"Warriors guard Monta Ellis' presence in the lineup was questionable.

Yeah, right. Try telling that to Dallas. Ellis didn't look slowed at all by his injured right ankle Saturday. He finished with 32 points, leading the Warriors to a 99-92 win over the Dallas Mavericks -- Golden State's third win in 11 games.

"It's still a little sore," said Ellis, who played 44 minutes, made 11 of his 20 shots and threw in five assists. "But I've got to do it. I just block it out and don't worry about it."

After straining his ankle Wednesday at Memphis, Ellis was listed as day-to-day. Even after a smooth shootaround Saturday morning, Ellis' status was uncertain until after he tested his ankle in pregame warm-ups.

Of course, if you know Ellis' history, you probably never expected him to miss the game. In November, Ellis came back from a nasty spill and landing on his back at Toronto and surprised his teammates by playing two nights later at New York. In January, after spraining his left ankle in overtime during a win over Sacramento, Ellis was in the lineup the next game at the Los Angeles Clippers.

So few were surprised he was in the starting lineup Saturday, though the Warriors have little to play for outside of pride. Tender right ankle and all, Ellis led the Warriors to another upset of Dallas.

Golden State (33-44) held the Mavericks to 41.1 percent shooting, holding All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki to just 16 points on 5-for-16 shooting.

"That guy (Ellis) knows his body more than anything," coach Keith Smart said. "That's why I don't bother him. He'll let me know 'Hey, coach, I don't feel it' or he'll give me a look like 'I'm all right. I'm ready to go.' He knows what his body can and can't do. We needed that boost and probably couldn't have done it without him tonight."

Ellis helped the Warriors overcome a sluggish start and keep the game close. In a five-minute span of the first quarter, he totaled 11 points and two assists. After back-to-back layups, he drove to the rim and slipped a pass to Lee for a dunk and a 24-20 Warriors advantage with 2:26 left in the first quarter.

Golden State trailed 29-28 entering the second quarter, and was down 10 not even four minutes later. Mavericks forward Peja Stojakovic capped an 11-2 Dallas run with a 3-pointer at the 8:10 mark, putting the Warriors down 40-30."