The Dallas Mavericks¹ staved off elimination² from the NBA playoffs with a 118-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors³ on Tuesday.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 12 points in the last three minutes to keep top-seeded Dallas alive in the Western Conference first-round series against the eighth-seeded Warriors. Golden State leads the series 3-2.

Game Six is on Thursday in Oakland, California.

"The whole season was kinda slipping away," said Nowitzki, who finished with 30 points and 12 rebounds⁴.

"It's the playoffs, you gotta leave it all out there. We gotta go to Golden State and get one more."

The Mavericks blew a 21-point lead and were close to elimination -- down by nine as time started to wind down.

Dallas coach Avery Johnson said he felt Nowitzki needed to be more aggressive and take charge. Nowitzki responded and Dallas finished on a 15-0 run.

"We finished the game tonight," said Johnson. "This is a battle. They're (Golden State) not playing like an eight-seed but there's a lot of pressure on them."

Baron⁵ Davis had 27 points, nine assists and four rebounds for the Warriors before fouling⁶ out late.

*The Toronto Raptors staved off elimination with a 98-96 Game Five win over New Jersey⁷ in Toronto. Jose Calderon scored a career-high 25 points before leaving in the final minute with a sprained⁸ ankle.

The Nets led the series 3-2. Game Six is in New Jersey on Friday.