Golden State Warriors Comeback Comes Up Short In Loss to Dallas Mavericks

Nov 27, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Monta Ellis (11) drives to the basket past Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson (11) during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Down by 17 points in the fourth quarter, the Golden State Warriors summoned the resolve to make a run, but they ran out of time in a 103-99 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center Wednesday night.

Short-handed and playing the second night of a back-to-back on the road, the Warriors (9-7) trailed 82-71 after three quarters and Dallas (10-6) tried to throw the knockout punch.

DuJuan Blair hit a running layup with 5:18 remaining to put the Mavericks up 99-82 and it seemed it would just be a matter of time running out on a big Dallas victory.

The Warriors had other ideas, running off 13 straight points, capped by a Stephen Curry jumper with 2:34 remaining to pull to within four points at 99-95. Samuel Dalembert got loose inside and dunked off a feed from Monta Ellis to put Dallas back up six at 101-95.

Curry drained a pair of free throws to get it back to four at 101-97, but Dirk Nowitzki answered for the Mavs with a turnaround jumper. Harrison Barnes missed a 3 for the Warriors and David Lee chased down the rebound and was fouled by Dalembert with 46.2 seconds remaining.

Lee hit the two foul shots and after Ellis missed a jumper, Curry got the long rebound and pushed the ball upcourt. Draymond Green’s 3-pointer was blocked by Dalembert with 9.4 seconds left. After a 20-second timeout by the Warriors, Lee missed a short jumper and Barnes drew iron on a longer jumper after tracking down the rebound. Vince Carter corralled the miss and Dallas escaped with the win.

The Warriors did get some additional help on Wednesday as center Andrew Bogut returned from a one-game suspension to score eight points and grab 10 rebounds in 28 minutes.

Curry led the Dubs with 29 points and eight assists, but also turned the ball over six times—the key stat in the game. Golden State surrendered 30 points on 19 turnovers, while the Mavericks allowed just seven on six giveaways. That 23-point swing on ball security was the difference.

Lee scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and Klay Thompson also scored 20 points and had 10 boards. Green and Jermaine O’Neal each blocked three shots for the Warriors, who are now 4-5 away from Oracle Arena.

Ellis, the former Warrior who signed with the Mavericks as a free agent over the summer, had a forgettable effort against his former club, shooting just 2-for-16 and scoring four points—a season low—although he did hand out 10 assists. Nowitzki paced the Mavs with 22 points, Jose Calderon and Jae Crowder each scored 12 and a trio of players—Shawn Marion, Dalembert and Blair—scored 11 points apiece. Dalembert also blocked three shots and Blair had a team-high nine rebounds as the Mavericks improved to 8-1 at home this season.

The Warriors continue their four-game road trip Friday night in Oklahoma City at 5 p.m. Pacific.