SAN FRANCISCO – Before the Mavericks mixed it up with Golden State on Saturday night, Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr was asked what the biggest difference in Luka Dončić is this season.
“He is shooting better,” Kerr said. “In the past he was 34 (percent) from three and you’d go into the game and you’d trust the numbers (and) we’re not going to chase him off the line.
“But now he’s at 38 (percent) and that’s a pretty dramatic difference so this is probably the best he’s ever played because of the consistency of that 3-point shot setting up the rest of his game.”
Little did Kerr know that he was going to get a full dose of Dončić’s lethal shooting eye.
Led by their superstar point guard, the Mavericks shot the three-ball superbly and carted off a 132-122 victory over the Warriors at Chase Center.
Dončić hit 5-of-13 three-pointers and the Mavericks nailed 16-of-40 (40 percent) as they built a double-digit lead that lasted until the fourth quarter, then held off the Warriors down the stretch.
They are 10-3 when they make 40 percent or more from three-point range this season.
And Luka is a big part of that. So what’s been the difference in his three-point upgrade this season?
“I just got to keep my legs fresh,” Dončić said. “That’s what’s most important for me right now. I got to make some of those shots. Too many misses for me.
“I honestly think I could be way better than that (38.5 percent for the season). Some of those shots, I could have made for sure. But just trusting it. Trust is big in this game and having confidence. That’s it.”
He ended up with 39 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds on Saturday. Not bad for a player who was questionable going into the game and wasn’t assured of playing until he went through pregame warmups to test his ailing left quad muscle.
“The first half was really good,” he said. “The third quarter, I started feeling it again. I had to warm up.
“Obviously, it’s a concern. It’s been (this way) since March. So obviously there’s a concern. I just try to keep lifting in the weight room. That helps me a lot. But obviously there’s a little bit of concern.”
Of course, great shooting is the best therapy for anything that ails a player. As the Mavericks have said many times, if they shoot the three-ball like they did against the Warriors, they are very tough to beat. Even Steph Curry and Klay Thompson couldn’t keep pace.
“Great team win. It’s hard to win in this building,” coach Jason Kidd said.
He credited improved ball movement and physicality for being able to jump ahead of the Warriors early and fend off several runs by the home team.
“A team’s going to go on a run. How do we handle the run?” Kidd said. “Just staying the course and trusting one another. I thought our bench was great. Josh gave us a big boost off the bench.
“And in Minnesota, we kind of came across something that we want to get better at and that’s body movement and ball movement. And not just relying on Luka and Kai (Kyrie Irving) to bail us out. That’s a luxury to have Luka play pick and roll and be able to get double-teamed. But I thought being able to screen for each other, to be physical on the offensive end and setting screens and being unselfish was a carryover from that Minnesota game.”
The Mavericks (19-14) were up by 13 points early in the fourth quarter, but with Curry and Chris Paul coming to life, the Warriors got within 119-114 with 2:45 left.
But Tim Hardaway Jr. canned a midrange jumper and Luka hit two free throws with 1:51 left to make it 125-116. Chris Paul hit a three-pointer but the Mavericks scored again and the Mavericks were in the clear.
Josh Green (18 points) and Hardaway (16) led a strong effort by the Mavericks’ bench brigade.
And of course, Luka was Luka. And he got a fair amount of help, too.
Dereck Lively II added 12 points and 14 rebounds as the Mavericks improved to 11-7 on the road, where they will stay for one more game at Utah on New Year’s Day before returning home for seven consecutive games at American Airlines Center.
X: @ESefko
Share and comment