The Golden State Warriors lost a 19 point lead entering the 4th quarter against the Dallas Mavericks and lost the game 107-101. The Mavericks went on a 26-1 run in the 4th quarter and came back to win the game. They were led by their superstar Luka Doncic who had 34 points and 11 rebounds. The Warriors were led by Steph Curry who had 27 points and 10 assists but it wasn’t enough to get the Warriors over the hump.
The Mavericks had 4 players with double-digit scoring. Spencer Dinwiddie had 24 points and 5 assists, Reggie Bullock had 12 points and Dorian Finney-Smith had 14 points. The Mavericks showed incredible resilience and teamwork to come back from such a huge deficit and eventually win the game.
The Warriors only had 3 players in double digits including Steph. The other 2 players were Andre Wiggins – 18 points and Gary Payton Jr.- 13 points. It was an embarrassing loss for the Warriors and head coach Steve Kerr said that it was a good lesson for the team. The Warriors came into the game with 62 straight wins when they lead by 20+ points.
The loss against the Mavericks makes it tougher for the Warriors to catch up to the Phoenix Suns who are having their struggles. This is the best time for the Warriors to make a run for the 1 seed when Chris Paul is out of action. Even though the seeding isn’t a huge factor for the Warriors, having the home-court advantage and having the ‘ROARacle’ to support them would be a huge advantage in the Playoffs.
For the Mavericks the win just solidifies their spot in 5th place. The top 6 teams in the west are almost confirmed right now. The teams below that are too far off in record to get a top 6 seed or have multiple injuries that won’t allow them to make a run. In the end, the win against the Warriors was great for the Mavericks as they came together as a team and Jason Kidd also saw how successful the small lineup could be.
