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Warriors go for 15th straight win at Dallas

Dec 13, 2014 - 2:38 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Two of the NBA's most potent offenses take center stage in Big D Saturday afternoon, as the white-hot Golden State Warriors open a three-game road trip against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavericks lead the NBA with 110.5 points per game and the Warriors are not far behind at 106.8 ppg. Both squads have a field goal percentage of 48.2.

Golden State comes into this matchup riding a franchise-best 14-game winning streak and will also make stops in New Orleans and Memphis. The Warriors are an impressive 11-1 on the road and have won eight in a row as the visitor.

In a 105-93 victory versus the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, Klay Thompson scored 21 points and both Stephen Curry and Harrison Barnes added 20. Curry had seven rebounds and seven assists, and the Warriors shot 49.4 percent from the field and used a 32-17 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter to pull away.

There were 14 lead changes and seven ties, and an 11-0 run by Golden State made it 100-89 down the stretch. It was the first time this season three players reached the 20-point mark for Golden State, which has the best record in the league at 19-2.

"The last six or seven minutes we had tremendous effort from everyone on the floor," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

Kerr became the first coach in NBA history to begin his coaching career with at least 19 wins through 21 games.

Warriors center Andrew Bogut missed the game due to knee tendinitis and is out indefinitely. Bogut needs two points to reach 6,000 for his career.

Golden State has won 29 of the last 38 road games and is only the 16th team in NBA history to begin a season with at least 19 wins in the first 21 games. It has forced all of its opponents to shoot below .500 this season and is 14-0 when holding the opposition under 100 points.

The Warriors are allowing 95.6 points per game and haven't lost since Nov. 11 versus San Antonio.

Dallas has a 17-7 record and enters Saturday's game with wins in seven of the last nine games. The Mavericks handed the Pelicans a 112-107 defeat on Wednesday and were paced by four players with 20 or more points.

Monta Ellis scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and the trio of Dirk Nowitzki, Chandler Parsons and Devin Harris ended with 20 apiece. The Mavericks shot 53 percent for game, scored 65 points in the second half and erased a 51-47 deficit at the break.

New Orleans led, 78-77, after three quarters, then Ellis and the Mavericks took over. Ellis did not miss a shot during his 13-point outburst that began with less than five minutes to go in the game.

"Coach put the ball in my hands and my teammates have confidence in me to make plays," said Ellis, who had 13 of Dallas' final 15 points. "I was looking to make plays and tonight I had it going in the fourth quarter."

Dallas, which improved to 9-1 when shooting at least 50 percent, needs to work on rebounding and the Pelicans finished with a 45-29 advantage on the glass (16-5 in offensive boards).

The Mavericks are 10-1 this season when Nowitzki scores at least 20 points. He is 114 points shy of passing Elvin Hayes (27,313) for eighth on the NBA's all- time scoring list.

In injury news for Dallas, Parsons (back) and guard Jameer Nelson (shoulder) are listed as questionable versus the Warriors.

Dallas and Golden State are playing the first of four meetings this season. The Warriors went 3-1 against the Mavericks a season ago, but Dallas is 10-3 in the previous 13 encounters in Big D.

Ellis, a former Warrior, averaged 16.8 ppg against Golden State last season.