Luka Doncic outplays Stephen Curry as Mavs pound Warriors
April 27, 2021; San Francisco, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates against the Golden State Warriors during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Luka Doncic outscored Stephen Curry for the first time in five career head-to-heads and Dallas ran off 28 consecutive points bridging the first and second quarters as the visiting Mavericks pounded the Golden State Warriors 133-103 on Tuesday night.
Doncic had a game-high 39 points on the second night of a back-to-back, helping the Mavericks (34-27) win the season series 2-1 over the Warriors (31-31) and go 3 1/2 games up in their duel for playoff position in the Western Conference.
Article continues after this advertisementThe blowout was Dallas’ third straight in the two-year history of San Francisco’s Chase Center. The Mavericks, who have never lost in the building, blitzed the Warriors by 20 and 27 points last season.
39 points in 3 quarters for @luka7doncic! #MFFL pic.twitter.com/skcabQyFN0
— NBA (@NBA) April 28, 2021
Curry, who scored 57 points the last time the teams met in Dallas in February, finished with a team-high 27. He shot 5-for-9 on 3-point attempts while his teammates combined to go 11-for-34.
Article continues after this advertisementCurry’s second 3-pointer of the game gave the Warriors, seeking a third straight win, a 12-11 lead in the fourth minute before the Mavericks began their total domination at both ends of the court.
Tim Hardaway Jr. hit a pair of 3-pointers among 11 first-quarter points and Dallas shot 5-for-7 from 3-point range in the period, during which the Mavericks ran off to a 36-12 lead.
Jalen Brunson added a sixth 3-pointer to increase the margin to 27 before Jordan Poole ended a 9:40 Golden State drought with a trey, just the Warriors’ fifth hoop of the game’s first 13 minutes.
🔥 25-0 @dallasmavs run on TNT! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WBfOrR5O0v
— NBA (@NBA) April 28, 2021
The 28-0 blitz was the longest in Mavericks history, topping a 26-0 run at Houston on Nov. 25, 2009.
The nationally televised game was never competitive after Golden State drought, with Dallas extending its lead to 62-29 by halftime before both teams emptied the bench in the second half.
Doncic shot 15-for-23, helping Dallas finish at 52.2 percent for the game.
Hardaway (13), Nicolo Melli (13), Dorian Finney-Smith (13), Brunson (12) and Maxi Kleber (10) also scored in double figures for Dallas, which won for the fourth time in its past five games.
Mychal Mulder added 26 points, Andrew Wiggins 15 and Poole and Kelly Oubre Jr. 10 apiece for Golden State, which was held to season lows for a quarter (12 in the first) and a half (29 in the first).
The Warriors had put up 147 and 132 points while splitting their first two meetings with the Mavericks in Dallas.
