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Warriors face Mavericks, aim to avoid rare two-game skid

Mar 30, 2008 - 1:00 PM Dallas (45-27) at Golden State (44-28) 9:00 pm EDT

OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- On the outside looking in at the playoffs, the Golden State Warriors aim to avoid losing consecutive games for the first time in nearly three months when they host the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

Golden State, which knocked Dallas out of the playoffs last spring, is coming off a disappointing 119-112 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.

The Warriors were outscored 15-0 in span that bridged the third and fourth quarters. That loss has Golden State looking to avoid dropping two straight for the first time since January 2-4.

Its only other skid this season came when it dropped the first six games to start the campaign.

Saturday's defeat also dropped the Warriors out of the playoff picture in the crowded Western Conference - one-half game behind the Nuggets (45-28) for the eighth and final spot.

With a win on Sunday, they can pull into a three-way tie with idle Denver and Dallas for the last two spots in the West. However, a loss could be very costly since one of the three teams likely will miss out on the postseason.

Guard Baron Davis said Golden State must forget Saturday's loss and focus on Dallas.

"We've got another tough one, so we can't really dwell on this one," said Davis, who scored 28 points in the defeat.

As for Dallas, it has lost four of five and will be without reigning MVP Dirk Nowitzki once again. He suffered a high-ankle sprain after a gruesome fall last Sunday and is out indefinitely.

The Mavericks fell 118-105 to the Nuggets on Thursday - a loss that could damage its playoff aspirations as well.

"It is what it is," Mavericks guard Jerry Stackhouse said. "We just have to keep playing and worry about the next game. This one is over. If it comes down to the last game and the tiebreaker (with Denver), we can only look at ourselves."