Mavericks At Warriors Preview: Mavs Look To Keep Mojo In Oak City

Nov 27, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Vince Carter (25) and power forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) celebrate during the second half against the Golden State Warriors at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Warriors 103-99. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS MAVERICKS (38-26) at GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS- March 11 at 10:30 p.m. ET at ORACLE Arena on FSSW

The Dallas Mavericks are riding high, winning two straight against playoff-contending teams and will look to continue their streak when they face off with the Golden State Warriors on March 11 at ORACLE Arena. Game starts at 10:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on Fox Sports Southwest with Mark Followill and Derek Harper.

Dallas blew consecutive double-digit leads at home, but came away with second-half comebacks.

The Mavs were up 42-12 in the second quarter and erased a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 103-98 at home on March 7. Dirk Nowitzki finished with 22 points, five boards and six assists while Jose Calderon added 19 points (15 in the first). LaMarcus Aldridge had a game-high 30 points and 17 rebounds.

Dallas was up 35-18 in the second quarter then erased a five-point third quarter deficit to defeat the Indiana Pacers 105-94 at home on March 9 despite 14 points on 3-of-14 shooting from Nowitzki. Monta Ellis and Devin Harris each had 20 to lead Dallas and Calderon, Shawn Marion and Vince Carter also scored in double figures.

As for the Warriors, they won their fourth straight with a 113-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns on March 9. They outscored the Suns 38-17 in the third quarter and hung on to remain the 6th-seed out West. The Warriors are two games ahead of the Mavericks and three ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Milestone Watch: Dirk sits 13 points away from passing John Havlicek for 12th in all-time scoring. Nowitzki is averaging 21.5 points on the season, 21.5 vs the Warriors this year, and 21.3 in four games this month…so I think he should be able to accomplish the feat. To a lesser extent, Nowitzki needs to grab four rebounds to pass former-Maverick A.C. Green for 41st all time.

12 John Havlicek- 26,395

13 Dirk Nowitzki- 26,383

Previous Meeting: The Mavericks went up as much as 18 points and went into the fourth with a six-point lead only to see Stephen Curry score 16 of his 33 in the final quarter including the game-winning jumper with 1.5 seconds left as the Warriors defeated the Mavs 95-93 at home on Dec. 11. Ellis and Nowitzki led the Mavs with 21 a piece while Calderon added 18. David Lee finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds while Andrew Bogut grabbed 18 boards.

Season Series: Curry scored 29 points and the Warriors outscored the Mavs by seven in the final quarter, but Dallas held on for a 103-99 victory at home on Nov. 27 in the teams’ first meeting. The Warriors were down 17 points at one point in the fourth. Nowitzki scored 22 points to lead six players in double figures. Lee (20/12) and Klay Thompson (20/10) added double-doubles for Golden State. The Mavericks and Warriors will face one final time in Big D on April 1.

The Original Splash Brothers, Well…Not Really: Brandan Wright and Monta Ellis each began their careers with the Warriors. Wright, originally drafted by Charlotte, was traded during draft night for Jason Richardson and spent his first four seasons in Oak City before being traded to the Nets during the 2010-11 season. His best year came during the 2008-09 season when he averaged 8.3 points and four boards in 39 games. Wright underwent shoulder surgery after injuring it in practice on Oct. 2, 2009 and missed the 2009-10 season. As for Ellis, he was drafted in the 2nd round with the 40th pick by the Warriors back in 2005 and spent his first seven years with Golden State. Ellis averaged 19.6 points during his time with the team, his best year coming in the 2009-10 season when he averaged 25.5 points, four rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.2 steals in a league-high 41.4 minutes in 64 games, starting all 64. The following year he led the league again in minutes in 80 games, starting all 80, and averaged 24.1 points a game. Ellis was traded for Bogut to the Bucks after 37 games during the 2011-12 season.