SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The Dallas Mavericks (28-26) come up short to the Golden State Warriors (27-26) 119-113 on Saturday night. This is the first of a five-game road trip for Dallas. The Mavs were without Luka Doncic last night and are currently 0-6 without Doncic playing this season. Dallas was also without Christian Wood and Maxi Kleber. Good news is Wood could be back on the court as early as Monday against the Utah Jazz. He’s been out for a while now with a broken thumb.
Missing a lot of talent due to injury was clear in the first half for Dallas as the Warriors took a 40-23 lead in the first quarter. Golden State continued to toy with the Mavs the entire first half taking a 73-58 lead at the half. The Mavs held their own in the second half, Steph Curry left midway through the third quarter with a knee injury and that shined some light Dallas’s way, making the playing field more equal as both teams were now without their star players.
Dallas closed out the third down 16 points but outscored the Warriors in the fourth 27-17 and somehow managed to only lose by six. The final minute of the game the Mavs were down 10, they managed to get it to eight after Golden State continued to throw the ball away on every possession in the final minute. Dallas had an opportunity to come back and win but shots weren’t falling and turnovers didn’t help either.
Things to take away from the loss:
Could Tim Hardaway Jr. be out of his slump? In the last five games Hardaway Jr. shot 7-of-38 from beyond the arc and showed a serious slump in his offensive productivity. Against the Warriors he shot 5-of-10 from three which is something Hardaway Jr. and the Mavs desperately needed.
Hardaway jr. spoke after the game about getting through his slump, “I got very, very confident teammates. They instilled that in me, and I’ll be damned if I turn a shot down, to be completely honest with you. I’ll continue to shoot the ball when I’m open, continue to be aggressive.”
Dorian Finney-Smith had a fantastic day offensively. With Doncic out and the Mavs seeing no points or minutes from their super star forces other players to step up to the plate. In previous games we have seen Spencer Dinwiddie take over for Doncic when he is injured. Dinwiddie finished the game with 25 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Another player to step up and help was Finney-Smith. He finished the night with 18 points for Dallas, nine rebounds, and two assists. Now that the trade deadline is coming up we could see Finney-Smith go for another star player that the Mavs desperately need on their roster to help out Doncic.
Mavs will head to Utah to take on the Jazz (27-27) on Monday night. Tip off is set for 8:00 PM CST.
