Tag: Dallas Mavericks

Kings bounce back on Sunday night, beating the Mavs 120-113

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Dallas Kings final
Photo@NBCS

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The road can be a harsh mistress in the National Basketball Association. Road teams — even strong, veteran squads — suffer humiliating upsets as the visitors in NBA arenas every season.

Sacramento experienced a heartbreaking loss on Friday night as the Golden State Warriors went on a late 17-2 run to defeat the Kings 130-125 on their home court. The Sactown team would have no time to pout about the loss as they had to head out on the road for a tough back-to-back set in Dallas and Minnesota.

First meeting with Dallas of the season

Dallas Doncic
Graphic @DallasMavs

The game on Sunday was the first of three games between the Mavs and Kings in 2018-19. The next game will be played March 21 in Sacramento and the final game will take place on March 26 in the DFW Metroplex.

It was the first time the Kings would face the rookie they passed on to draft Marvin Bagley III — Luka Doncic. Early on, draft experts were convinced that Doncic was going to a King because of his European pedigree. They were wrong.

Even now, NBA reporters are criticizing the Kings for not selecting Doncic. The fact that he is averaging 17.8 points per game along with 6.8 rpg and 4.5 apg may have something to do with that criticism. His 13 20-plus point games may also contribute to that chatter.

The Kings had to play shorthanded

Marvin Bagley III was injured in the Warriors game on Friday night. The Kings rookie star suffered a deep bruise on his left knee and is out for an indefinite period of time. The last word on his condition has him being re-evaluated in 10-14 days.

Iman Shumpert injured his hip in that same game on Friday night and his availability versus the Mavericks was considered a game-time decision. The decision was Shumpert would not be available to play in Dallas.

The first half was a draw

Dallas Hield
Photo@SacramentoKings

As the teams hit the locker rooms at halftime, the Kings held a 61-58 lead over the Mavericks. The half featured seven lead changes and the game was tied six times. The Kings biggest was nine points while the Mavs’ largest lead was seven points.

Dallas won the battle in the paint 30-28. Sacramento outscored the Mavericks 19-9 on Fast Break Points.

The Kings shot 46.9% (23/49) in the half while Dallas hit 22-of-52 (42.3%) of their shots. Each team connected on four 3-point baskets in first 24-minutes.

Buddy Hield paced the Kings scoring with 17 points while De’Aaron Fox added 14 on his own.

The Mavericks scoring attack was led by Luka Doncic who put up 13 points. Dirk Nowitzki added three points. The significance of those points is they came in his first appearance before the fans in Dallas this season.

SAC increases its lead in the third period

The Kings outscored the Mavericks 32-25 in the third quarter. Sacramento shot 13-for-24 (54.2%) from the field in the third while Dallas hit 8-of-22 (36.4%) from the floor. Buddy Hield was the Kings leading scorer with nine points while Luka Doncic led the Mavs with six points.

With 36 minutes in the book, Sacramento held a 93-83 lead over the team from DFW.

The Mavs kept it close in the fourth

Doncic scored nine points and Jalen Brunson added eight as the Mavericks outscored the Kings 30-27 in the final period. De’Aaron Fox scored eight points for the Kings who added 27 to their total in the last quarter.

When the final the buzzer sounded, the Kings had won the game 120-113.

The Sactown backcourt duo combined for 56 points

Dallas Kings 5
Photo@SacramentoKings

Kings guards Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox each scored 28 points in the game (season-high for Hield). Hield shot 12-for-23 for the game while going 3-for-9 from long distance. He also grabbed four rebounds and added two assists.

Fox went hit 11-of-19 attempts while going 0-for-3 from behind the 3-point line. He hit 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Fox dished out five assists and made three steals.

Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nemanja Bjelica each posted 15 points for the Kings. “Byelly” made it “double-double” by hauling in 10 rebounds.

Mavs scoring

Luka Doncic (remember that name) was the Mavericks leading scorer with 28 points. He also had nine assists. Former Warrior Harrison Barnes recorded 15 points.

The “Monster of the Boards” DeAndre Jordan hauled in 23 rebounds (10 on offense) and scored eight points. The 23 rebounds is a season-high for Jordan.

The standings

The Kings (16-13) are now tied for sixth place in the Western Conference with Memphis and Portland.

Dallas (15-13) is in sole possession of ninth place in the West.

Up next

The Kings will be back in action on Monday night in Minnesota versus a team that just lost four games in a row on the road. The T-Wolves are going to be hungry to get back into the win column so they will be a very dangerous opponent for Sacramento.

The Mavericks will head out on the road and will face the Nuggets in Denver on Tuesday night.

Warriors play better, but lose to the Mavericks 112-109

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors, hoping to rebound after playing a poor game in Houston Thursday night, played a Saturday thriller at the American Airlines Center against the rapidly improving Dallas Mavericks. The game was in doubt until the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Dallas made the plays, and their defense stopped the Warriors’ offense down the stretch to come away with the win 112-109.

The Warriors’ offense came to life after a dismal showing in Houston. There were a lot of bright spots for Steve Kerr’s team. The Warriors were without the services of Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Alfonzo McKinnie Saturday. Kerr started Kevon Looney in place of Damian Jones at center. Jonas Jerebko played in Green’s spot, and Andre Iguodala started at guard. Jerebko played very well. He scored just five points, but he was a force on the boards all night long. Jonas pulled down 10 boards and had 4 assists. The Warrior bench players Damian Lee, Quinn Cook, and Shaun Livingston made major contributions. Cook had 15, Lee had 13, and Livingston had 12.

The Mavs won their fourth in a row. Dallas has been in a rebuild mode for a couple of seasons, and the players they added to the team have added to their success. The Mavs’ feature Luka Doncic, who is a 19-year-old rookie. Doncic came into the game averaging 19 points a game. He showed the Warriors that he knows how to play the game and he finished the night leading Dallas with 24 points. The Mavs signed Deandre Jordan as a free agent. Jordan played for the LA Clippers and wanted out of LA. He has improved his free throw shooting and was a force under the boards. Former Warrior, Harrison Barnes, who is in his third year in Dallas, torched his ex-teammates for 23 points.

Dallas won the first quarter 26-22. The Warriors fell behind early and trailed 18-10 before making a run on offense. Kevin Durant was the offensive force in the quarter.

The Warriors, with Lee, Cook, and Livingston coming off the bench, outscored the Mavs 37-31 in the second quarter to finish the first half with the lead 59-57. Durant led the scorers with 18. Thompson had 13, while Lee had 11 in 10 minutes of action, and Livingston had 8. Barnes had 15 to lead the Mavs. Luca Doncic added 14 and Jordan had 8.

The Warriors finished the third quarter with a four-point lead 86-82. Quinn Cook made two 3-point shots to spark the offense, The Warriors increased the lead to 8 90-82 early in the fourth quarter. With the score 92-85, the Mavs went on an 8-0 run to regain the lead. Both teams refused to wilt. The Warriors led 106-105 when Dallas hit a two-pointer to lead 107-106 with 1:42 left to play. Andre Iguodala made a clutch basket to put the Warriors ahead 108-107. Dallas scored the next five points and led 112-108 with six seconds left. Durant was fouled. The Warriors needed Durant to make the first free throw, which he did. The Warriors only hope was for Durant to miss the free throw, grab the rebound, and make a three to tie the game. Durant missed the free throw, but Doncic grabbed the rebound and Dallas celebrated the 112-109 win.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors have lost three of the last four games played and are 12-5 for the year. Dallas won its fourth in a row, and the team is now 7-8.

Durant finished with 32 and Thompson had 22. Both starts missed 3-pointers down the stretch.

Up Next: The Warriors travel to San Antonio to face the Spurs on Sunday at 4:00 pm PT.

Kings fall to Mavs 103-97 as protests continue outside of Golden 1 Center

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mavs

By: Jordan Chapin

SACRAMENTO — As the season starts to wind down in the NBA, the protest are still in full swing here in Sacramento. For a second time, protesters stood outside of the Golden 1 Center and once again a lot of Kings faithful were not able to get in. Although there was a lot of action outside the arena, the same can not be said for what was going on inside as the Kings fell to the Mavericks 103-97.

Sacramento barely shot 40% from the field and a measly 26% from 3-point land. In a game the Kings trailed in for a majority of the time, there was one bright spot, Kosta Koufos. Kosta only played 14 minutes, but racked up 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting to go along with seven boards. The two point guards for Sacramento – Fox and Mason – combined for (3-for-23) from the field. The Dallas Mavericks led by as much as 16 points with heavy contributions from Harrison Barnes and Dennis Smith Jr..

For the fans that were able to get into the game, the Kings did make it interesting at the end as they cut a 15-point lead to a five-point lead in the last three minutes of the game, but they eventually lost the battle to the clock as they didn’t have enough time on it to squeak by the Mavs.

Sacramento has split the season series with Dallas, 2-2. The final attendance for tonight’s game was just over 4,000 people in an arena that holds over 17,000.

The Kings will return to the Golden 1 Center on Thursday, as they will see an old face in Darren Collison and face a playoff-bound Indiana Pacers.

The staff of Sports Radio Service is praying for and sends our condolences to the friends and family of Stephon Clark during this incredibly difficult time.

Stephon_Clark

 

The Kings send the Mavs into the All-Star break with a 114-109 loss in Dallas

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00 vs Dal

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Two NBA Draft Lottery teams met on the court in Dallas on Tuesday night. The Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks are both looking ahead to next season right now because neither team will be a playoff contender.

The Kings were playing the second of three games on the road before the All-Star Break. Sacramento lost their first road game in Minneapolis on Sunday night. The game in Dallas was the first contest of a “Texas Two-Step” that finishes with a game versus the Rockets in Houston on Wednesday night.

The Kings shocked the Mavericks by handing them a 114-109 loss on their home court to sweep the season series in Dallas. That is the first time that has happened since 2003.

Sacramento jumped out to a 29-16 lead in the first quarter and led the Mavs 65-44 at the half.

Dallas finally woke up in the third quarter behind the play of Harrison Barnes and closed the gap to 17 points. The Kings held an 88-71 lead after three quarters.

Dallas dropped in 38 points in the fourth quarter behind J.J. Barea’s 12 points and Dirk Nowitzki’s 10 point effort. The Kings recorded just 26 points in the final period. The Mavericks outscored the Kings 65-49 in the second half.

Sacramento ran out of gas in the fourth period but they were able to hang on for the win. It was their quick start out of the gate that allowed the Kings to win the game. The Mavericks outscored the Kings in the third and fourth quarters but it was not enough to overcome Sacramento’s strong early start.

This was the Kings 10th road win of the season.

Star Performers 

5 in DAL

Kings

  • Once again – it was one of the “old guys” who starred for the Kings as Zach Randolph scored a game-high 22 points. Z-Bo hit 10-of-15 shots from the field and went 2-for-3 from 3-point range. He also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists.
  • Kings rookie (Euro veteran) Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 19 points hitting 8-of-17 from the floor with three of those baskets being 3-pointers. Bogie also hauled in five rebounds and dished four assists in almost 34-minutes of playing time.
  • Rookie point guard De’Aaron Fox scored 11 points and distributed seven assists while playing just over 31-minutes in the game. Fox also recorded four rebounds and had one steal in the contest.
  • Special recognition goes to the Sacramento starting five who all scored in double-digits versus Dallas.

Mavericks

  • J.J. Barea was the man for Dallas in the game as he posted a double-double. Barea scored 19 points and handed out 13 assists in the game. Five of his baskets were 3-pointers.
  • Harrison Barnes had a slow start but you are not going to keep a talent like Barnes silent. He posted 18 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal in the game.
  • Rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. put up 17 points while handing out three assists and recording three rebounds.
  • Dwight Powell scored 18 points coming off the bench.

Prime Numbers

Sacramento (18-38)

  • The Kings shot 54-percent (47-for-87) for the game. They hit 12-of-29 (41.4-percent) shots from 3-point range.
  • Sacramento went 8-for-12 (66.7-percent) from the free throw line.
  • The Kings handed out 30-assists while committing only nine turnovers which resulted in 17 points for the opponents.
  • There was only one lead change in the game and the Kings largest lead in contest was 26 points.

Dallas (18-40)

  • The Mavericks hit 38-of-83 (45.8-percent) shots from the floor. The went 15-for-40 (37.5-percent) from long-range.
  • Dallas tried to get healthy from the free throw line by hitting 18-of-23 chances from the charity stripe.
  • The Mavericks recorded 29 assists while committing only nine turnovers which became seven Sacramento points.
  • Dallas was outscored in the paint 56-38 by the Kings

Up Next

Sacramento

The Kings will complete their “Texas two-step” on Wednesday night when they play the Rockets in Houston. Then, it’s All-Star Break time for the men in purple and black (baby blue and red depending on uniform choices).

Dallas

The Mavericks are on their All-Star Break as of now. They will return to action on February 23rd in LA against the Lakers.

After a slow start, Warriors regain their mojo and rout the Dallas Mavericks 121-103

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Photo credit: nba.com

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors did not get off to a good start Thursday evening at Oracle Arena against the Dallas Mavericks as they were outscored 33-23 in the first quarter. They were not playing defense nor were they scoring on offense, and the Mavericks raced out to an early 10-point lead.

The Warriors could not gain ground as they trailed by nine, 44-35, at one point. Then, veteran center David West sparked a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to one, 46-45. The two teams traded leads the rest of the way, and the first half was tied at 60.

The Mavericks took nine more shots in the half, but were held to just 46% from the floor. The Warriors shot 57.5% from the floor but made only four three-pointers in 13 attempts.

Draymond Green and Klay Thompson each hit a three-pointer to start the third quarter, but the Mavericks went on a 10-0 run to take a 70-66 lead. The Warriors continued to commit a lot of turnovers, and at one point in the game, they had committed 11, which allowed Dallas to score 17 points.

About halfway through the quarter, the Warriors apparently decided to play quality basketball as their defense improved and their offense clicked. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant led the Warrior attack, and they were able to build an eight-point lead, 93-86, at the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Warriors’ bench led by Green, David West, Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala, shut down the Mavericks’ offense as they broke the game open. Curry and Durant sat out during the final moments of the game. Thompson made a couple of key buckets, but was taken out with less than six minutes to play.

The Warriors defeated the Mavericks by a score of 121-103.

Game notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors improved to 42-13 and the Mavericks’ record dropped to 17-38.

Former Warrior, Harrison Barnes, did not play for Dallas as he is recovering from an ankle injury.

The Warriors’ Big Four were all in double figures.

Green had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Durant led the team with 24. Curry had 20 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. Thompson finished the night with 18, David West had 10, and the Warrior bench was productive with 39 points.

Mavericks veteran power forward Dirk Nowitzki is in his 20th season with Dallas and tallied 16 points. Former Stanford star, Dwight Powell, scored 18 points. Dennis Smith, Jr was impressive for the Mavericks with 22 points. Wesly Matthews added 17 points.

The Warriors stopped committing turnovers halfway through the third quarter and finished the night with 16. They are 31-4 when they commit 16 or fewer turnovers in a game.

The Warriors finished the night shooting 14-for-29 from the 3-point range. They also recorded 37 assists.

After the game, Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr had quite a few things to say: “It took us a while to get going but I “liked the way we dug out.”

“Dallas controlled the first half but (I) didn’t feel we were in danger.”

“Liked the way Draymond fought. He was “just competing, but nothing was going down for him.”

” I think our talent took over in the third quarter. If we take care of the ball, we’re going to be in good shape.”

Up Next: The Warriors will be tested on Saturday as they welcome the San Antonio Spurs to Oracle Arena at 5:30 pm PT.

Kings run out of gas in the fourth quarter on Saturday night and lose to Dallas 106-99

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2-3-18 feature photo
Buddy Hield puts in the final three points for the Kings on Saturday night

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento – The Sacramento Kings played a pretty solid game versus the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night for 36-minutes. Unfortunately for the Kings, a regulation NBA game takes 48-minutes to be official.

The Kings began the fourth period with an 85-81 lead and looked like they were ready to battle the Mavericks down the stretch to post a win on their home court. The Mavericks had a different plan.

After shooting above 50-percent for the entire game, the Kings went ice cold in final quarter with the proverbial lid being put on the basket. In the meantime, the Mavericks found a burst of energy and went on a 16-0 run to establish a 10 point lead. Sacramento did not score their first points in the quarter until the 6:08 mark when De’Aaron Fox hit a 14-foot jump shot.

The home team cut the Mavericks lead down to six points with 2:45 to play but by then, the Kings were “gassed”. Fatigue – both mental and physical – had taken over and the chance to win the second game of a home back-to-back set was ended.

Dallas – who came into the game losers of five consecutive games – won the game 106-99. This was just the seventh road win of the year for the Mavericks.

The Kings have now lost two games in a row at home since going 3-3 on their 13-day, six-game road trip. Sacramento has two games remaining in this four-game home stand.

Top performers

Mavericks

2-3-18 Dirk
Dirk shoots the 3-ball in the fourth quarter versus the Kings
  • Mavs starting five: all of the Dallas starters scored in double-figures on Saturday night. Harrison Barnes scored a game-high 18 points while Dwight Powell posted 17, Dirk 15, Dennis Smith Jr. 12 and Wesley Matthews 11. Yogi Ferrell also added 11 points coming off the bench.
  • Smith Jr. scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half. He shot very poorly overall but he just kept working even when things were not going his way. Smith Jr. shot 4-for-15 overall and 0-for-6 from 3-point range. He converted 4-of-7 free throw opportunities. The rookie also added five rebounds, five assists and two steals to his stat line for the contest.
  • Barnes hit 7 of 14 field goal attempts going 4-for-8 from 3-point land. He scored 12 of his 18 points in the first half and was responsible for keeping the Mavs in the game when the Kings were playing with energy.
  • Mr. Nowitzki’s stats must also be mentioned out of pure respect for his 19 years in “the Association”. Dirk shot 5-for-9 overall and hit 3 of 7 from behind the 3-point line. He also grabbed seven rebounds.

Kings

2-3-18 Fox to hoop
@swipathefox takes it to the bucket in the fourth period for SAC
  • De’Aaron Fox had two completely different halves in this game. He finished with 15 points to match Garrett Temple for the team-high scorer. Fox scored just four points shooting 2-for-2 in the first half. He seemed to bothered by Smith Jr. and maybe he was battling his fatigue early. In the second half, Fox posted 11 points shooting 5-for-11 from the field (0-for-3 for 3’s) while hitting 1 of 2 from the charity stripe. Fox also dished out three assists and made three steals in second half.
  • Garrett Temple played a strong 31-minutes off the bench scoring 15 points hitting 6 of 10 shots from the floor. He also went 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Temple added two assists and two steals.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein played 31-minutes which was a little surprising after seeing almost 35-minutes of time on the floor against the Warriors on Friday night and just coming back from injury. He scored 14 points shooting 7-for-12 from the floor. WCS also grabbed eight rebounds, had two steals and blocked one shot.

Key Stats

Dallas (17-36)

  • The Mavericks went after the Kings reputation for not being able to defend against the 3-point shot. They attempted 41 shots from long-range and made 13 of them (31.7-percent). The Mavs 3-point shooting helped them win the game.
  • Dallas out-rebounded the Kings 37-31. They grabbed 10 offensive boards to SAC’s seven.
  • The Mavs outscored the Kings in second-chance points 19-11 for the game. Offensive rebounds do make a difference.
  • Dallas also went to the free throw line 14 times compared to just six times for Sacramento. They converted 11 of those 14 opportunities.
  • The Mavericks also outscored the Kings in the paint 48-44.

Sacramento (16-36)

  • The Kings shot 43-for-82 (52.4-percent) for the game. Their biggest problem was they shot just 22.7-percent (5-for-22) in the fourth quarter which allowed Dallas to go on their 16-0 run.
  • The Kings only went to the free throw line six times. They were successful on five of their six opportunities but six free throw attempts is not going to get it done in the NBA. Sacramento needs to be going to the line at least 20 times per game.
  • The Kings did make 12 steals in the game to the Mavericks eight. SAC also blocked three shots to zero blocked shots for the Mavs.

Up next

Sacramento

The Kings are off until Monday when they will host the Chicago Bulls. Head coach Dave Joerger said the team will have Super Bowl Sunday off and will go back to work on Monday.

Dallas

The Mavs will also play on Monday night when they will face the “Blake Griffin-less” Clippers in LA.

 

Headline Sports with Tony Renteria: Are opposing teams close to decoding Warriors?; Kings still snake bitten on home floor; Tiger four short of major record; plus more

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Photo credit: @jacknicklaus

On Headline Sports with Tony Renteria:

1 The Warriors who lost to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday and just got by the Mavericks on Wednesday. We ask Tony if opposing teams are decoding the Warriors and can they finally break through in figuring out how this team keeps winning each night?

2 The Sacramento Kings, who faced a Charlotte Hornets team who beat the Warriors Friday, got laid out 131-111. The Kings continue to struggle at home and now are 12-25 for the season

3 Tiger Woods, who’s had his personal struggles and worries, is making his return January 26th in the Bahamas for a major. Woods, who played well in another tournament last month, is just four short of the all-time record of 18 held by Jack Nicklaus for majors won.

4 Is the Rooney rule a sham? Tony comments on the Oakland Raiders almost certain hiring of Jon Gruden as they will go through the motions of interviewing a minority coach and then give the job to Gruden.

5  Also, after leaving the Raiders the last time in 2001, the situation is totally different with Gruden coming back in 2018

Tony Renteria does Headline Sports each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Warriors edge Mavericks 125-122 for second straight win

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Photo credit: @warriors

By: Ana Kieu

The Golden State Warriors kicked off 2018 with a road game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center Wednesday night.

Steph Curry and Kevin Durant appeared to be cool in the first quarter as they made quite a few jumpers and buckets. Curry also proved that he was a good shooter.

The Warriors led the Mavericks 35-26 at the end of the first quarter.

Klay Thompson opened the second quarter with a couple of jumpers. David West headed to the line and jumped back into the game. In addition, Curry beat the quarter buzzer with a three-pointer with just three seconds left in the second.

The Warriors carried a 67-61 lead to the locker room at the end of the first half.

Here are the halftime stats:

Draymond Green opened the second half with a three. Durant put the Warriors back in front with a three of his own. Not only that, Patrick McCaw beat the buzzer to end the third quarter.

It was a close game at the end of the third quarter as the Warriors barely led the Mavs by two (91-89).

Green hit another three in the fourth quarter. Also, Durant threw down some more dunks.

Thompson gave the Warriors a two-point lead with less than a minute remaining in the fourth, and Golden State went on to edge Dallas 125-123 for their second straight win.

Here are the final stats:

Notes
Warriors’ injury update: Draymond Green (sprained left ankle) and Zaza Pachulia (illness) are available to play in tonight’s game.

Warriors’ starting lineup: Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Zaza Pachulia, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry.

Kevin Durant has his seventh 20-point and 10-rebound game of the season with 23 points and 10 boards, while Draymond Green has his sixth point/rebound double-double with 18 points and 10 boards.

Dirk Nowitzski became just the 98th player in NBA history to play in 1,000 games when he did so for the Mavs on Jan. 4, 2012 against the Suns.

Up Next
The Warriors head to the Toyota Center to take on the Rockets Thursday night at 7 pm CT.

Warriors down Mavericks 112-97 for eighth straight win

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Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson (11) shoots over Dallas Mavericks’ Harrison Barnes (40) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By: Ana Kieu

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Golden State Warriors won their eighth straight game after downing the Dallas Mavericks 112-97 at Oracle Arena Thursday night.

This was a rather lopsided matchup as the Warriors entered the game in second place with a seven-game win streak, trailing the first-place Rockets with a gigantic 11-game win streak, while the Mavericks came in as a second-to-last team in hopes of a two-game win streak.

Both the Dubs and Mavs were focused before the 7:30 p.m. tipoff in Oakland.

Mavs point guard J.J. Barea picked up where he left off. Barea had nine points and three assists in 14 minutes in the Mavs’ 105-96 win over the Nets on March 10, 2017. Barea suffered a strained right calf and a left calf strain, respectively.

The Dubs trailed by Mavs by four (28-24) at the end of the first quarter.

As expected, Klay Thompson played like a Splash Brother in the second quarter. The Dubs then went on a 9-0 run and tied the game at 48 apiece to end the first half. Kevin Durant led all scorers with 17 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Thompson scored 11 points. Omri Casspi had seven points and seven rebounds. Jordan Bell had five assists, four points and four rebounds. Shaun Livingston had six points.

The Dubs and Mavs fought hard to start the second half.

Dirk Nowitzki connected on a three-point shot from downtown to put the Mavs ahead 51-48 with 5:42 left in the third quarter.

Casspi, Durant and Livingston put on the pressure on the rim. Durant drained a jumper to tie the game at 61 and helped the Dubs regain the lead. Casspi had a season-high 14 points (6-of-7 field goals). Casspi also scored in double figures for the seventh time this season.

The Dubs led the Mavs 80-73 at the end of the third quarter.

Casspi, Thompson, Andre Iguodala and David West put in work for the Dubs in the fourth quarter. Thompson was on fire, just take a look at the tweet below.

The Dubs overcame a slight deficit and ended up defeating the Mavs 112-97 at home. Durant led all scorers with 36 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks. Thompson scored 25 points and five assists. Casspi had 17 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two assists. Bell had eight assists, eight points and six rebounds. West had nine points, three rebounds and three assists. Livingston had eight points.

Notes
Dubs’ injury update: Draymond Green (right shoulder soreness), Zaza Pachulia (left shoulder soreness) and Nick Young (concussion) are out for tonight’s game vs. Mavs.

Dubs’ starting lineup: Durant, Casspi, Bell, Thompson and Livingston.

Mavs’ starting lineup: Nowitzki, Matthews, Barnes, Kleber and Ferrell.

Before the game vs. Dubs, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said: “Transition defense is the biggest thing. We’ve got to take away threes, we’ve got to rebound and we’ve got to take care of the ball.”

Up Next
The Dubs visit the Lakers on Monday, December 18 at 7:30 pm PST.

The Mavs visit the Spurs on Saturday, December 16 at 7:30 pm CST.

Warriors rout the Mavericks 133-103, but it was not that easy

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) comes up with the loose ball against Dallas Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes (40) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Monday, Oct. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

by Jerry Feitelberg

DALLAS — The Golden State Warriors played a great first quarter, a not-so-good second quarter but put it all together in the third and fourth quarters to easily defeat the Dallas Mavericks 133-103.

The Warriors never trailed in the game. They seemed to be on a mission in the first quarter as they scored forty points and led 40-24 after the first twelve minutes of play. Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson all played well as the Dubs dominated.  The second quarter, however, did not go as planned. The Mavericks refused to wilt and after trailing by eighteen put the pressure on the Warriors. There was no question the Mavs were outplaying the Warriors as the Dubs were committing too many fouls and too many turnovers. Dallas trailed by just one paint 63-62 late in the first half, but the Warriors made a bucket to end the half with a three-point advantage 75-62 Steph tallied 17, KD 15 and Klay had 8. The Mavericks’ leading scoring was Wesley Matthews with 14, Dirk Nowitzki had 6, Harrison Barnes 0, Yogi Ferrell 8, Dwight Powell 7 and J.J.Barea added 9.

The third quarter belonged to the Warriors once more. The Warriors stopped committing fouls and did not turn the ball over. They had terrific ball movement, and they pulled away from the Mavericks as they outscored them 34-22 in the third period. The offense was led by Steph, Klay, Draymond Green, and KD. THey propelled the Warriors to a 99-84 lead after three.

They kept it going in the fourth quarter. The outgunned Mavericks could do nothing as the Warriors behind KD, Klay, Andre Iguodala upped the lead to 111-89 with 6:17 left. Coach Steve Kerr removed the regulars, but the bench kept the momentum going and the Warriors cruised to a 133-103 victory.

Game Notes – The Warriors finished the road trip with a 2-1 record and evened the season record to 2-2. The Mavericks dropped to 0-4.

Steph Curry led the Dubs with 29 points. Curry made 13 free throws, and it was the third consecutive game that Curry has had double-digit free throws. Curry passed Nate Thurmond on the Warriors all-time scoring list and is now in fifth place. Klay Thompson finished the night with 21 points and has made a three-point shot in 58 consecutive games.

It was the first time the Dubs scored forty points in the first quarter, and it was the 43rd time in Kerr’s tenure.

Jordan Bell made a spectacular dunk in the fourth quarter. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle glared at Bell as Carlisle thought he was showboating. The players on the Warrior bench were absolutely amazed by the play. The Dubs bench played well. too. Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingstone, JaVale McGee, and Nick Young came through for Golden State. Young was impressive as he made four 3-point shots and ended the game with 13.

The Mavs were led by Wesley Matthews 19, Dirk Nowitzki 11, Harrison Barnes, 13, Yogi Ferrell 13, Dennis Smith, Jr 10. J.J.Barea finished with 13 and Dwight Powell, the Stanford product, ended the night with 10.

The Warriors return home to face the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.