‘Culture Win’: Dinwiddie & Doncic Shock Warriors in Mavs Comeback

The Dallas Mavericks came out of the NBA All-Star break with hopes of capturing homecourt advantage in the West. Although they lost the first game out of the break to the Utah Jazz, Dallas got back on track with an incredible comeback win against the Golden State Warriors.

Coming off a clutch loss to the Utah Jazz — a game that had some bad breaks for Luka Doncic down the stretch in his one-on-one matchups with Rudy Gobert — the Dallas Mavericks hoped to bounce back against a Golden State Warriors team that was missing Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. They were able to do just that with an incredible come-from-behind victory, 107-101.

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Luka Doncic, who will celebrate his 23rd birthday on Monday, didn't have his best outing, but finished strong with 34 points and 11 rebounds. Doncic hit a couple of big shots down the stretch, including a tough fadeaway over Steph Curry and the game-clinching free throws with just seconds remaining.

"This is a character, environment, culture win in the sense that no one quit,” said coach Jason Kidd.

Speaking of hitting big shots, Spencer Dinnwiddie provided a huge lift for Dallas off the bench, especially in the fourth quarter, as he finished with 24 points, four rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes. Dinwiddie shot 10-of-14 from the field and 2-of-4 from deep. Although he has only played in four games for Dallas, Dinwiddie is already showing how valuable he could be for the Mavs heading into the postseason.

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

"He's a baller,” said Doncic of his new teammate. “That's how I'm going to describe him."

Dinwiddie nearly single-handedly willed his team back from a 21-point deficit and what was, at one point, a 26-1 run for the Mavs in a final period where he played every single minute. Dinwiddie has now scored 20+ points in back-to-back games.

Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock joined Doncic as the only other starters to score double-figures with 14 and 12 points respectively. Both players shot 50 percent from three-point range, combining to go 6-of-12 from deep.

Next up, the Mavs will take on LeBron James — who has been the center of NBA attention lately thanks to his comments on his future with his team — and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night to complete their three-game road trip out of the All-Star break. The Lakers will be without Anthony Davis due to a foot injury, so Dallas will have another opportunity to take advantage of a shorthanded opponent.