There’s always an immeasurable amount of excitement in the air when the Golden State Warriors come to town these days. They’re the NBA’s version of a Rolling Stones tour. Even if you don’t know much about them, it’s still an event you want to check out.
The Mavs did a little too much watching of the Warriors themselves on Monday night. In the first game of a vital four game homestand this week, Dallas fell to Golden State 112-87.
It wasn’t all bad for Dallas. They led 30-28 after the first quarter as they nailed six three-point baskets in the opening frame and even had a 37-30 lead relatively early in the second. The Warriors, on the second night of a back-to-back, would go on to outscore the Mavs 32-13 for the rest of the quarter and never looked back.
The Mavericks downfall definitely came on the defensive end tonight. The Warriors finished the game shooting 55% from the field and the only reason it’s that low is because of the garbage time poor shot selection that made up the final five plus minutes of playing time.
The Warriors were led by Klay Thompson’s 23 points on 5-8 shooting from beyond the arc. It was a relatively tame performance for Thompson considering his recent performances against the Mavericks. His 22 points per game in 20 career games against the Mavs are higher than his career scoring average against any other team.
Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks in scoring with 16 points in just 28 minutes. The Big German continues closer to typical Dirk performance since the All-Star Break. Harrison Barnes did not do much to show off against his old teammates with a 2-10 shooting line and just 5 points. Nerlens Noel deserves praise for his energetic 14 points and 7 rebounds.
Steph vs. Seth
The matchup everyone was salivating for didn’t quite yield the results of must-see TV. Younger brother Seth Curry managed just 10 points on a disappointing 4-12 shooting performance. Big brother Steph Curry only needed 17 points in 29 minutes as the Warriors controlled the second half.
On Thursday night, the Mavericks welcome in DeAndre Jordan and the Clippers. They’re back to three games out of the final playoff spot, and can now just lose one of their final twelve games if they hope to avoid their first losing season of the new millennium.
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