Warriors at Mavericks
The Golden State Warriors are by no means assured of a playoff spot in the Western Conference as they begin a rough two-game road trip with the status of two starters up in the air. The Warriors begin with a visit to the Dallas Mavericks, who are one of a handful of teams in hot pursuit of Golden State in the standings. The Mavericks are trying to lock up their own spot and are 1 1/2 games behind the sixth-place Warriors.
Golden State was missing its starting frontcourt of David Lee and Andrew Bogut in a loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday night and is not expecting Bogut (pelvic contusion) back for Dallas or Wednesday’s game at NBA-best San Antonio. Lee (hamstring) has missed the last two games but is traveling with the team and will be a game-time decision against Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks. Dallas had a chance to make a big move with an eight-game homestand but is just 4-3 so far heading into the finale against the Warriors.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (Golden State), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (45-28): Golden State spent much of the season trying to stick with the teams in the top half of the West playoff picture but will spent the last two weeks staring in the rear-view mirror after failing to put enough distance between itself and Dallas, Phoenix and Memphis. Stephen Curry scored 32 points against the Knicks on Sunday but did not get much help as the offense stagnated without Lee and Bogut. “They are important,” coach Mark Jackson told reporters of the games on the upcoming road trip. “Playing against two good basketball teams. Every game is important for us. Two tough teams, two talented teams and two teams playing for something. We will regroup and look forward to taking care of business on the road.”
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (44-30): Dallas is struggling to take care of business on the defensive end during the homestand and has allowed an average of 110.7 points in the last six contests. The best defensive performance in that stretch came in a 103-100 win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, when the Mavericks squandered a 17-point lead and needed to scramble in the fourth quarter to secure the win. “That’s not what you pictured or how you expected to handle (the Kings),” forward Shawn Marion told reporters. “But once we stopped doing things we were doing to get the lead, that’s when they got back in the game. … You can’t think about the negatives of it. Any “W” going in that win column is big for us.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The home team has taken the last five in the series, with the Warriors cruising to a 108-85 triumph in the most recent matchup on Mar. 8.
2. Dallas C Samuel Dalembert is averaging 10.8 points on 79.2 percent shooting, 9.8 rebounds and three blocks in 25.5 minutes over the last four games.
3. Curry is 11-for-20 from 3-point range in the last two games.