Dallas worn down by Klay Thompson and the Warriors, lose 127-107

The Mavericks fell 127-107 in Golden State on Wednesday, playing a feisty game that saw them within one point about halfway through the third quarter before the NBA's best team finally pulled away. Seeing how teams like Cleveland and San Antonio have suffered worse losses to Golden State in the past several days, a 20-point loss without Dirk Nowitzki (rest), Zaza Pachulia (leg), and Devin Harris doesn't seem so bad.

Dallas honestly fought hard

It's really strange to say this after a 20-point loss, but it's true. With Dirk and Zaza both out, Dallas started the game small, with Raymond Felton starting at shooting guard, Wes Matthews sliding to the three, and Parsons starting at power forward. Things got ugly quickly, as Dallas scored their first field goal at the 9:00 mark of the first quarter, and Golden State jumped out to a quick 15-4 lead in the first 3:38 of the game.

Golden State led by as many as 14 in the first half, before the Mavericks battled back, largely in part to a stellar first half from Chandler Parsons.

In the second half, Golden State's relentless barrage of three-pointers eventually became too much for Dallas' defense, and lineups like Barea, Felton, Parsons, Powell and Charlie V were simply not capable of keeping up.

For the majority of the game though, Dallas was able to keep the deficit around eight, giving themselves a chance for much longer than anyone probably anticipated. Eventually, they were simply overwhelmed.

Parsons continues his tear

Parsons had the best performance in a Mavs uniform, scoring 23 points and pulling down 7 rebounds, and keeping Dallas in the game for far longer than anyone expected. Parsons has averaged 23.8 points and 6.7 rebounds over the past six games.

A three-pointer from Parsons early in the third quarter drew Dallas to within one point, 65-64, but Golden State immediately went on a 7-0 run on their way to a XX point win. With the game relatively out of reach, Parsons sat for the final 7+ minutes in the final frame, or he very well could have had his third 30-point game in the past five games.

Klay Thompson had himself a game

Thompson was fire in this game. He scored 26 points on just 13 shots in the first half and maintained his hot hand throughout the night, finishing with 45 on the night. He shot 7-of-12 from deep, but was also incredibly effective getting to the rim and moving without the ball. Dallas used several players on him throughout the game to no avail.

On a night that saw Steph Curry and Draymond Green struggle, Thompson single-handedly kept the Mavericks at bay, ensuring that the Warriors wouldn't drop a second consecutive game to Dallas.

Get well soon, Zaza

While Mejri has been a really great surprise over the past week and a half, if Dallas wants to have a shot at the 4-or-5-seed in the playoffs, they're going to need a healthy Zaza Pachulia. Mejri is simply too raw to be a major impact player, and JaVale McGee is, well, JaVale McGee.

Yes, Zaza has cooled off after a magnificent start to the year, but he's still easily the best center on the roster, and Dallas is going to need him to be healthy and efficient if they want to avoid playing San Antonio or Golden State in the first round of the playoffs.

I don't care who is resting or hurt, Charlie V needs to stay on the bench

There's really not much more to say here. Without his shot translating this season, unfortunately he's a liability on both ends of the court. Give Jeremy Evans his minutes.

But really, it's Golden State

This is the team that's now won 40 consecutive games at Oracle Arena dating back to last season, tied for the second longest home winning streak of all time (four games behind the 95-96 Bulls). A short-handed Mavericks squad was already going to be fighting an uphill battle, and to do it against easily the best team in the NBA is too much to ask of pretty much anyone.

The fact that Dallas fought hard and played relatively well speaks volumes about the character of this team, if nothing else.