DALLAS (Reuters) - The Dallas Mavericks registered a 10th consecutive victory with a 105-100 triumph over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, the win lifting the home team to within a half-game of the Western Conference lead. Dirk Nowitzki scored a game-high 25 points and Jason Terry added 20 as the Mavericks (17-4) held off a Warriors team that made two three pointers in the final 26 seconds to get reduce the deficit to four points before Dallas held on. Stephen Curry had a team-high 21 points and David Lee chipped in 20 for the Warriors (8-13), who lost their fourth straight and ninth in 10 games. With the win, the Mavericks moved to within a half-game of the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the conference. Playing without center Tyson Chandler, who was out with a stomach ailment, Dallas got a surprising boost off the bench from French big man Ian Mahinmi who finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. "I had my mind ready. I was ready to go and I was really focused tonight," Mahinmi told reporters. "My plan was to go out and be aggressive and be ready to play." In a close contest throughout, the Warriors trailed by four points with 1:23 remaining, but forward Caron Butler made a free throw and Jason Kidd added a three-pointer to give the Mavs some breathing room. Butler finished with 19 points, but it was the presence of third-stringer Mahinmi that made the difference. "I thought the young man did a great job impacting the game with his length, impacting the game as a good free-throw shooter, and making plays," Golden State head coach Keith Smart said. "He rebounded the basketball and gave them second opportunities, getting the ball and tapping it out." (Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by John O'Brien; To comment on this story email [email protected])
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