J-Rich Lead the Way for Warriors Victory

Dallas Mavericks lost surprisingly at Golden State on Wednesday night. The Warriors cruised the Mavericks 114-102, to end a 9-game losing streak. Dirk Nowitzki and his teammates were coming to the Arena in Oakland after a 5-game winning streak, hoping to close the gap on Conference leaders, San Antonio Spurs. The statistics were in vain though, since Jason Richardson poured in 25 points and gave no chance for Dallas recovery.

"Tonight the guys came out, everybody played to win, everybody contributed and shared the ball. It was a great atmosphere. They're a good group of guys; they haven't turned on each other. We want to finish the year on a positive note, we want to stay together." Warriors coach Mike Montgomery said after the game.

Mavericks' hopes for 1st place in the Western Conference are compromised, since they now have a 1 ½ point deficit towards their main rivals, the Spurs. Despite of Nowitzki`s performance yesterday night, managing a double-double (29 points, 10 rebounds), Dallas failed to guard J-Rich, allowing 12 points over in the fourth quarter.

"We still have a lot that we need to prove. Once the playoffs get here, it doesn't matter what seed we are or who we are playing," said Dallas veteran Jerry Stackhouse.

Dallas travel to Phoenix to meet Steve Nash`s offence on Thursday night, while the Warriors meet the same Suns, one day after, at home.