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Johnson’s kidding aside, the Warriors have won eight of nine to surge down the stretch, and Golden State’s 30-11 home record was its best since 1991-92.
The playoffs must wait, but at least the Warriors can say they’re no longer losers: At 41-40, they won’t finish with a losing record for the 13th consecutive season.
Golden State even has a shot at the No. 7 seed and a matchup with the Suns if the Los Angeles Lakers (41-40) lose their final game at Sacramento.
“We can’t have a letdown,” said Jason Richardson, who hasn’t been in the postseason during a six-year career spent entirely with Golden State. “It’s a very special opportunity for us. If we just take care of business, we’ll be in a playoff spot.”
Rookie Maurice Ager scored a career-high 20 points in his first start for the Mavericks, who used 10 players and concentrated on staying healthy.
Johnson expects Nowitzki, Stackhouse, Howard and Dampier to play in Wednesday’s season finale at Seattle, where Dallas will attempt to tie three teams for the sixth-most victories in NBA history.
Though a probable first-round playoff rematch doesn’t scare the mighty Mavs, Golden State might feel it has a slim chance after dominating Dallas lately — and with former Mavs coach Nelson on the bench. In fact, the Warriors are the only team to beat Dallas (66-15) even twice this season.
“You’ve got to play somebody,” Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said. “The Warriors are a good team, and that’s Nellie’s style of ball. We’re used to it. We’ve seen it before. It’s not about Nellie, and it’s not about the Warriors. It’s about how we play.”
Notes: Chris Cohan, who bought the Warriors in January 1995 and received plenty of fan abuse as the losing seasons mounted, sat at center court and even received cheers before the game. ... The Mavericks’ starting lineup included Buckner, Devean George, DeSagana Diop, Ager and Jose Barea — five players with a combined 33 starts this season. Barea also made his first NBA start.
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