Mickael Pietrus scored 20 points and the Golden State Warriors emphatically snapped the Dallas Mavericks' 17-game winning streak, dominating the NBA leaders throughout a 117-100 victory on Monday.
The seventh-longest winning streak in NBA history ended with the Warriors' fourth straight win over the defending Western Conference champions -- and shockingly, it wasn't even close.
Dirk Nowitzki scored just 13 points on 3-of-11 shooting, made seven turnovers and got a technical foul while sitting on the bench for the Mavericks, who hadn't lost since Jan. 25 at Chicago.
PHOTO: AP
Jason Terry scored 16 points for Dallas.
Eight players scored at least eight points for Golden State, including 16 apiece from Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Andris Biedrins and Jason Richardson.
Suns 103, Rockets 82
At Phoenix, Leandro Barbosa matched his career best with his second 32-point performance in the last three games and Phoenix improved to 10-1 since the All-Star break by routing Houston.
Shawn Marion had 14 points, 15 rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals for the Suns, who beat Houston for the sixth time in a row, third this season.
Boris Diaw added 15 points for the Suns, who had six players in double figures.
Suns coach Mike D'Antoni wasn't around to see the end of his 200th NBA career victory.
He was called for two quick technicals from referee Ron Olesiak with 5:28 left in the third quarter for his first ejection in over two seasons.
Tracy McGrady, defended by Marion most of the night, scored 19 on just 8-for-28 shooting, and Yao Ming scored 10 points but made only 1-of-9 shots in 30 frustrating minutes.
Bobcats 119, Magic 108
At Charlotte, North Carolina, Derek Anderson had 24 points and 10 assists and strong-shooting Charlotte ended an eight-game losing streak.
Raymond Felton added 21 points and Gerald Wallace had 20 points and nine assists for the Bobcats, who had a team-record 14 3-pointers and 39 assists.
Charlotte, which came in with the third-worst record in the NBA, had its way with Orlando, which has lost three straight and 10 of 12. Orlando is 16-32 since starting 13-4, amid speculation about coach Brian Hill's future.
Dwight Howard had 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic, but 13 of his points came in the fourth quarter when the game was decided. Hedo Turkoglu added 23 points.
Nets 113, Grizzlies 102
At Memphis, Tennessee, Vince Carter scored 30 points and Mikki Moore added a career-high 24 to help New Jersey snap a five-game losing streak.
Richard Jefferson had 18 points and Bostjan Nachbar added 14 for the Nets.
Pau Gasol scored 19 points and Chuck Atkins and Rudy Gay had 17 apiece for Memphis, which remained the only team in the league without consecutive wins. Tarence Kinsey added a career-high 13 points.
Raptors 108, Bucks 93
At Milwaukee, Chris Bosh scored 25 points and T.J. Ford had 19 points and nine assists to lead Toronto.
Ford, in his second game in Milwaukee since being traded in the offseason for Charlie Villanueva, dominated the game in the first half as the Raptors sprinted out to a 20-point lead and then held off several second-half runs by the Bucks.
Ford had 12 points, six assists, two steals and a blocked a shot in the first quarter. Andrea Bargnani added 12 points for the Raptors.
Michael Redd scored 29 points and Charlie Bell had 25 for the Bucks.
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