Luka Doncic's Mavs Pull Away Late to Defeat Curry-Less Warriors

The Mavs pulled away late to defeat the shorthanded Warriors, using strong performances from superstars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

DALLAS — With the chance to extend their three-game winning streak, the Dallas Mavericks faced the Golden State Warriors without Stephen Curry and Draymond Green in the lineup. The Mavs achieved a 109-99 victory despite Luka Doncic not playing in the fourth quarter after being ruled out due to left hamstring soreness.

"[Doncic] gave me the signal that his [hamstring] was tight, so we took him out,' Mavs coach Jason Kidd said about Doncic's injury. 

Doncic totaled 21 points, nine assists, and three rebounds in 30 minutes. It was an uncharacteristic night with six turnovers, shooting 7-18 from the floor, 1-6 from beyond the arc, and 6-8 on free throws. His streak of seven straight triple-doubles came to an end as a result. However, Kyrie Irving was instrumental in guiding the Mavs, totaling 23 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds on the night.. 

Nick White

In addition to Doncic and Irving, the Mavs received four double-figure scoring performances. The team continued to move the ball at a high level, racking up 30 assists despite shooting 6-27 (22.2 percent) from deep. Dallas set the tone, scoring 68 points in the paint, resulting in a 20-point advantage in the category. It was a night when the current roster proved capable of overcoming poor shooting compared to the makeup of the group before the midseason trade deadline. 

"It was old-school basketball, 2s. I think we had over 60 points in the paint. I thought, again, being able to pivot from we got great looks at 3s and not just settling," Kidd said. "We could have been stubborn tonight to prove that we're going to make 3s, but I thought the guys — Josh [Green] being able to turn down open 3s and get to the rim was big for us to keep the lead but also just show we're growing as a team. We recognize if something isn't working for us, to be able to pivot and get to the paint and get to the rim."

Daniel Gafford added 10 points, seven blocks, and six rebounds while extending his streak of made field goals to 33 in a row. The Mavs received another strong impact in the paint from Dereck Lively II, who chipped in 12 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks off the bench. On the wing, P.J. Washington added 11 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Meanwhile, Josh Green provided 11 points and five rebounds alongside Dante Exum's nine points and six assists off the bench.

The Mavs held their opponent to a scoring total below 100 points for the second consecutive game after containing the Chicago Bulls to a season-low 92 points in their previous outing. While not having Curry clearly makes Golden State much easier to guard, Dallas took care of business protecting the paint, holding the opposition to shooting 37-92 (40.2 percent) overall, 28-64 (43.8 percent) on two-point field goals, and 9-28 (32.1 percent) from beyond the arc, with 15 total turnovers. 

Jonathan Kuminga was the main standout performer for the Warriors, scoring 27 points and haulgin in four rebounds, but he turned it over six times. Andrew Wiggins added 17 points and five boards. Golden State had only two other double-figure scorers, but lacked a third player to even reach the 15-point threshold. 

"It was a great test for our defense tonight," Kidd said. "We had some great looks on the offensive end that just didn't go down for us, but this was, again, something that we did in Chicago in the second quarter; we didn't score the ball, but we kept playing defense and I thought our defense was great. As you brought up, [Daniel] Gafford had seven blocks tonight, and was really big for us to keep the lead but also just to protect the paint -- which he's been doing at a high rate for us right now."

The first quarter was full of runs for both teams, with the Mavs jumping out ahead 7-1 to start but having the Warriors rally to tie it up multiple times. Golden State initially used an 8-2 run to tie it up 9-9. Dallas then used a 7-0 run to go up 16-9, but they outscored 9-2 after, resulting in an 18-18 tie. Each time momentum went one side's way, the other closed the gap. Early on, the Warriors were focused on switching to do Doncic work by breaking down a defender while helping off the strong side corner off Jones to shrink the floor while sending an early low man off the weak side even when Dallas had more perimeter shooting threats on the perimeter.

“I thought our half-court defense was pretty good. They missed some shots that they could’ve made, clearly," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "But, overall, I thought our defense was not the problem.”

It remained a tightly contested matchup, with the Warriors going up 27-23 during the non-Luka minutes late in the first quarter. Golden State frequently blitzed or sent a late double to get the ball out of Irving's hands during this part of the game, disrupting the Mavs' offense. Dallas finished the quarter tied 27-27.

The Mavs opened the second quarter with a 13-2 run, extending their advantage to 40-29 with 6:35 remaining before halftime while entering a timeout called after a transition dunk. Dallas deployed a lineup featuring Doncic, Exum, Jones, Washington, and Gafford, maximizing perimeter size, defensive versatility, and the ability to attack off the dribble in the half-court.

With continued cold perimeter shooting for the Mavs, the Warriors flipped the script again, answering back with an 11-2 run to make it 42-40 with under three minutes on the game clock before halftime. Dallas closed the second period outscoring Golden State on a 6-2, extending their advantage to 48-42 at the break. It was the best defensive quarter for the Mavs by holding the Warriors to a game-low 15 points. 

It wasn't until the 6:32 mark of the third quarter that Dallas converted on a second 3-pointer. Exum hit a shot from the corner in transition after Doncic made a spray-out pass. With strong execution in the paint on both ends, Dallas closed the third quarter up 76-70, setting up a solid foundation entering the final frame. 

After a 6-2 run to open the fourth quarter, the Mavs regained a double-figure advantage for the first time in the second half, growing the advantage to 82-72 with 10:06 left in regulation. The Warriors called a timeout after Washington received a semi-transition post-up against Paul, capitalizing on the mismatch.  

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With Irving leading the bench unit early in the fourth quarter, Dallas led by as many as 18 points and comfortably closed out the game. The Mavs continued to move the ball to sustain the momentum they had established throughout the game when the group needed it most to close out the victory. 

“Thirty assists is a true sign the ball had energy, and we were all making the right plays and wanting to see each other do well," Irving said. "Not saying we don’t have that any other night, but it just felt good to get everybody some points, and get out in transition and get some easy ones [baskets].”

Doncic did not return to the game during the fourth quarter after going to the locker room midway through the period. He was later ruled out due to left hamstring soreness, ending his historic triple-double streak. 

Looking ahead, the Mavs will face the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on Thursday night to complete a back-to-back. It remains to be seen if Doncic will be available to play.

"We'll have a better answer tomorrow. We'll see," Kidd said of Doncic's status against the Thunder. "This is a fluid thing. This is being talked about now. We'll find out here in a couple minutes if he's going or not."