WARRIORS PUT AN END TO LEAN SPELL
Durant, Curry lead rebound for Golden State after two losses
KEVIN Durant scored 13 of his game-high 24 points in the third quarter on Thursday night, allowing the Golden State Warriors to overcome a sluggish start in a 121-103 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Oakland, Calif.
Golden State’s Stephen Curry moved ahead of Vince Carter on the NBA’s all-time list for 3pointers, sinking four to account for more than half his 20 points.
The Warriors rebounded from their first two-game losing streak of the season.
Rookie Dennis Smith Jr had a team-high 22 points for the Mavericks, who lost for the seventh time in their past eight games.
Dallas played without leading scorer Harrison Barnes, out with a sprained left ankle, and Devin Harris, traded earlier in the day to the Denver Nuggets in a three-team deal that resulted in Doug McDermott being acquired by the Mavericks from the New York Knicks.
The Mavericks led by as many as 10 points in the first quarter and 12 in the second.
However, Golden State rallied into a 60-all halftime tie, then took charge for good with a 17-6 burst over the final 4:23 of the third period that opened a 93-85 lead.
Durant contributed two 3pointers, a dunk, two free throws and an assist to the run.
Shaun Livingston scored from the interior, David West slammed home a dunk and Klay Thompson bombed in a 3-pointer as Golden State scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to build a 15-point advantage before coasting home.
Thompson finished with 18 points on his 28th birthday, and Draymond Green registered 12 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Warriors, who swept the four-game season series from the Mavericks with their 10th straight win over Dallas.
Green got nailed with his league-leading 14th technical foul in the first half.
Curry’s four 3-pointers gave him 2,086, four more than Carter has accumulated in his ongoing NBA career.
Dwight Powell had 18 points, Wesley Matthews 17 and Dirk Nowitzki 16 for the Mavericks, who were coming off a 104-101 road loss against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
Nowitzki, who added a gamehigh 11 rebounds, was playing for the first time since surpassing the 50,000-minute mark on Monday. He added 29 minutes to his total against Golden State.