Outlasting the Champs: 3 Big Takeaways From the Mavs' Crunch-Time Win vs. Warriors
The Dallas Mavericks snapped their four-game losing streak on Tuesday night, getting a much-needed, playoff-like victory over the Golden State Warriors, 116-113, at American Airlines Center.
Dallas was led by Luka Doncic, who finished with yet another 40-point triple-double — 41 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists, and four steals — to hold on against Steph Curry and the defending champs.
A strong, bounce-back performance from Tim Hardaway Jr. and clutch moments down the stretch from Josh Green helped clinch the victory and, and the Mavericks finally got back into the win column to improve to 10-10 through the season’s first 20 games.
Here are the three big takeaways from Tuesday night's victory.
Weathering the storm…
The Mavericks got out to a quick start by hitting the Warriors straight in the mouth. They took a 23-6 lead halfway through the first quarter. But, as the champs do, they hit back in the second quarter to head into halftime only down by one point.
The two teams traded baskets back-and-forth throughout the second half, including down the stretch in the fourth with the game up for grabs. Typically, you can bet your bottom dollar that Steph Curry and the Warriors will come out on top in a clutch situation, but it was Doncic and the Mavs who held strong in the final moments to end their four-game skid.
Dallas has been susceptible to either slow starts or blowing leads at the end of games this season. Although they did blow a 17-point lead in the first half against Golden State, the Mavs continued fighting instead of deflating and letting the Warriors fully get a grasp on the momentum in the game. If the Mavs can really turn things on the rest of the season, a game like this can bode well for future playoff performances.
THJ's resurgence
Tim Hardaway Jr. has gotten off to a rather slow start to the season after coming off foot surgery in January of last season. Before Tuesday’s game, THJ was averaging just 10.2 points per game on 31 percent from the field and 29 percent from 3-point range — all career-lows.
But, in his second consecutive game in the starting lineup, Hardaway shined against the defending champs when Dallas needed a win the most, finishing with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the floor and 5-of-11 from downtown.
Hardaway Jr. said postgame that for him, it was about just having confidence and polishing up his shot mechanics.
"Just having a little more confidence," Hardaway said. "Releasing at the top and mechanics were fine. Just making sure I’m releasing at the top of my jump shot and not on the way down."
After the victory, coach Jason Kidd mentioned that he and Hardaway had a talk on Monday and that the Mavs 'needed him' to light a spark to help Reggie Bullock snap out of his slump too, who Kidd said will eventually return to the starting lineup.
"For Timmy, we needed him to start to maybe pick up Reggie and he did that tonight. We're going to at some point come back to Reggie,” said Kidd.
Whether it's just a few games or a longer stretch as a starter, let's hope that talk with Kidd and his performance on Tuesday night will last for THJ.
Josh Green's encouraging growth
This has been harped on quite a bit so far this season, but the peaks and valleys that Josh Green's game has gone through is telling.
Green showcased his growth once again on Tuesday night, finishing with 13 points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from downtown.
But, it wasn't the sheer stats that jumped out from Green's performance against the Warriors — it was the big, timely plays he made in crunch time that showed his confidence and readiness for the bright lights.
With 4:05 remaining in the fourth, Doncic made an underhand bullet pass to Green in the corner for a deadeye 3-pointer to give the Mavs a two-point lead.
And even more impressive, specifically with the timing of the play, Green utilized a dummy screen from Doncic to attack the rim against Andrew Wiggins and get the tough finish at the cup with 1:23 remaining and extending Dallas' lead to three.
With Green, the increases confidence in his shot and overall play so far has been evident in not just the eyes of fans, but Kidd's as well.
Who people were quickly to label Green as a bust after two seasons have rapidly come around to acknowledging him as now being one of the team's most important players.
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