LOS ANGELES (AFP) – The Golden State Warriors boosted their hopes of an automatic playoff berth with a crucial road victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday as Ja Morant made a smooth return from suspension for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Steph Curry finished with 20 points as the Warriors clinched only their ninth away win of the season to edge past the Mavericks, 127-125, at Dallas’s American Airlines Center.
Nuggets 118, Wizards 104
Warriors 127, Mavericks 125
Heat 127, Knicks 120
Oacers 118, Raptors 114
Grizzlies 130, Rockets 125
Bucks 130, Spurs 94
76ers 116, Bulls 91
T-Wolves 125, Hawks 124
Blazers 127, Jazz 115
Lakers 122, Suns 111
A see-saw battle saw the lead change hands 14 times, with Curry eventually giving Golden State a 125-122 lead with 8.5 seconds remaining from a superb layup.
Kevon Looney bagged a pair of free throws to make the game safe before Reggie Bullock’s three-pointer on the buzzer trimmed the deficit to two points.
But the main talking point was a bizarre moment in the third quarter, when Dallas came out onto the court following a timeout and set up on the wrong side of the court.
That left Golden State free to dunk unopposed into the Mavs basket for a gifted two points.
“It was great work the way we got organized and confused them,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr joked after the incident.
“When I saw them at the other end I had to stop and think ‘Wait, isn’t this our basket?’ I don’t know what happened. I guess they assumed it was their ball.”
Mavs owner Mark Cuban could be seen remonstrating with officials at the side of the court following the incident.
Cuban later took to Twitter saying officials had erred by wrongly giving the ball to the Warriors, claiming they initially signalled possession to Dallas.
“Worst officiating non call mistake possibly in the history of the NBA,” Cuban said.
Curry, who finished with 20 points, 13 assists and five rebounds, was one of six Warriors players to make double figures.
Jonathan Kuminga led the scoring with 22 off the bench, while Draymond Green produced another big defensive display with three steals and four blocks.
Luka Doncic led the scoring for Dallas with 30 points while rookie Jaden Hardy added 27, including six three-pointers.
The win saw Golden State improve to 38-36 for sixth place in the Western Conference and on course for an automatic ticket to the postseason.
But the defeat leaves the Mavs in ninth spot and potentially at risk of missing the playoffs altogether with less than three weeks of the regular season remaining.
– Morant back in groove –
Elsewhere on Wednesday, Memphis claimed a 130-125 win over the Houston Rockets to remain in second spot in the Western Conference.
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins opted to use returning superstar Morant off the bench.
Morant had not played since he posted video of himself waving a handgun in a Colorado strip club on March 4.
He was subsequently given an eight-game suspension by the league for conduct detrimental to the NBA.
There was little sign of rustiness though in Morant’s 23min 47sec cameo on Wednesday, with the 23-year-old finishing with 17 points, four rebounds and five assists.
