The Warriors on Thursday night found out how tough it is to win an NBA road game while being outshot, outsmarted and decisively outrebounded.
All three were in effect in a 123-115 loss to the Mavericks at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
The Warriors were outshot 50 percent to 44.8 percent, outrebounded 54-35 and outsmarted because Draymond Green’s unnecessary flagrant foul led to defeat.
Four Warriors scored in double figures, led by Stephen Curry’s game-high 38 points. De’Anthony Melton put in 22 points, Moses Moody finished with 12 and Jonathan Kuminga added 10 before leaving in the second quarter with what the team called “left knee soreness.”
The Warriors kept it close, trailing by one with 6:49 remaining, before things went awry. Green threw his shoulder into the chest of Dallas center Dwight Powell for a foul that was ruled a flagrant-1. The Mavericks went on an 11-0 run, pushing their lead to 12 (113-101) with 4:50 left.
The Warriors (25-21) never got closer than eight after that.
Here are three observations from Golden State’s eighth loss in nine games in Dallas:
The load shifts to Curry’s back
Jimmy Butler’s season-ending torn ACL created a scoring void that went unfilled Tuesday in the loss to the Toronto Raptors, leaving the Warriors to hope for better results in Dallas.
There was improvement, thanks mostly to Melton.
But it’s plainly obvious that Golden State’s offense, with its current roster, is returning to a familiar place: Curry’s back.
Curry’s flurries were enough to keep the Warriors within range for most of the night, so he kept shooting. His 27 field-goal attempts are his highest total since he took 30 shots in an overtime loss to the Raptors in Toronto.
Curry’s 38 points came on 14-of-27 shooting from the field, including 8-of-15 from beyond the arc. He added four rebounds but finished with a season-low one assist – an indication of prioritizing scoring.
Until the Warriors can deliver more help to Curry via trade, this is the kind of performance that might be required to stay in games.
Without Butler, aka Robin, it’s Steph, aka Batman, and whatever help he can get from the Gotham City troopers.
Wake up and smell the rim
The Mavericks were without their top three big men – Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford – and the absence of such solid rim protectors practically provided the Warriors with an on-ramp to the hoop. Jonathan Kuminga was the only player who seemed determined to take advantage.
The rest of the Warriors spent much of the game jacking up 3-pointers inefficiently. Of their 49 field-goal attempts in the first half, 25 were from deep and they made only six. Nine different players were firing away with little to show for it.
Trailing by five at the half, the Warriors, perhaps recognizing the flaw in their strategy, seemed to make an adjustment before the third quarter, during which they shot 66.7 percent from the field. They were 5-of-9 from distance and 11-of-15 inside the arc.
The result was a 39-29 third quarter that allowed Golden State to take an 89-84 lead into the fourth quarter.
They had a chance before it all fell apart.
Return of Kuminga, Game 2
As he did Tuesday, scoring 20 points in his first appearance since Dec. 18, Kuminga brought plenty of juice to the offense.
The bounciest Warrior was attacking the rim with a vengeance, catching and slamming lobs, making free throws and generally was a source of velocity for the second unit.
Disaster struck with 4:28 left in the second quarter when Kuminga twisted his left ankle while inadvertently stepping on the foot of Mavericks guard Brandon Williams. Fouled by Naji Marshall on the play, Kuminga made two free throws and tried to remain in the game but lasted only 36 seconds before heading for the locker room for observation.
Coach Steve Kerr told reporters that Kuminga will undergo an MRI on his knee and ankle on Friday.
Kuminga up to that point was Golden State’s best player. He was plus-18 in nine minutes, scoring 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 from the line before being ruled with an ankle tweak and minor knee soreness.
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