WARRIORS BLOWN OUT ON THE ROAD
Golden State suffers worst loss since 1973
DALLAS >> Not four minutes into the first quarter, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic brought the ball up the left side of the floor, checked the distance between him and Golden State Warriors guard Alec Burks, stepped back and uncorked a 3-pointer. All Burks could do after watching the ball swish through the net was drop his arms, let out an exasperated sigh and jog back on offense.
One night after a feel-good win in Memphis, the Warriors suffered their worst loss since 1973, falling 142-94 to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday at American
Airlines Center. The loss was yet another humbling event for a franchise coming off five straight trips to the NBA Finals.
Burks’ long breath came in the face of a historic night by Doncic. With Draymond Green, the Warriors’ top defender a late scratch due to right heel soreness, the 20-year-old MVP candidate finished with 35 points on 10-of-18 shooting (including 6-of-10 from 3-point range), 11 assists and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes.
In the first quarter alone, Doncic had 22 points, five rebounds and five assists — outperforming the Warriors’ team in all three categories.
According to ESPN, Doncic be
came the first player to finish a quarter with more points, rebounds and assists than the other team since Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson did it to the Bulls in February 2003.
By halftime, the Warriors trailed 74-38. As the defense struggled to run interference on Doncic, the offense struggled to keep up, having missed 30 of their 44 shots in the first half.
Doncic used the second quarter to check off another historical milestone. With 33 points on 10-of-11 shooting (including 6 of 7 from 3-point range), six assists and five rebounds in 17 minutes, he became the only player with 30 points and five assists on 90-percent shooting in a half over the last 20 seasons, per ESPN.
This is the issue for a Warriors team missing their most talented players. Without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, D’Angelo Russell and Green, the Warriors lack top-end talent compared to a Mavericks team poised for a playoff run.