DALLAS - This time it was Jason Richardson's turn to hit a buzzer-beater to
help Golden State shock Dallas. Richardson scored 40 points, including a
3-pointer with less than a second remaining to send the Warriors past the
Mavericks 122-121 on Thursday night.
The Warriors surprised the Mavericks on their previous visit to Dallas on
Dec. 30, when Baron Davis' jumper with 0.5 seconds left gave Golden State a
111-109 victory.
Davis is out with a sprained ankle and Richardson picked up the slack.
Richardson had 20 points in the third quarter and went 14-for-23 from the
field, 5-for-10 from 3-point range.
"Jason was unreal the second half," Golden State coach Mike Montgomery said.
"They didn't really have an answer for him."
Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 51 points, his highest regulation total ever
and two short of his career high, set in overtime on Dec. 2, 2004, against the
Houston Rockets.
The Warriors (29-38) need an incredible finish to climb into playoff
contention, but they seem to save their best for the Mavericks. Golden State has
won four of the last eight meetings, three in a row in Dallas, after dropping 20
straight to the Mavericks.
"It's a great place to play, the crowd's really into it," Richardson said.
"There's a lot of things about this arena to like playing in it."
Golden State trailed 121-119 after Jason Terry made one free throw with 4.7
seconds left.
Richardson grabbed the rebound, dribbled the length of the court and swished
his 3-pointer from the top of the key. The officials checked a replay to
determine whether Richardson got the shot off in time, and when referee Dick
Bavetta ruled the 3-pointer good, the Warriors celebrated in front of a silenced
crowd.
Richardson fell four points short of matching his career high set less than
two weeks ago, but he counted Thursday night's game as the finest of his four
NBA seasons.