3 observations following the Dallas Mavericks blowing out the Golden State Warriors, 141-121

The Dallas Mavericks (21-10) defeated the Golden State Warriors, 141-121 (9-25) Saturday night on the road. Luka Doncic notched his ninth triple double on the season, scoring 31 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and dishing 15 assists. D’Angelo Russell scored 35 for the Warriors in defeat.

Both teams started on fire and kept that way for the entire quarter. Dallas shot 53% from the floor and the Warriors shot 66% with both teams combining for 19 three pointers. The Mavericks allowed D’Angelo Russell to get hot early, playing poor defense on pick and rolls which kept Golden State comfortable all period. Luka Doncic was no slouch on the other end, hitting a number of step back threes to keep Dallas close despite the early hot start from the Warriors. After one it was all tied up at 41.

Bench units kept things apace in the second half, with the Warriors punishing the Maverick switches by pounding the ball inside. Seth Curry kept the Mavericks hot on offense, connecting on a number of tough looks. The return of the starters resulted in the Warriors doubling Luka in the back court, which discombobulated Dallas just enough to force some terrible Dallas turnovers. Russell stayed hot and was aided by numerous defensive lapses by the Mavericks. Draymond Green and Kristaps Porzingis picked up a pair of technical fouls following Green being the constant irritant that he is. The Warriors continued to press Dallas and the referees let Golden State get away with a lot of contact, allowing the Warriors to hold on to a slim 74-72 lead at halftime.

After halftime the tables turned in a big way for the Mavericks. Dallas tied the game at the 7:21 mark then proceeded to outscore the Warriors 35-16 the remainder of the quarter. Luka Doncic simply took over, driving and dishing, including a roasting of Draymond Green here:

Dallas scored so easily and often they tied the franchise record of made threes in a game with 22 while still in the third period. Dallas ended the third up 117-98.

The final frame was largely about getting out of the game with everyone healthy. The bench unit actually extended the lead up to 30 points midway through the quarter, then Dallas went stone cold for the rest of the game, scoring just four points in the final seven minutes of play. Lucky for Dallas, the Warriors weren’t much better and could hardly make a dent in the gap. Dallas wins their twelfth road game of the season, 141-121.

Now, some stuff

The doubling of Luka Doncic

It’s worth watching to see how often teams try this with Dallas and Doncic. The Warriors threw the Mavericks off just so in the second quarter and it allowed them to take that lead into the half. The second half was a different story, with everyone on the same page for the Mavericks.

I suspect we won’t see it as often as we do with say the Houston Rockets and James Harden, but it should be a regular occurrence during closely contested games. Dallas must be aggressive in those situations. While Luka Doncic drives the bus, we saw enough in the four-plus games without him to have faith in the rest of the team to execute in those situations where they have a numerical advantage.

Kristaps Porzingis needs to post up more

KIDDING, KIDDING. I can’t help myself. This game was a great example of why he shouldn’t post up frequently. His first half wasn’t the best with a lot of unneeded turnovers, but he still ended up with 18 points and seven rebounds, not to mention five blocks. He only attempted three shots inside the three point line and hoisted nine distance attempts. Those shots cause the defense to panic and overreact, which opens lanes elsewhere. His threat to shoot and ability to shoot are key with this high octane offense.

Anyone who says otherwise quite literally doesn’t know what they’re talking about.

Breaking the team three point record.

The Mavericks broke their previous team record of 22 three point makes with 24 against the Warriors. Dallas shot a crazy 24-51 from distance and actually managed to miss their last 8 attempts.

Offensively, this team has no ceiling.

Here’s the postgame podcast, Mavs Moneyball After Dark. If you can’t see the embed below “More from Mavs Moneyball”, click here. And if you haven’t yet, subscribe by searching “Mavs Moneyball podcast” into your favorite podcast app.