Dallas Mavericks top plays: Kristaps Porzingis trade vs. win over Warriors by 35

In one of the few top play pairings that does not include Luka Doncic or Dirk Nowitzki, how does the trade for Kristaps Porzingis hold up against the Dallas Mavericks 35-point win over the then defending champs, Golden State?

The continual search for the Dallas Mavericks top play/moment of the 2018-19 season continues today with the 4-seed vs. the 13-seed. For the first time so far in the bracket, the top plays will be without Luka Doncic and Dirk Nowitzki involved. Clearly there was no shortage of highlights from those two last year, but some good things were happening around them too.

Obviously one of the big things was the roster turnover that Dallas went through halfway through last season. The big trade that sent Dennis Smith Jr., Wesley Matthews and DeAndre Jordan, along with a pair of future first round picks, is definitely the big news from the trade deadline. The Mavs also sent Harrison Barnes away and brought in Justin Jackson.

On the other side of things, the Mavs only put together 33 wins last year, but a few of them were some of the biggest wins we have seen from Dallas in a long time. Which game/moment was bigger for the 2018-19 Dallas Mavericks season?

#4 – Kristaps Porzingis trade

The biggest news of the regular season that was not related to Dirk or Luka, came from the trade that landed the Mavs their 2nd superstar under the age of 25. Kristaps Porzingis is one of the best big men in the NBA and the Mavs got him on a discount deal because of some injury history and the fact that he demanded a trade.

Obviously there is some risk in this trade for Dallas. Players that are taller than 7-foot with a history of knee injuries is definitely not the best place to stash your money. That said, there are very few 7-foot players that are capable of doing what KP can do, hence the nickname “The Unicorn”.

Dallas did not get just Kristaps in this trade, although he is clearly the biggest name in the deal. They also got Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee and Trey Burke. Burke was intended to be just a one-year guy, while the Mavs have been actively searching for a trade partner for Lee. Hardaway has been a contributor for the Mavs and could be a trade deadline player next year as well.

Dallas had to give up Dennis Smith Jr., Wes Matthews and DeAndre Jordan in the trade, which is disappointing, but it is hard to argue with the trade off. That is why the KP trade comes in at number 4 in our bracket.

#13 – Mavs beat Warriors by 35

Earlier in the bracket, we saw a game in which the Mavericks beat a playoff team by 50 points. That was a pretty amazing occurrence for a team that came in tied for the 12th best record in the West. Despite only having 33 wins, the Mavs had two wins by a combined 85 points during the season, one against the Jazz and the other against the defending champs, the Golden State Warriors.

The win took place on March 23rd with the Mavs visiting the Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Mavs had lost 15 of their last 17 games and no one really expected much from Dallas, even with Stephen Curry sitting out for the game. Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins were still there to carry the load.

Despite 25 points from KD, it was a pretty poor shooting night from the superstar. Green and Thompson added only 14 combined, leaving Boogie to have the actual best night for the Warriors with 19 points on 8-11 shooting.

On the other side of the court, however, the Mavs were feeling it. Luka put up a nice triple-double with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, while Dirk dropped in 21, Ryan Broekhoff scored an impressive 17, Maxi Kleber had 16, Trey Burke had 13 and Jalen Brunson scored 11. Dallas dominated in every statistical category that night.

This game may have been an anomaly, but it was one of the most entertaining games of the season and the Mavs were able to split the season series with one of the best teams in the league. This was a night to remember when Mavs fans were really looking for anything memorable.

The other half of the Mavs 2018-19 top plays/moments will start in the coming days where we will look to narrow the top 16 moments down to the top 8. Vote for your favorite moments in our polls on Twitter @TheSmokingCuban.