Luka Doncic converted two free throws with 7.9 seconds left, leading the Mavericks back from 21 down in the third quarter.
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Outside the victorious Dallas locker room, coach Jason Kidd had a little fun with Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic. ”You almost had a triple-double,” Kidd joked, referring to Donic’s 34 points, 11 rebounds and nine turnovers. Doncic converted two free throws with 7.9 seconds left, leading the Mavericks back from 21 down in the third quarter to stun the Golden State Warriors 107-101 on Sunday night.
New addition Spencer Dinwiddie scored 10 of his 24 points in the final period for Dallas.
”We wanted to continue to have fight,” Dinwiddie said.
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Stephen Curry hit a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining and had 27 points and 10 assists in his first game at home since earning All-Star Game MVP honors, but the Warriors couldn’t do enough on either end during crunch time as the Mavericks made all the big shots.
Doncic went 10 for 21 from the floor in the first of two matchups over five days between a pair of top-five NBA defenses: No. 1 Golden State and the fifth-ranked Mavericks. Dinwiddie scored five straight points midway through the fourth that got Dallas to 93-90.
Dorian Finney-Smith’s 3 with 5:05 to go made it 94-93, then his putback at 3:21 gave Dallas the lead before Donic scored the next time down.
Andrew Wiggins added 18 points for Golden State and Kevon Looney grabbed 10 rebounds to go with eight points and five assists as Klay Thompson sat out with an illness after missing practice Saturday. The hope is he will be healthy to travel with the team.
”I think we let our offense dictate our energy and our spirit in the game,” Looney said. ”… We kind of folded when adversity hit.”
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Warriors rookie Jonathan Kuminga received a technical with 9:20 left for grabbing the rim after a goaltending call. Golden State couldn’t deliver in what seemed set to be another commanding victory over Dallas after the Warriors snapped a four-game home losing streak to the Mavericks last month with a 130-92 rout.
Golden State has given away big leads in losing its last two home games after a 117-116 defeat to Denver on Feb. 16.
”I think it’s actually good to go through and feel it because this is what it feels like in the playoffs,” coach Steve Kerr said. ”This is what it feels like when you’re playing a really good team, the game’s never over.”
Curry was presented another time with his All-Star Game MVP trophy so the home fans could celebrate the reigning scoring champion’s accomplishment: 16 3-pointers and 50 points. Vince Carter, who Curry admired while growing up in Toronto, handed him the hardware during a pregame ceremony.
The teams will meet again Thursday night in Dallas.
