Curry and Thompson combine as Warriors seal sensational win.
There were just three games on the NBA schedule on Tuesday night, but that only served to clear the way for a thrilling game between the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks.
Both teams are still essentially fighting to secure their playoff spot, and while the Warriors may be a little more comfortable at this late stage of the regular season, defeat would have been a bitter blow for Dallas.
Golden State coach Mark Jackson described it as an “incredible win for us”, with point guard Stephen Curry scoring 23 points along with 10 rebounds while Klay Thompson added 27 points of his own.
Jermaine O’Neal also played an influential role, finishing the game with 20 points and eight boards as the Warriors improve to 46-28, and they are now two-and-a-half games above Dallas who slip to ninth in the Western Conference standings.
Nevertheless, despite the disappointment of defeat, and the manner in which it arrived with Curry sinking a tie-breaking jumper in the final second of overtime, the Mavericks remain just a half-game behind both the Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies and will still be pushing hard to extend their season.
Elsewhere, the Brooklyn Nets secured their playoff spot with another home win, this time over the Houston Rockets who have now lost back-to-back games.
Joe Johnson scored 32 points as the Nets extended their home winning streak to 14 games, the longest run in their NBA history as well as topping the league this season as they continue to make the Barclays Center a fortress.
However, it wasn’t quite the same result for the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center, as despite a season-high 40 points from Nick Young, they were undone by the Portland Trail Blazers.
Damian Lillard (34 points), LeMarcus Aldridge (31 points and 15 rebounds) made the difference for the visitors, as they now move to 49-27 for the season and appear to have gotten over their slump with the post-season fast approaching.
NBA Results:
Houston Rockets 96-105 Brooklyn Nets
Golden State Warriors 122-120 Dallas Mavericks
Portland Trail Blazers 124-112 Los Angeles Lakers
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