Dallas Mavericks Fall To Durant, Golden State Warriors 112-97

Even without Steph Curry and Draymond Green, the Golden State Warriors were just too much for the Dallas Mavericks. Kevin Durant led the Warriors to a 112-97 victory over Dallas.

On the heels of an impressive win on Tuesday against San Antonio, the Dallas Mavericks traveled to the Bay area Thursday night to take on the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors were without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Nick Young and Zaza Pachulia, but that didn’t stop Golden State from pulling out a 112-97 win.

Dennis Smith Jr. sat out yet another game, as he is nursing a sore hip injury. Dallas was also without Seth Curry, Nerlens Noel, Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh McRoberts.

OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 14: J.J. Barea /

In typical Mavericks fashion, Dallas played ‘up’ to their competition and jumped out to an early lead against the defending champions. Led by eight points from J.J. Barea, Dallas held a 28-24 lead after the first period.

Dallas kept the momentum for much of the second quarter. A pair of free throws by Harrison Barnes at the 4:56 mark gave them a 43-35 lead– their largest of the night. The Warriors, led by Kevin Durant, went on a 13-5 run to tie things up going into the half.

From that point on, Golden State kept control of the game, outscoring Dallas 64-49 throughout the second half.

Game Notes

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Golden State is now 4-1 without Steph Curry this season and have won 15 of the last 16 regular season match-ups against Dallas.

Kevin Durant led all scorers with 36 points, coupled with 11 rebounds and seven assists. Klay Thompson was a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the arc en route to 25 points. Omri Casspi stepped up for Golden State, totaling 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Dallas had five players in double figures, led by 18 from Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Harrison Barnes (16), Barea (14), Yogi Ferrell and Devin Harris (13) all chipped in on offense.

Johnathan Motley made his NBA debut tonight for Dallas. The former Baylor standout and G-League call-up etched out four points, one rebound and one block in two minutes of action.

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The Mavericks continue on the road Saturday, as they travel to San Antonio to for an early rematch with Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs. Game time is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.

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