Golden State Warriors vs. Dallas Mavericks 03/06/2015

48 hours removed from an impressive home victory against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Golden State Warriors entered Oracle Arena seeking to continue their winning streak against the always tough Dallas Mavericks.
Tonight's contest would mark the first meeting between these two teams since Stephen Curry's historic 51-point performance which powered the Warriors to an easy victory against the Mavericks on February 4th.
And on an Authentic Fan Friday night at Oracle, Golden State was confident that they would be able to take six straight games from Dallas for the first time since 1997.
In the opening frame, Curry took over where he left off in early February, collecting 13 points, 4 assists, and a steal as the Warriors outpaced the Mavericks 29-24.
With Curry fading into the background in the second quarter, Golden State steadily pushed their advantage to 12, courtesy of strong performances by Shaun Livingston, Draymond Green and company.
Largely because of their ability to bottle up a quite potent Dallas offense (the Mavericks converted only 33% of their first half field goal attempts), the Warriors headed into the second half leading 52-40.
Golden State would certainly have to continue playing stellar basketball in the third quarter in order to solidify their mid-sized lead.
In the second half, although Dallas was not willing to completely fold, they found themselves slowly slipping out of the contest.
With former Warrior Monta Ellis in serious foul trouble, and Rajon Rondo and Dirk Nowitzki largely ineffective for much of the night, the Mavericks simply could not compete.
From the third quarter on, the Warriors unquestionably dictated the flow of the game. After three, Golden State led 82-64, and their starters were all but finished for the night.
Expecting a strong Dallas push, Curry and company would return early in the fourth, hammering down the victory in a rather uneventful period of play.
Led by their reserves in the remainder of the fourth, the Warriors completed their dominant effort, closing out the game effectively, and beating the Mavericks 104-89.
Unfortunately for Golden State, however, Klay Thompson was once again unable to emerge from his recent scoring drought.
Perhaps he will have better luck on Sunday afternoon as the 48-12 Warriors host the Los Angeles Clippers.

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