Takeaways from Warriors' Win Over Mavs: 2 Role Players Lead the Way

The Golden State Warriors (16-15) nursed a 13-point halftime lead en route to a 126-116 win over the Dallas Mavericks (12-20) on Thursday at Chase Center.

Cooper Flagg had a game-high 27 points. Stephen Curry had a team-high 23 points (6-of-18 shooting), and Jimmy Butler had a great floor game with 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

Klay Thompson struggled in his fifth career game against the Warriors, finishing with seven points on 3-of-8 shooting.

Here are three takeaways from Thursday's game.

Horford Looks Refreshed After Missing 7 Straight Games

Coming into Thursday, the Warriors had a minus-13.5 net rating with Al Horford on the court, per Cleaning the Glass. Horford was shooting 32.1 percent overall and 29.8 percent from three.

Clearly his battle with sciatica was bothering him.

Horford had his best game as a Warrior on Thursday, totaling 14 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and no turnovers.

He made four three-pointers in the first quarter, helping the Warriors build a 12-point lead.

Horford was supposed to be a major rotation piece for Golden State, but that hasn't been the case yet. If the Warriors can get to a point where they are comfortable with Horford and Quinten Post as their main center rotation, that would allow them to focus more on getting a big wing in a trade.

Melton Shows His Value

De'Anthony Melton has not shot the ball well as a Warrior, and that continued Thursday, as he went just 5-of-14 from the floor.

But he excelled at everything else.

Melton had 16 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block and no turnovers. He was a game-high plus-19 in 24 minutes.

Coming into Thursday, Melton had a plus-3.5 net rating despite the fact he had woeful shooting percentages (27.1 FG% and 12.5 3PT%).

If he gets back to his career 36.5 three-point percentage over the season, you can expect his net rating to get even better.

Once he starts shooting the ball well, he should play more 2-guard minutes than any Warrior.

Davis Gives Reminder Why Trading for Him Would Be So Risky

Anthony Davis is one of the best players in the NBA when healthy. The problem is he can't stay healthy.

Davis left the game in the second quarter with a groin injury. He did not return.

Davis has played just 16 games this season. He played 51 last year. He's had more than 62 games played just once since the 2018-19 season.

There's been no rumor that the Warriors are targeting Davis on the trade market, but if the Golden State brain trust considers trading Draymond Green, Davis would be an obvious target.

This trade season probably ends with Green still a Warrior. His struggles have been well-documented, but he has been taking care of the ball better recently, including having just two turnovers in 28 minutes Thursday.

Anyone would love a healthy Davis, but the Warriors will likely decide he's not worth the gamble.