NBA: Mavericks beat Warriors for second time in five days
Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks dribbles as Kevon Looney #5 of the Golden State Warriors defends in the second half at American Airlines Center on March 3, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. The Mavericks 122-113. . Ron Jenkins/Getty Images/AFP
Luka Doncic exploded for a game-high 41 points and the host Dallas Mavericks, after needing a rally to beat the Golden State Warriors four days earlier, held onto their own advantage this time for a 122-113 win in a rematch Thursday night.
In outscoring rival Stephen Curry for the fifth straight time in their head-to-head matchups, Doncic went for 40 or more points for the sixth time this season, helping the Mavericks win a third straight and prevail for the ninth time in their past 11 outings.
The Warriors were attempting to avenge a 107-101 home loss to the Mavericks on Sunday, when they blew a 19-point, fourth-quarter lead. Jordan Poole had a team-high 23 points and Curry 21 for Golden State, which lost a third game in a row for the first time this season.
Luka was in command tonight 😤
41 points, 9 assists.. every facet of @luka7doncic's offensive game was on display in the @dallasmavs win. pic.twitter.com/VzoB3xe8CD
— NBA (@NBA) March 4, 2022
After the Mavericks hit 11 of their 18 3-point attempts in building a 14-point halftime advantage, the Warriors rallied from a 102-93 deficit into a 104-all tie behind a pair of 3-pointers by rookie Moses Moody.
The 19-year-old, who hadn’t scored in the first three quarters, put up 13 in the final period alone.
But Spencer Dinwiddie broke the tie with a driving floater with 6:06 remaining and the Mavericks never let the Warriors catch up again, completing the home-and-home sweep and taking the season series 3-1.
Doncic shot 15-for-26 overall and 4-for-10 from 3-point range for the Mavericks, who made 17 of their 37 3-point attempts to more than offset a 15-for-30 night by Golden State.
Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock also hit four 3-pointers apiece en route to 18 and 14 points, respectively, for Dallas. Dinwiddie scored 17, Jalen Brunson had 14 points and Dwight Powell scored 13.
Doncic completed a double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds, and he missed a triple-double by one assist.
Leaving a recent slump in the rearview mirror, Poole shot 8-for-12 overall and 3-for-6 on 3-point attempts for his team-high point total.
On a night when he also found time for nine assists, Curry made four of his five 3-point attempts, while Moody’s late flurry featured 3-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc.
Andrew Wiggins finished with 17 points and Klay Thompson, returning from an illness, had 16 for the Warriors, who have opened a four-game trip with losses at Minnesota and Dallas.
Kevon Looney led Warriors rebounders with nine while scoring eight points.
