OAKLAND, Calif. Evgeni Malkin Premier Jersey . -- The Golden State Warriors have created space behind them in the crowded Western Conference standings and are showing no signs of slowing down their surge up the standings. Jordan Crawford scored 19 points, Andrew Bogut had 15 points and 10 rebounds and the Warriors routed the Dallas Mavericks 108-85 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight win. Golden State (41-24) is sixth in the West, three games ahead of Dallas (38-27) and Memphis (37-26). The Warriors also are four games behind the Clippers (45-20) in the Pacific Division, with the final meeting between the teams this season looming large in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. "Its a big-time win for us," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "If you lose this game, then all of the sudden theres three teams again within striking distance. I think this gave us some breathing room, especially with the fact that we have a big game (Wednesday) night against a red-hot Clippers team." Former Warriors fan favourite Monta Ellis scored 15 points, and Dirk Nowitzki had 12 points and six rebounds in a disappointing display by Dallas. The Warriors outshot the Mavericks 51.2 per cent to 36.6 per cent and outrebounded Dallas 46-40 en route to building a 24-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Dallas and Golden State both have 17 games remaining. "I dont think we are in a situation to think about seeding," said Mavericks guard Jose Calderon, who had 13 points and five assists. "I think right now were in a situation where weve got to win every game." The Warriors, who finished 47-35 last year to earn the conferences sixth playoff seed, are aiming higher this time. The Warriors are 10-2 since the All-Star break and a season-high 17 games over .500. After winning 10 consecutive games earlier this season, Golden State is gaining steam again. In the latest matchup pivotal for playoff positioning, the Warriors shook off a slow start by clamping down on defence and pushing the pace. The Warriors ended the first quarter on a 21-6 run capped by Crawfords long jumper as time expired to take a 29-22 lead. But the backup guard was just beginning his sizzling stretch -- and so were the Warriors. Crawford scored 12 points alone in the second quarter, finishing with the most points hes scored since coming to Golden State in a trade from Boston in January. The Warriors reserves outscored Dallas bench 59 to 37. "Its fun," Crawford said. "To be on a streak like this heading into the playoffs and to move up the standings, it brings the competitive spirit out in everybody." The starters showed up with big plays, too. During one sequence, Andre Iguodala blocked Shawn Marions layup, then ran the length of the court to dunk Stephen Currys missed 3-pointer, sending most in the announced sellout crowd of 19,596 roaring to their feet. Bogut also finished an alley-hoop with one hand over Ellis, the player he was traded for from Milwaukee in March 2012. The Mavericks still managed to end the half with some momentum. Nowitzki made two free throws before Vince Carter stole Iguodalas inbounds pass and hit a 3-pointer before the buzzer sounded to slice Golden States lead to 55-44 at the break. Nowitzki later moved into a tie with John Havlicek for 12th place on the NBAs career scoring list. Both have 26,395 points. The Warriors defence dominated Dallas for most of the third and fourth quarters, though, smothering Nowitzki and closing out fast on shooters. The Warriors went ahead 81-57 with 11:29 remaining and never let the Mavericks move much closer. Golden State improved to 2-1 against Dallas this season, with each team winning on its home floor. They meet for the final time this season on April 1 in Dallas. "As far as the seeding," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said, "thats a distraction from the task at hand, which is making sure were as ready as we can be." NOTES: Curry, who is dealing with a strained right quadriceps thats limiting his playing time, had 10 points and four assists in 22 minutes. ... Mavericks backup guard Devin Harris left in the second quarter with a sore right Achilles tendon and did not return. Harris said he doesnt think the injury is serious but isnt sure if hell play Wednesday night at Utah. ... Mavericks F Jae Crowder, who strained his abdominal muscle in a win over Indiana on Sunday, is not expected to rejoin the team until at least Sunday at Oklahoma City. Crosby Jersey . Coverage kicks off from Philadelphia on Thursday as Hustler and Lawless tee up the action with a preview show. First round coverage starts on Friday at 3pm ct, as Hustler and Lawlesss and the Illegal Curve Hockey Show are live from the draft floor and continues on Saturday of rounds two through seven at 9am ct. Pascal Dupuis Penguins Jersey . -- Kevin Pangos had 27 points and Drew Barham added 17 to lead No.MONTREAL -- Head coach Michel Therrien called Carey Price his "closer," referring to a baseball pitcher whose job it is to preserve a slim advantage late in the game and secure a win. With the Canadiens leading by one to start the third period, Price turned away 16 shots by the Panthers in the final frame to give Montreal a 2-1 victory over Florida on Monday night. The Panthers (16-21-6) outshot Montreal 16-10 in the final frame, but were repeatedly frustrated by Price, who made 26 saves on the night. "The Panthers gave a big push in the third," said Therrien. "Again, Carey Price was solid. He shut the door. There was no way in his mind the Panthers would score another against him. I really liked his reaction. "He played really well. He was like a closer in baseball." Price frustrated 11 different Panthers players in the third period, including four shots by Sean Bergenheim, who was Floridas lone scorer on the night. "We relied on him a little more than we would have liked to in the third," said Brendan Gallagher of Prices 16-save period. "But hes done that all year. Hes there for us when we need him." Before the barrage of shots in final period, the Canadiens (25-14-5) took the lead for good at 15:46 of the second when captain Brian Gionta beat Tim Thomas in the roof of the net. Panthers captain Ed Jovanovski started the play by giving the puck away softly behind the Florida net to Tomas Plekanec, who fed a wide-open Gionta for his seventh goal of the year. Jovanovski was back in the Panthers lineup after undergoing hip surgery last April. He made his season debut on Saturday in a win over the Nashville Predators. "Its his second game since March," said Florida head coach Peter Horachek about Jovanovski, who missed 83 games with the injury. "Its late in the game, he fanned on the pass. That stuff is going to happen sometimes. "I think hes done a good job for the amount of time hes been out. Its a process. I think he would like to have (that pass) back." Montreal opened the score at 6:23 of the first period on the teams first shot on net. David Desharnnais took a pass from Max Pacioretty while crossing the blue-line to start the play, fanned on the initial shot, but recovered to score his sixth goal of the year, on the backhand. Olli Maatta Penguins Jersey. The fan on the first shot forced Thomas out of position for the second. "I tried staying with the puck, to get any kind of shot I could," said Desharnais. "Usually the goaltender will be well positioned there. He was a little off. I know he wasnt where he was supposed to be. I tried bringing it back on my backhand, and (Thomas) was already on the ground." Montreal gained momentum after the goal, outshooting Florida 9-0 over the next 10 minutes. But it was the Panthers that equalized against the run of play. Bergenheim beat Price at 17:09 with a backhand goal similar to Desharnaiss earlier shot. Rookie Aleksander Barkov had an assist on the goal, his team-leading 15th of the year, to extend his point streak to six games -- the longest point streak by a rookie in Panthers history. Bergenheim almost gave the Panthers the lead a minute later, but his shot rang off the crossbar. The win was Montreals first against Florida this season. The Panthers beat the Habs twice last month -- a 4-1 victory in Florida, and a 2-1 win at the Bell Centre. "We generated a lot of chances, but nothing went in," said Tomas Fleischmann. "We won our last two games against them, and we felt that we could get the points tonight too. "Tonight they were fresh, and you could feel they were a different team than before. We expected that. But it took us a little longer to get adjusted to it. We felt like we could get the points tonight." The Panthers and Canadiens meet for the fourth and final time this season on March 29 in Sunrise, Fla. Notes: Ryan White missed the game due to an upper-body injury sustained on Thursday against the Dallas Stars. He is expected to be out two weeks. a Pacioretty finished the game with nine shots on net. a Hockey Canada will announce its Olympic roster on Tuesday. Montreals Price and defenceman P.K. Subban are expected to make the cut. a The Canadiens head to Philadelphia to face the Flyers on Wednesday. cheap nfl jerseyscheap jerseys ' ' '
