Mavs Lose To Warriors
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OAKLAND, Calif. — It took Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr just 86 seconds Friday night to determine he didn’t like the direction of his team’s game against the Dallas Mavericks.
After the first-year coach abruptly called a timeout, he thoroughly enjoyed the remaining 2,794 seconds of the evening.
Despite drawing the ire of their coach by falling behind 6-0, the Warriors improved their league-best home record to 26-2 in dominant fashion, gradually pulling away from the Mavericks en route to a 104-89 victory.
“When you don’t follow the game plan on the first three (offensive) possessions, something is wrong,” Kerr said of his reaction to the opening the game. “I was upset. I wanted to get the message across.”
Kerr said he had visions of the last Warriors-Mavericks meeting on Feb. 4, during which Dallas raced off to a 40-18 lead in the 11th minute before Golden State rallied to win.
“The last time we played this team, it was like 42-6 after five minutes,” Kerr incorrectly recalled. “I didn’t want that to happen again.”
It didn’t — thanks to a defense that held the Mavericks to 36.8-percent shooting and an offense that took advantage of the opportunities created by 13 Dallas turnovers and a 51-34 rebounding advantage.
“The way we defended and the way we were able to get out
and run, that won the game for us,” observed Warriors power forward Draymond Green, who helped limit Mavericks star forward Dirk Nowitzki to 5-for-16 shooting. “That’s important because we’re not going to have a good offensive game every night. We were able to do what we needed to do defensively to win the game.”
Point guard Stephen Curry bombed in five 3-pointers, Green had 18 points, and center Andrew Bogut pulled 13 rebounds as the Warriors (48-12) remained unbeaten at Oracle Arena since Jan. 27 with their 22nd double-digit blowout of the season.
The win was the Warriors’ fifth straight at home and third in a row this season over the Mavericks, clinching the season series. Golden State has beaten Dallas six consecutive times in all.
Still, Kerr was not happy with the offensive effort.
“We’ve gotten worse on the offensive end,” he complained. “I have no idea what I was looking at. It was really a poor performance.
“Fortunately, we can play off our defense.”
Curry shot 5-for-8 from 3-point range and 6-for-11 overall en route to a game-high 22 points. He had 51 points in the Feb. 4 meeting.
The Warriors scorched the nets at a 47.8-percent clip (11 of 23) from 3-point range, outscoring the Mavericks 33-18 from beyond the arc. That helped offset a whopping 22 turnovers.
Green just missed a double-double with nine rebounds to go with his 18 points. He did not play in the fourth quarter.
Bogut complemented his game-high rebound total with three blocked shots, all of which came in the third quarter, during which the Warriors extended a 12-point halftime lead to 82-64.
The Warriors had a season-high-tying 11 blocks in all.
“I have been in this league for 17 years,” Nowitzki noted. “Even during our great years, our championship years, it is not all smiles.”
Shooting guard Klay Thompson added 16 points for the Warriors, dropping in a pair of 3-pointers, and backup guard Shaun Livingston recorded a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double off the bench.
Point guard Rajon Rondo and Nowitzki had 14 points apiece for the Mavericks (40-24), who had played the night before in Portland while Golden State was enjoying the day off.
Dallas caps a four-day, three-game trip Sunday in Los Angeles against the Lakers.
“These are two tough games, and we didn’t play well really in either one of them, which is disappointing,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “But we have to circle the wagons and get ready for Sunday. Where we are, the next win is going to be the best win.”
Rondo hit only six of his 15 shots. Shooting guard Monta Ellis endured a 2-for-14 nightmare, and is now just 17-for-55 against the Warriors this season.
Ellis finished with six points.
“I take the responsibility,” Carlisle said of the poor shooting nights by Nowitzki and Ellis. “I have to work harder at it.”
Reserve big man Amar’e Stoudemire added 12 points in 18 minutes for the Mavericks, who never led after the first 5:04 of the game.
