SAN FRANCISCO – When you boil it down, the Mavericks lost their game to Golden State in the first quarter.
There are no moral victories in the big-boy world of sports. Yes, the Mavericks made a nice comeback, but they should never have been behind 40-23 after the first quarter or 98-75 late in the third.
Another vital nugget in the Warriors’ 119-113 victory Saturday night? They had their superstar for nearly three quarters. The Mavericks had theirs for none.
Luka Dončić missed the first of at least two games with a right heel contusion. Steph Curry had 21 points and seven assists before he exited late in the third frame with a left leg injury.
While the Mavericks showed fight coming back from 23 points behind, their rally turned out to be cosmetic more than anything else.
“No excuse. It’s not like we played this team for the first time,” said Tim Hardaway Jr. “We should already know what’s coming.”
That is, the Warriors run around a lot on both ends of the court and try to cause turnovers, then run offensively and try to pour in three-pointers.
And they did. The Warriors hit 14-of-35 three-pointers. The Mavericks needed 40 heaves to hit their 14.
Here’s a few highlights and lowlights from the loss in the opener of a five-game Western swing.
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT: Somewhere down the road, the experience gained by Jaden Hardy, McKinley Wright IV and Josh Green will pay dividends for the Mavericks. The young players make a lot of mistakes. But they are learning on the fly and helped keep the Mavericks from drowning in the third quarter. Green and Hardy combined for 12 points in the period and the Mavericks also got positive moments from 10-day signee A.J. Lawson. “It was good for the young guys to compete their tails off at both ends of the floor and give us the energy that we needed,” Hardaway said. “Definitely satisfied with that second half and we got to carry that on to Utah.”
GREEN WITH ENVY: Many people remain unsold on the values of Golden State’s Draymond Green, but he very quietly flirted with a triple double against the Mavericks. He finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. He added a couple of timely blocked shots, too. Green is the kind of player every coach would love to have. He guards anybody on the court and usually does so very well. When his three-ball is going like it was Saturday (3-of-7), Green is a game-changer.
SMALL, SMALLER SMALLEST: The Mavericks could have dominated any 6-7 and under league for much of Saturday’s game. Dwight Powell, 6-10, played almost 30 minutes. The rest of the time, nobody was on the floor taller than 6-7 Dorian Finney-Smith. Everybody else was 6-6 or under. Just when you thought the Mavericks couldn’t go any smaller, 5-11 McKinley Wright IV stepped on the floor. Going small against the Warriors was a good risk-reward. The Warriors aren’t as physically imposing as some teams. They don’t have a dominant big man. And the Mavericks actually won the rebounding game, 39-38. It’s not something they should make a habit out of. But until Maxi Kleber, Christian Wood and Dončić get healthy, it may be a reality, especially since JaVale McGee seems to have fallen completely out of the playing rotation.
Twitter: @ESefko
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