999. ... Mavs G Jason Kidd was given the night off and was not in uniform. "It was the right move to sit him," Carlisle said. "It's tough to play without him but we have to look at it on a big picture basis."... The Warriors recorded their ninth sellout of the season. ... Curry recorded a steal before leaving in the third quarter for career No. 300.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
