Luka Doncic's 40-Point Triple-Double Leads Mavs Over Warriors
In their first matchup since being eliminated in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors faced off at the American Airlines Center on Tuesday. This time, the Mavs won 116-113. Dallas got back to .500 at 10-10, and Golden State fell to .500 at 11-11.
It was about as ideal of a start for the Mavs as they could've hoped for. They jumped out to a 23-6 lead as of the 4:06 mark of the opening period. However, Golden State had outscored them by a 48-32 margin for the remainder of the half. Dallas led 55-54 at the break.
The Warriors had prioritized making things challenging for Doncic in short-range. While he had 19 points in the first half, he did so while shooting 5-13 from the floor and 4-10 from inside the 3-point line. Whether they overloaded the strong side or had a stout wing with length like Andrew Wiggins or Jonathan Kuminga as the defender, Golden State had solid returns on their efforts.
The Mavs avoided a third quarter letdown as they outscored the Warriors 37-33 during this stretch. As Doncic tends to do, he found a major rhythm in the second half, converting multiple makes from 3-point range and recovering his touch on short-range shot attempts.
The start of the fourth quarter proved troubling for the Mavs. They were outscored 13-4 to take a 100-96 lead at the 9:46 mark after Josh Green turned it over, leading to a Jordan Poole dunk. Without Doncic on the floor and Spencer Dinwiddie having been ejected, there was a lack of ball handling options available.
When Doncic checked back into the game, the Mavs used a quick 5-0 run to force the Warriors to call timeout. Doncic had stolen a pass then converted a step-back 3 on the other end. Dallas then forced another turnover, then Doncic found Tim Hardaway Jr. for a mid-range jumper.
Both teams continued to trade blows and the Warriors re-took short leads with made 3s from Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry. The Mavs responded with strong defensive execution and big plays from Hardaway and Green down the stretch before Doncic closed it out. Thompson had a chance to tie it at the buzzer and had space to do it, but his shot was offline.
Doncic set the tone in a major way, leading with 41 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists. It was his fifth 40-point performance of the season and the eighth 40-point triple-double of his NBA career. Only four other players in league history have as many career 40-point triple double, including Oscar Robertson, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. Doncic also played some incredible defense in the fourth quarter and finished with four steals and a block.
Hardaway put together a strong bounce-back performance with 22 points using five makes from 3-point range. He sorely struggled to start the season and it worsened on the Mavs' road trip. It reached a low-point in his prior performance, finishing with six points on 2-8 shooting against the Milwaukee Bucks. When Hardaway is hitting from deep, the Mavs look more like the team that was able to get to the WCF last season.
The Mavs return to action on Thursday when they take on the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena.
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