DALLAS — The Warriors cooled down a red-hot Luka Doncic and took advantage of a horrible 3-point shooting night from the Mavericks, but didn’t have enough firepower to keep up with the formidable Mavs in the American Airlines Center.
Doncic, who entered the game averaging 35.8 points, 11.2 assists and 11.0 rebounds in March, recorded 21 points and nine rebounds. Dallas shot 6 of 27 (22.2%) from 3, but compensated by putting up 68 points in the paint.
Golden State was without Steph Curry (sprained ankle) and Draymond Green, who was scratched late with lower back soreness. Their absences left the scoring load to Jonathan Kuminga (27 points) and a physical void on both sides which Dallas took full advantage of. Center Daniel Gafford had seven of Dallas’ 13 blocks, providing a constant deterrent at the rim.
The 109-99 defeat is a double blow for the Warriors (34-31), who are behind Dallas in the Western Conference play-in standings. Both teams have two matchups left this season, games that could end up determining crucial seeding.
The Warriors played hard against Dallas early, unexpectedly drawing the game in the first quarter. Without Curry and Green, Golden State was a heavy underdog. But Kuminga was decisive offensively, going down 10 in the first third while constantly attacking. The winger needed just nine minutes to reach double figures for the 43rd time in his last 45 games.
In the first half, Kuminga went 6 of 10. His teammates shot 10 of 33.
The main reason Golden State was able to hang on in the low-scoring game, however, was Dallas’ shooting struggles. The Mavericks made just one of their first 17 attempts from behind the arc.
With the Mavericks struggling from the outside, they and the Warriors traded points in a 13-2 duel in the second quarter. When Dallas threatened to run away, Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis made key plays.
Dallas’ size at every position gave Golden State problems all night. The Mavericks scored 40 of their first 54 points in the paint. Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively each took several shots at the rim into the stands.
Golden State kept Luka Doncic in check during the first half, a near-impossible feat. By throwing him a variety of defenders on the ball, staying disciplined on his pump fakes and charging the weakside for help in the lane, the Warriors forced Doncic to start 5-of-15.
The Warriors ended Doncic’s streak of seven consecutive triples, including six with at least 30 points.
In the third, Doncic started to figure out the Warriors. He scored an and-1 in the post thanks to Brandin Podziemski, then nailed a step-back 3. Still, Golden State held on, entering the fourth facing a six-point deficit.
Doncic started the fourth quarter on the bench, giving the Warriors an opportunity to run. Instead, Dallas shut down Golden State, bombing them to a 16-4 haymaker. Like the entire game, pretty much everything went inside — both from their bigs and one Kyrie Irving (23 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds).
The Mavericks built such a comfortable lead that they didn’t even need Doncic in the fourth quarter. At one point, he walked to the scorer’s table to check in, but the team later said he was suffering from hamstring soreness.
They still had 29 minutes of their superstar, compared to zero for Golden State.
