Mavs Moneyball - Gameday: Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State WarriorsRick Carlisle approved.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50869/mmb-fav.png2016-01-28T00:03:11-06:00http://www.mavsmoneyball.com/rss/stream/104512832016-01-28T00:03:11-06:002016-01-28T00:03:11-06:00Mavs fall to Thompson, Warriors 127-107
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<p>The Mavs hung around for a while, but the Warriors were too much for the Dirk-less Mavs to handle. </p> <p>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 <span>Devin Harris</span> doesn't seem so bad.</p>
<h5>Dallas honestly fought hard</h5>
<p>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 <span>Raymond Felton</span> 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.</p>
<p>Golden State led by as many as 14 in the first half, before the <a href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Mavericks</a> battled back, largely in part to a stellar first half from <span>Chandler Parsons</span>.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<h5>Parsons continues his tear<br>
</h5>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<h5>
<span>Klay Thompson</span> had himself a game<br>
</h5>
<p>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.</p>
<p>On a night that saw Steph Curry and <span>Draymond Green</span> struggle, Thompson single-handedly kept the Mavericks at bay, ensuring that the <a href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Warriors</a> wouldn't drop a second consecutive game to Dallas.</p>
<h5>Get well soon, Zaza</h5>
<p>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 <span>JaVale McGee</span> is, well, JaVale McGee.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<h5>I don't care who is resting or hurt, Charlie V needs to stay on the bench</h5>
<p>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.</p>
<h5>But really, it's Golden State</h5>
<p>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 <a href="https://www.blogabull.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Bulls</a>). 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.</p>
<p>The fact that Dallas fought hard and played relatively well speaks volumes about the character of this team, if nothing else.</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2016/1/28/10857192/dallas-mavericks-lose-to-klay-thompson-golden-state-warriors-127-107Jamie Plunkett2015-12-31T13:58:36-06:002015-12-31T13:58:36-06:00The Mavs aren't apologizing for beating GSW
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<p>Dallas knows Golden State wasn't at full strength, but that shouldn't stop them from enjoying a dominant win.</p> <p>It would have been easier to feel sympathy for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Golden State Warriors</a> on Wednesday if they hadn't come into the game 29-1 with the NBA's best offense and second-best defense, if they weren't bonafide favorites to repeat as NBA champions, if they aren't on the verge of <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/12/31/10695108/steve-kerr-return-warriors-back-injury-spinal-fluid-leak">getting their head coach</a> and all four of their injured teammates back. So no, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Mavericks</a> aren't apologizing for blowing out the Warriors at the American Airlines Center in a game that <span>Stephen Curry</span> didn't play.</p>
<p>Nor are they aren't letting anything take away from their win, which is the fourth in a row. Mavericks coach <span>Rick Carlisle</span> made that clear at the team's shootaround Wednesday morning.</p>
<p>"We talked about both scenarios this morning," Carlisle said then, hours before his team ran Golden State off the court in a 114-91 shellacking. "The one where (Curry) does play, where you have massive problems, and the one where he doesn't, where you have a group of guys on their team that have a ton of pride and are going to be very eager to prove they can win on the road without him. Whatever the scenario is, we have to be ready to play a great team, because even if Curry is not out there, they are a great basketball team."</p>
<p>Without Curry at the helm, it's true -- <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/12/31/10692678/2015-nba-scores-stephen-curry-warriors-mortality-second-loss-mavericks">the Warriors looked mortal.</a> But Dallas wasn't paying lip service: <i>everyone </i>talked about how good Golden State was, with or without the reigning MVP. After all, many feel like <span>Draymond Green</span> is a leading MVP candidate this season, trailing Curry and a few other of the NBA's elite. <span>Klay Thompson</span> has shown his brilliance time and time again. The absence of the Warriors' depth -- <span>Festus Ezeli</span>, <span>Harrison Barnes</span> and <span>Leandro Barbosa</span> -- did Golden State no favors. But the Warriors didn't make any excuses for how they played in a game where they trailed by double figures for the entire second half. Why should the Mavericks?</p>
<p>"We can still win -- we just didn't," Draymond Green said. "We didn't defend well enough and we missed a lot of shots."</p>
<p>And Klay Thompson: "Even when we're not full strength, this isn't something we want to experience. This isn't a locker room that makes excuses. Just a bad game and we've got to flush it out and play better tomorrow."</p>
<p>And Luke Walton: "Our biggest concern and biggest improvement will be on our defense tomorrow night. We gave up sixty points in the first half. We have very capable defenders that are playing still. We got to make it a bigger emphasis, especially on the road in this league. You got to defend. You can't give up that many easy shots. Dallas is a very good team, they keep the ball moving and they wait for you to make mistakes and we made a bunch of them tonight."</p>
<p>And Klay again: "You've got to give them some credit. They did play good defense. But at the same time, we didn't play with the same flow we usually do on offense."</p>
<p>While Curry's absence changes the floor dynamic, removing the team-wide panic defenses feel trying to never give him an inch of space, Dallas held both Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to 4-of-15 shooting. They made other players beat them, like <span>Ian Clark</span>, who led the Warriors in scoring -- clearly a scenario the Mavericks were OK with. And by the game's final six minutes, it had basically turned into a D-League showcase instead of a Western Conference showdown between the first and fifth best teams by record. It was a convincing enough win to make you wonder if the results would have been the same if Curry had played -- although of course, there's no way to tell.</p>
<p>"Obviously, they're a different team without Steph," Wesley Matthew said. "But even without him they're still a great team. We came in with the mentality, mindset, and we played hard."</p>
<p>So no, there was no sympathy for the Warriors on Wednesday. No, the Mavericks aren't going to feel bad. Everyone in the building on Wednesday knew future matchups between these two teams will be very, very different. But Dallas beat the NBA's best team and for one game, who cares about the circumstances?</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2015/12/31/10695918/mavericks-arent-apologizing-beating-steph-curry-less-warriorsTim Cato2015-12-30T23:31:20-06:002015-12-30T23:31:20-06:00Mavs 'stay focused' against wounded Warriors
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<p>The Mavericks did not allow a wounded Warriors squad to find any life. </p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Golden State Warriors</a> are now 29-2 thanks to the hot shooting of newly crowned superstar JJ Barea. Here's what JJ and the rest of the Mavs had to say after their 114-91 thumping of the defending champions.</p>
<h3><span>Rick Carlisle</span></h3>
<h4>On beating the Warriors</h4>
<p>"I thought our guys did a very good job of staying focused even though Curry didn't play. I stressed to them this morning that there was a chance that he wouldn't play, and if he did, that we did not have any kind of emotional let down. We knew the building was going to be full and that the people were going to be into it but the rest of their team is a great team. They have some bona fide great players with guys like Iguodala, Green, and, of course, Thompson.</p>
<h4>On Zaza Pachulia's performance</h4>
<p>"He is a very smart player and he thinks ahead of the curve. I don't know if I have ever seen a five man in this league that is better at early positioning, whether it is defensive positioning things on the pick and roll, or post positioning. On offense, he is right on cue with everything, and even though he is not a high flyer, he gets a lot of things done because he's smart, he's skilled and he understands our system."</p>
<h4>On JJ Barea's performance in the absence of <span>Deron Williams</span>
</h4>
<p>"Well, he's on a good role. He's an experienced guy and he knows our system. He and Dirk play well together. We need to ride hot guys. The first month, month and a half, Felton was one of our guys that really had it going. We just gotta have a hand on the pulse of the guys that got it going good. We gotta make sure they're touching it and put them in a position to make plays."</p>
<h3><span>J.J. Barea</span></h3>
<h4>On playing the Warriors without <span>Stephen Curry</span>
</h4>
<p>"We gotta stay ready. We gotta bring our A-game no matter who is playing. They're a great team all around and I think we did a great job tonight."</p>
<h4>On his recent hot streak</h4>
<p>"I've been able to help my team a lot the past couple days, especially early in games I bring a lot of energy. It's great man. They got confidence in me; they keep finding me; they set screens for me. It's awesome to be out there with them."</p>
<h4>On Wes Matthews' defense against <span>Klay Thompson</span>
</h4>
<p>"He was awesome. I think he was the player of the game. He brought great energy on their best player."</p>
<p> </p>
<h3><span>Wesley Matthews</span></h3>
<h4>On securing a great win</h4>
<p>"Obviously, they're a different team without Steph. Even without him they're still a great team. We came in with the mentality, mindset, and we played hard."</p>
<h4>On defending Klay Thompson</h4>
<p>"I just tried to make stuff tough for him, make his catches tough. With Steph being out, a lot of stuff was going to go to him and get him going. That's what my focus was: just trying to make everything as difficult as possible."</p>
<h4>On the Mavs' recent success</h4>
<p>"We're playing well; we're playing confident. I think we're starting to get a flow of what everybody is doing. I think our chemistry off the court is starting to come together. And on the court, we're obviously still not where we want to be, but we're going in that direction."</p>
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<h3><span>Dirk Nowitzki</span></h3>
<h4>On getting off to a good start</h4>
<p>"Coach brought it to us this morning that Steph might not play. He wanted us to approach the game the same way: with energy, with passion, playing at home, playing together, trying to get back in transition, trying to not turn the ball over, and finding their shooters in transition. That's what we did. We made some mistakes here and there, but I thought overall we scrambled, played hard and made some shots on the offensive end."</p>
<h4>On Wes Matthews' defense against Klay Thompson</h4>
<p>"With Steph, Barnes and Ezeli, they're obviously down some guys and we knew that. For them to come and win, we knew Klay was going to be a big part of that. We wanted to make everything hard on him. He's a great player. He's long. He's got a quick release. All you can do with a guy like that is try to be in his footsteps at all times. Try to make his shoot some tough shots. I thought we did a good job on him."</p>
<h4>On JJ Barea's recent hot streak</h4>
<p>"He's been incredible. Every time he steps into a shot now, I think it's going in. The kind of rhythm he's in right now. When the guy is going over a screen and roll, it's almost automatic. He's stepping in and really shooting the ball well. When they go over the screen and roll, he's finding ways to get in the lane and finishing with floaters and leaners. He's just a great pick and roll player for us. He's been amazing holding the fort down until D-Will comes back."</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2015/12/30/10692688/mavericks-stay-focused-against-wounded-warriorsAustin Ngaruiya2015-12-30T21:50:53-06:002015-12-30T21:50:53-06:00Mavs hand Dubs their second loss of the season, 114-91
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<p>Dallas played one of their best games of the season against an MVP-less Golden State squad that spent most of the game looking fairly shell-shocked. </p> <p>Welll I didn't think I'd be writing that tonight.</p>
<p>Holy crap that was fun. I mean, that first half though. Dallas consistently dominated the TWENTY-NINE AND ONE REIGNING NBA CHAMPION GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS for almost the entire first half. Dallas went into halftime with the biggest lead over the Dubs any team has held this season while also restricting Golden State to their lowest scoring first half of the season. Just take a moment and let that wash over you.</p>
<p>***Obvious caveat--human fireball and basketball god incarnate Steph Curry (along with a few other important <a href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Warriors</a> rotation guys) wasn't playing tonight. Okay back to the fun.</p>
<p>Dallas followed up that insane first half by holding off a mini-run by Golden State, never allowing the champs to narrow the lead to single digits. So how did this happen (other than the obvious point I just made)? Well let's take a look.</p>
<h4>The Mavs' best is better than the (Curry-less) Dubs' worst</h4>
<p>Okay okay okay, I'll get to all of the insanely fun stuff in just a minute. But let's talk about what this game really means, which is (honestly) not much. Steph Curry didn't play. And without him, the NBA's best team looked completely disinterested in this game. Other than that one stretch in the 3rd quarter, the Warriors just looked shell-shocked. Like they weren't even really here tonight.</p>
<p>But that shouldn't take anything away from what Dallas did tonight. Please don't let me kill all of your well-earned joy. Your Mavs played their asses off tonight. Several Mavs had their best game of the season. And this was (mostly) fun all damn night. I'm sure the crowd at the AAC found that the exorbitant prices they paid to watch the spectacle that was supposed to be the Warriors were well worth it, albeit for very different reasons than any of us assumed. The crowd might not have gotten to see the NBA's golden boy (okay, someone laughed at this pun, right?), but they got to watch their hometown team absolutely throttle maybe the NBA's best team in a generation.</p>
<p>And let's be completely honest, when you stop thinking about all the (justifiable) hype that is the Warriors, is really any surprise that Rick Carlisle's team beat Luke Walton's?</p>
<h4>
<span>J.J. Barea</span> and <span>Zaza Pachulia</span> owned the first half</h4>
<p>At half, J.J. Barea was 6 for 8 with 15 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Zaza was 4 for 6, with 12 points and 10 rebounds. IN THE FIRST HALF. I'm usually pretty critical of Barea. But tonight. I don't know what sorcery was performed tonight, but J.J. Barea was playing as if Steph Curry was possessing him from the opposing bench. Beyond just the stat line, dude had some crazy awesome passes tonight. Like pre-and-post-Dallas Rondo sort of passes. And even beyond the crazy stuff, he was just really running the offense well. I give him a lot of credit for dialing back on the over-dribbling and just using the Force tonight.</p>
<p>Just to show you the literal wizardry that Barea performed tonight, look at this. Everyone knows <span>Dwight Powell</span> is prone to some derp-tastic misses on easy layups, but look at the feat J.J. allowed Mr. Powell to achieve:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">What the hell is happening. <a href="https://t.co/z62m9eDOcS">https://t.co/z62m9eDOcS</a></p>
— Kirk (@KirkSeriousFace) <a href="https://twitter.com/KirkSeriousFace/status/682383808222605312">December 31, 2015</a>
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<p class="MsoNormal">And Zaza! Late in the 2nd quarter, the Fox Sports Southwest crew was making a joke about how clean the glass must be at Zaza's house. It wasn't like haha funny, but it was so joyful and amazing because of how applicable it was. Dude had SIX OFFENSIVE BOARDS in the first half. Which, as everyone knows, is just about the only way to beat the Warriors. Zaza's determination tonight was just insane.</p>
<h4>Dirk looked ... youthful?</h4>
<p>So I mean Dirk didn't have the greatest game, but dammit if he wasn't out there just balling out and having fun. I mean 18 points and 8 rebounds ain't nothing, but it's a fairly bland line for the NBA's 6th all-time leading scorer. BUT HE HAD FUN! Trash-talking refs, swiping steals from Mo Speights, and oh yeah DRIBBLING AROUND AND DUNKING ON YOUNG FELLAS (RIP <span>Brandon Rush</span>).</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">DIRK DUNK. RIP Brandon Rush <a href="https://t.co/umRazD7OWy">https://t.co/umRazD7OWy</a></p>
— Kirk (@KirkSeriousFace) <a href="https://twitter.com/KirkSeriousFace/status/682388868134514688">December 31, 2015</a>
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<p>Okay so maybe this point was solely so I could include the best Dirk dunk of the season. But seriously, even better than the dunk was how <b><i><u>seven-foot, 37-year-old, slow-ass Dirk "Dunkenstein" Nowitzki dribbled around a 30-year-old wing player.</u></i></b></p>
<p>If the Mavs had been blown out tonight, it would've been worth it solely for this play.</p>
<h4>
<span>Devin Harris</span> had a quietly fantastic game</h4>
<p>Devin only scored 13 points, with an assist and a rebound. But he was so good tonight. I'm really baffled at how unimpressive his stat line, because it felt like he was constantly making plays while he was in the game. (Well except for that time that he tried to defend Draymond in the post, but we all knew how that would end.)</p>
<p>J.J. was the obvious hero of this story, but Devin was that guy that was doing all the little things that you don't necessarily notice, but which are vital to the hero achieving the victory. If you watched the game, you know what I'm talking about. If you didn't, I'm not really sure I can explain it. Dude handled it.</p>
<p>And his most exciting play of the night didn't even count.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Devin Harris gets the 3/4 heave to go. Is it late? Yes. Crap. <a href="https://t.co/7ZrkraIA0i">https://t.co/7ZrkraIA0i</a></p>
— Kirk (@KirkSeriousFace) <a href="https://twitter.com/KirkSeriousFace/status/682399893273575425">December 31, 2015</a>
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<h4>Seriously though, this was the game of J.J.'s career</h4>
<p>Unlike Zaza, Jose Juan Barea kept going in the second half (sorry Zaza!!). The little guy became one with the Force tonight. It was just absurd -- he could do no wrong. J.J. was 5 for 7 from beyond the arc. He led the Mavs in scoring with 23 points, to go with 6 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. He was +23 in this game, for those who care about the NBA's +/- stat. The offense that he and Dirk put together in the third was really key to staving off the only run in the game where the Dubs looked like themselves.</p>
<p>And the defense! Look, I'm not saying Barea was <b>good </b>on defense tonight. But I was honestly expecting the <span>Shaun Livingston</span>, who started at point guard and is about a foot taller than J.J., to just absolutely torch Barea tonight. And other than one obvious play, he really didn't. Barea was an absurd whirling dervish on offense and not a complete liability on defense. In other words, peak Barea.</p>
<p>I really can't put in to words how much it felt like Barea was completely in control of this game. I have no idea why, but tonight, J.J. Barea was like Rey, Finn, and Poe all rolled together into one tiny ball of gloriousness. (Sorry for the non-Star Wars fans in our readership--I just can't help myself).</p>
<p>Basketball will continue after tonight, but do yourselves a favor. Let this one sink in. Enjoy it. Everyone revel in the happiness and joy and pure fun that basketball can be every now and then.</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2015/12/30/10692306/mavs-hand-dubs-their-second-loss-of-the-season-114-91Bailey Grey2015-12-30T21:24:54-06:002015-12-30T21:24:54-06:00Devin Harris hits three quarter court shot
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<p>The Dallas Mavericks are on FIYAH</p> <p><span>Devin Harris</span> takes this shot at least once every other game. It never goes. It did against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Golden State Warriors</a> Wednesday night, but it was after the end of the third quarter buzzer. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Mavericks</a> are close to running the Warriors off the floor.</p>
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https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2015/12/30/10692430/devin-harris-hits-three-quarter-court-heave-but-its-too-lateKirk Henderson2015-12-30T20:41:08-06:002015-12-30T20:41:08-06:00Dirk just dunked on the Warriors
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<p>These days we celebrate each Dirk dunk like the magical unicorn it really is.</p> <p>We celebrate each Dirk dunk with the revelry and joy they deserve. This one deserves this: DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRK.</p>
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https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2015/12/30/10692312/dirk-nowitzki-just-dunked-on-the-warriors-they-all-have-to-retire-nowTim Cato2015-12-30T11:31:25-06:002015-12-30T11:31:25-06:00Deron ruled out, Steph is questionable
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<figcaption>Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Both teams are dealing with ailing point guards before Wednesday's tilt.</p> <p>Both the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Warriors</a> and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Mavericks</a> have banged up point guards headed into Wednesday's meeting, even if only one of them is the reigning league MVP. <span>Stephen Curry</span> is listed as questionable and will be a game-time decision with a lower left leg injury.</p>
<p><span>Deron Williams</span>, meanwhile, has missed the last two games with a hamstring strain and is also listed as questionable. When asked after shootaround about Williams' participation, Carlisle said he's "doing more each day." I asked him to clarify and got this response: "Was he a full participant? I'd say he was, yeah."</p>
<p>While that technically answers the question, it feels like the answer wasn't as concrete as you might have expected. Ah well. Carlisle is notoriously tight-lipped, so it's hard to say whether this means Williams will be active or not.</p>
<p><b>UPDATE</b>: Carlisle later stated that Williams will not play in tonight's game, <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/espn_macmahon/status/682261958926581761">according</a> to ESPN Dallas' Tim MacMahon.</p>
<p><span>Leandro Barbosa</span> is also out for the Warriors, but head coach Steve Kerr, who has missed the entire season with back surgery complications, is on the trip with Golden State, even though <span>Luke Walton</span> remains the interim head coach.</p>
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2015/12/30/10688402/mavericks-injury-report-deron-williams-day-to-day-stephen-curryTim Cato