Sunday night’s blockbuster NBA matchup pitted 2 Western Conference powerhouses against each other. Luka Doncic‘s Dallas Mavericks against Stephen Curry‘s Golden State Warriors. The West’s 2nd seed hosted the Mavericks at the Chase Center in what was expected to be a tight game.
Both the teams have been stellar defensively this season. Golden State Warriors lead the NBA with a 104.8 defensive rating. The Warriors comfortably lead the closest team, the Boston Celtics, by a margin of 1.2 points. Whereas, the Mavericks have enjoyed better fortunes since the turn of the year and have beefed up their defensive schemes.
Coach Jason Kidd has transformed a hobbling Dallas Mavericks side into an imposing, well-drilled defensive machine. Their improved defense saw them record winning streaks, and break multiple winning streaks. Including streak-breaking wins against the Grizzlies, Bulls, Nuggets, and the Heat.
111-101 vs. DEN (11/15/21 – 5-game win streak)
104-96 at MEM (12/8/21 – 5-game win streak)
113-99 vs. CHI (1/9/22 – 9-game win streak)
112-85 at MEM (1/14/22 – snapped MEM’s franchise-best 11-game win streak)
107-99 at MIA (2/15/22 – 5-game win streaks)— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) February 16, 2022
Dallas Mavericks’ epic comeback
The Golden State Warriors started off strongly taking a 37-24 lead, in the first quarter. On the back of Stephen Curry’s 27 points and 10 assists, the Warriors pulled ahead of the Mavericks. All-Star, Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II also chipped in with 18 and 13 points respectively, helping the Warriors to a 21 point lead.
A misfiring Dallas Mavericks team trundled along for 3 quarters, behind by 14 points entering the 4th quarter. Enter their newest signing, Spencer Dinwiddie, and MVP contender, Luka Doncic. On a night when the Mavericks’ secondary scorer and creator, Jalen Brunson was quieter than usual, Dinwiddie stepped up for the secondary unit.
Brunson only recorded 8 points and 5 assists while Spencer Dinwiddie rallied the Mavericks by scoring 24 points, most of them in the 4th quarter. Alongside him, in routine fashion, Luka Doncic also went berserk scoring 34 points and collecting 11 rebounds to make the comeback a possibility.
While both the Mavericks and Warriors feature in the top 5 defenses in the NBA, it was the lower-ranked Mavericks who trumped their opponents. The combined efforts of Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, and Reggie Bullock locked down the Warriors’ offense. Specifically clamping down Steph Curry, holding him to only 5 points in the 4th quarter after he made 22 in the other 3 quarters.
The defensive and offensive play worked in perfect tandem for the Mavericks to go on a 26-1 scoring run in the 4th quarter to take the lead and overturn their once 21-point deficit. In the process, the surging Mavericks broke yet another streak. This time it was the Golden State Warriors’ 62-game winning streak in games they have led by more than 20 points.
The Western Conference rankings might just not be set in stone yet. Not if the Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies, and the Dallas Mavericks have their say.