Warriors stay pesky in Dallas

Don Nelson’s wacky ways still win playoff games in Dallas -- even though he’s now coaching the Golden State Warriors.

Baron Davis scored 19 of his 33 points in the third quarter, carrying Nelson’s small-ball lineup to a 97-85 victory over the Mavericks on Sunday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series.

An eighth-seeded team beating a top-seeded team, especially one that won 67 games, normally would be a stunner. But this was Golden State’s sixth straight win over Dallas; the Warriors are 4-0 against the Mavericks since Nelson took over this season.

Davis nearly had a triple-double with 14 rebounds and eight assists in Golden State’s first postseason win since April 1992.

“Obviously, the pressure is on us all the way,” said Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, who made only four of 16 shots and finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds. “Nobody expects them to win. Shooting 35% on our home court won’t get it done. We’ve got to get better shots and go from there.”