Desperate times had befallen the Mavericks. So there was only one thing to do.

"We got back into battle mode," said assistant coach Del Harris, "instead of protect mode."

Even then, flipping the momentum of their series against Golden State wasn't easy. What ended up as a 112-99 thumping of the Warriors to level the best-of-7 first-round series at a win apiece was generated only with sweat, emotion and, yes, a little bit of fight.

The Mavericks used an 11-0 streak in the third quarter to take charge behind Jason Terry's 28 points and Josh Howard's 22 points, 11 rebounds and five steals. Dirk Nowitzki and Jerry Stackhouse, whose disappearing acts were primary reasons why the Mavericks had a clunker in Game 1, rebounded with solid performances.

The Warriors, meanwhile, looked like the playoff novices as they lost their composure in the second half, when Game 1 hero Baron Davis, then Stephen Jackson were ejected with two technical fouls each.

"I thought offensively we were a lot sharper than the last game, just attacking from different angles and taking advantage of the scrambling defense they play," Nowitzki said. "They are still in the driver's seat, and we have to make some big shots if we want to win on the road."

That's where the series shifts as the Mavericks depart today for Oakland, Calif., where Games 3 and 4 will be Friday and Sunday.

While they still didn't look to be clicking on all cylinders, the Mavericks at least stopped panic in its tracks with Wednesday's solid win.

They have been in this position before. After losing Game 1, you'd have thought their world was crumbling, just like so many people thought last year when they were down 0-1 to Phoenix, and two years back, when they were in an 0-2 hole to Houston.

"It's the same story, different jersey color," owner Mark Cuban said.

And the Mavericks once again came back with a strong second game after their opening stinker.

They forced 24 Golden State turnovers, which led to 33 Mavericks points. And after giving up 30 first-quarter points, the Mavericks held the Warriors to 69 in the final three periods.

The third-quarter run made all the difference. The Mavericks had surrendered the lead, forcing Avery Johnson to call a timeout. They came out of it like a new team.

"We were disappointed with our effort offensively and defensively [early in the third]," Johnson said. "Then we got back to attacking the basket."

They quickly went from a 60-58 hole to a 69-60 lead. Terry capped his night with a 3-pointer with four minutes left for a 20-point Mavericks cushion.

By then, Davis and Jackson, who had a career playoff-best 30 points, had been ejected.

"We didn't stay in charge of our emotions," Golden State coach Don Nelson said. "We're not good enough to lose a player or two on an ejection. Those are two of my best players. I thought we had a shot until we lost Baron. It's just pushing the envelope too far."

Before the game, Johnson lamented that Game 1 was not a Maverick-like performance.

"We didn't have that burst, that hustle," he said. "[We didn't act like] this is it. This is the last supper. This is our last chance. I just didn't see that.

"We were just sleepwalking a little bit."

On Wednesday, the Mavs were energized from the jump ball, which Erick Dampier controlled. The 6-11 center was back in the starting lineup after Johnson shelved the small lineup he exercised in Game 1.

And things were far livelier on the court in other ways. Nowitzki had a sluggish start to the game, and when Jackson piled up a dozen first-quarter points to just two for Nowitzki, the vocal Jackson was giving Nowitzki an earful. At one point, he yelled to the Mavs' bench that they should get somebody on the court who could guard him.

It didn't happen. Not in the first half, anyway, when Jackson had 20 points, and the Warriors were pesky all the way.

Dallas took of things nicely after the intermission, restoring calm and a sense of faith.