Golden State Warriors win team-record 15th in row
DALLAS - The Golden State Warriors won their franchise-record 15th straight game, with Stephen Curry scoring 29 points and adding a bizarre footnote Saturday in a 105-98 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
After Warriors big man Marreese Speights lost his shoe making a move in the third quarter, the sneaker was thrown toward midcourt to get it out of the way as the possession continued.
When the teams headed back the other way, Curry picked up the loose shoe and tried to toss it to Speights. But Mavericks center Tyson Chandler swatted the sneaker in midair, knocking it near the sideline and prompting Curry to gesture toward an official.
The blocked shoe drew the biggest roar from an otherwise quiet crowd.
The Warriors became the 12th NBA team to open a season 20-2. Steve Kerr, in his first season, is the first coach to start that fast.
Curry and Klay Thompson each scored 17 in the first half as Golden State ran out to a 28-point lead. Thompson finished with 25.
Monta Ellis scored 24 points to lead the Mavericks, who played without Chandler Parsons because of a sore back. Dallas dropped to 0-5 against the top seven teams in the Western Conference.
Dallas had a chance to cut its deficit to 10 midway through the third quarter, but Chandler was called for a charge on Andre Iguodala as he made a short shot. A few minutes later, he took out his frustration on Speights' shoe.
Chandler finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds for his 12th double-double.
Curry took the crowd out of the game early with a mix of 3-point shooting and passing, including a 30-foot feed from the sideline to Shaun Livingston under the basket for a layup that put the Warriors up 30-13. Curry finished with a game-high eight assists.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 for Dallas.
TIP-INS
Warriors: C Andrew Bogut had flu-like symptoms to go with right knee tendinitis that also kept him out of Wednesday's game against Houston. ... Kerr said F David Lee (strained left hamstring) has "worked well the last couple of days without any repercussions." ... Draymond Green had 20 points and eight rebounds for Golden State, and Harrison Barnes added 12 points and nine boards.
Mavericks: Coach Rick Carlisle got a technical early in the season half when he complained that Green wasn't called for an illegal screen on Ellis as Curry came around the pick and hit a 3-pointer. ... G Jameer Nelson returned after missing one game with a sore right shoulder. ... Richard Jefferson, starting in Parsons' spot, had 13 points and 13 rebounds, his first double-double in those categories since Dec. 3, 2010, when he had 15 points and 10 boards for San Antonio against Minnesota.
UP NEXT
Warriors at New Orleans on Sunday to finish a back-to-back.
Mavericks at New York on Tuesday.