Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) takes it to the basket against Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber (42) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Tue Jan 25, 2020 (AP News photo)
Warriors Blow Dallas Off the Court 130-92
By Barbara Mason
The Golden State Warriors (35-13) had yesterday off to catch their breath after barely beating the Utah Jazz on Sunday. Tonight they take on another power house, the Dallas Mavericks (27-22) led by Luca Doncic.
The good news for Golden State is that Klay Thompson has been cleared to play after missing last Fridays game against the Rockets and Sunday’s matchup against the Jazz. Despite missing Thompson the Warriors won both of those games, each of them by a single basket. Having Thompson back will bring a lot of energy to tonights game, creating yet another weapon that the Mavericks will have to defend.
The Warriors jumped out into the lead and by the end of the first quarter led 29-20. The quarter was close and it was not until the final 90 seconds that the Warriors began to extend their lead. The Warriors really started to pull ahead in the second quarter and by the half led 63-51.
There was a tough break in the half when Tim Hardaway Jr came down hard on his foot and was helped off the floor. He had brought a lot of energy for Dallas scoring ten points in ten minutes and losing him was a blow for the Mavericks.
After evaluation Hardaway’s injury was a broken metatarsal. The Mavericks were doing their best to take Stephen Curry out of the game. Curry was still able to play around defenders scoring 11 points in the first half. Klay Thompson also had 11 points in the half, three of them from downtown.
The Warriors were having a great offensive game against one of the best defensive teams in the league. Through three quarters the Warriors were shooting 55%. They finished the third quarter leading 97-78. Second chance points and bench points were a big part of this lead for Golden State.
Going into the fourth quarter the Mavericks would do their best to have a run at the Warriors. Considering the energy that Golden State was playing with it would be a major challenge for Dallas. The Warriors would have a 7-0 run to start the final quarter.
With five minutes left in the game for all intensive purposes this game was over. The Warriors had rendered the Mavericks helpless and there was not a thing that Dallas could do about it. The final was 130-92
There is a lot of talk about the slump that Curry is in right now but there is more to Steph than his electric shots. What about the shots he is creating for his team mates, what about his 7 assists and 9 rebounds. There is more to Curry than his shooting ability, a whole lot more.
This was a complete win offensively and defensively for the Warriors from the starters right down to the bench. Everyone contributed. 71 points came off the bench and double digits from four starters. Curry finished with 18 points and off the bench Jonathan Kuminga had 22 points followed by Jordan Poole with 17 points. Kevon Looney continued his brilliant defensive play with 9 rebounds.
On Thursday night the Warriors will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM
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