Mavs keep their cool

The Dallas Mavericks finally discovered that beating the Golden State Warriors isn’t as hard as they had made it look.

It’s even easier when Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson lose their cool.

Jason Terry scored 28 points, Dirk Nowitzki had 23 and Josh Howard led a 15-2 run in the third quarter that sent the Mavericks to a 112-99 victory over the Warriors in Game 2 on Wednesday night in Dallas, evening their first-round series.

Dallas already was leading when Terry dribbled into Jackson, drawing a foul, then kept going into Davis.

All three wound up with a technical foul.

Davis got another technical, and was automatically ejected, for arguing about a foul with 0.2 seconds left in the third quarter. He was smiling and clapping at the time, although coach Don Nelson was warning him to cool it.

The Mavs were well ahead when Jackson got his second technical with 4:34 to play. Whatever he said to get tossed wasn’t nearly as bad as his reaction afterward. Teammate Matt Barnes tried covering Jackson’s mouth, first with his arm then with a towel as he escorted him to the locker room.

The series shifts to Oakland for Game 3 on Friday night, and there’s little doubt the emotions will remain high.

Spurs 97, Nuggets 88: At San Antonio, the Spurs nearly headed to Denver down 0-2.

After squandering most of a 17-point fourth-quarter lead, the Spurs held on for a victory over Denver to even the first-round playoff series.

Manu Ginobili had eight points in the fourth quarter and Tim Duncan added seven points in the final 12 minutes to save the Spurs from losing two home games against sixth-seeded Denver.

Duncan led San Antonio with 22 points and five blocked shots. Tony Parker had 20 points, Ginobili had 17, all but two in the second half, and Michael Finley added 14.

The Nuggets got within 91-88 on a 3-pointer by Allen Iverson with 45 seconds to play, but Duncan’s layup and free throws by Finley and Parker put the Spurs on even footing with Denver, which won Game 1 95-89 on Sunday.

Game 3 is Saturday in Denver.

Cavaliers 109, Wizards 102: At Cleveland, with LeBron James playing cautiously on a sprained left ankle, Drew Gooden scored 19 of his 24 points before halftime, powering Cleveland over Washington and a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.

The Wizards, though, made it interesting in the final minute. They kept pecking away at Cleveland’s lead and closed within 105-102 on a 3-pointer by Jarvis Hayes with 18 seconds left.

Game 3 will be played Saturday in Washington.

James, who twisted his ankle in Game 1, still managed to get 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists – roughly his average this season.

Off the court

Rick Adelman, the former Portland, Golden State and Sacramento coach, and former Sonics assistant and Minnesota coach Dwane Casey are emerging as top candidates to replace the recently fired Bob Hill as head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics. … Larry Brown, the Hall of Fame coach, received permission from the Philadelphia 76ers to interview for the Memphis Grizzlies’ head coaching vacancy. … Atlanta Hawks president Bernie Mullin said Mike Woodson will return for his fourth season as coach. … Los Angeles Clippers swingman Corey Maggette was scheduled to undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee today.