Mavericks retire Dirk Nowitzki’s number, crush Warriors
Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball against Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter at American Airlines Center on January 05, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. Tom Pennington/Getty Images/AFP
Luka Doncic went for a game-high 26 points and the Dallas Mavericks dominated the visiting Golden State Warriors from both the 3-point and free-throw lines Wednesday in a 99-82 victory on a night when the hosts retired Dirk Nowitzki’s number.
Dorian Finney-Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr. combined for 31 points and six 3-pointers in the Mavericks’ fourth straight win.
Article continues after this advertisementIn holding the Warriors to a season-low point total, the Dallas defense shackled Stephen Curry into 1-for-9 shooting on 3-pointers and Golden State to 5-for-28 overall from beyond the arc, outscoring the visitors 36-15 on threes.
Ten of Doncic’s points came on 12 free-throw attempts as he almost single-handedly outscored the Warriors (11-for-16) at the line. Dallas finished 21-for-26 from the charity stripe.
In handing the Warriors just the second loss in their last seven games, the Mavericks led by as many as 14 in the second quarter and 50-39 at the break before Golden State made its biggest push in the third period.
Article continues after this advertisementCongrats @swish41! #41Forever pic.twitter.com/uLY6dRiu8n
— NBA (@NBA) January 6, 2022
Curry and Gary Payton II had seven points apiece and Andrew Wiggins chipped in six as the Warriors opened the second half with a 24-6 flurry that opened a 63-56 lead.
But Finney-Smith immediately countered with a 3-pointer and Dallas finished the period on a 14-4 run to grab a lead it never relinquished.
Finney-Smith totaled 17 points on 4-of-7 shooting from long range, while Jalen Brunson had 15 points and Hardaway 14 for the Mavericks, who had been 1-11 this season when getting held under 100 points.
Dallas shot 12-for-40 on 3-pointers.
Can’t wait for tonight. So much respect for you @swish41! Thank you for everything. What a player but most importantly what a great person! #41Forever 💯❤️ pic.twitter.com/AHUcrHO3Ac
— Luka Doncic (@luka7doncic) January 5, 2022
Doncic complemented his 26 points with seven rebounds and a game-high eight assists, while Maxi Kleber grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
Wiggins led the Warriors with 17 points, while Curry, who was held to a season-low nine points in Monday’s home win over Miami, totaled just 14 on 5-of-24 shooting.
Payton chipped in with 11 points as part of a double-double with a team-high 11 rebounds for Golden State, which was held under 100 points for just the fourth time this season. The Warriors are 0-4 in those games.
