Luka and the Mavs send the Warriors home with a gifted L

It really all came down to the 4th quarter. Both teams went back-and-forth with a total of six lead changes in the last quarter. Tim Hardaway Jr.’s was the dagger to seal the victory for the Mavericks. Also, important to add is the controversial traveling call that was given to Stephen Curry during a crucial possession for the Warriors. The Warriors did hold a 100-96 lead in the game but could not hold off Luka Doncic. Luka ended the game with 41 points on 14 of 27 shots made, 12 assists and 12 rebounds. The Warriors could not cash in as Klay Thompson missed a three-point shot that would have tied the game and Mavericks secure their 10th victory 116-113.

Luka Doncic proves to be in the race for the NBA MVP, but most importantly for the Dallas Mavericks, he is the best and looks like the only option for playmaking. Although three other Mavericks players scored in double figures (Hardaway, Dinwiddie, Green), no other Mavericks player had more than two assists for the game. The offense definitely runs through Luka but going forward the Mavericks will need to tighten up the assists to turnover ratio as the team did turn the ball over 14 times. The Warriors did out-rebound the Mavericks 50-39 and shot 73% from the free throw line. It was the Mavericks 3-point shooting that was the difference as they made 15 of 44 (34.1%) to the Warriors 11 of 43 (25.6%).

The win for the Mavericks ends a four-game losing streak. Mavs end November with a 7-7 record and hold the 10th seed in the NBA Western Conference. Reflecting back to last year’s NBA Western Conference Finals the Mavericks could have benefitted from a healthy Tim Hardaway Jr. His play this evening showed he is a clutch player that is a great scoring option late in the game. “Hardaway’s shot was the key, I thought, down the stretch. We have to expect that teams are going to make shots against us. We’re going to be circled on every team’s calendar,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr stated in his post-game remarks. For the Warriors, a good sign was Jonathan Kuminga had his best game of the season scoring 14 points and 10 rebounds. Up next for the Warriors is a home challenge against the surging Bulls while Mavericks go on a two-game road trip to Detroit and then Luka magic at Madison Square Garden against ex Mav Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks.