Warriors’ crushing loss to Mavericks reminds of challenges ahead Originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Going into the locker room Friday night with a two-point halftime lead. dallas mavericks, warrior guard Brandin Podemski Full of hope, expressing optimism about the future.
Stay extremely optimistic.
“We’re just playing out of desperation,” Podziemski said during a halftime interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s broadcast team. “We know our season is on the line. We’re trying to get to the No. 6 seed because we only have No. 3 seed.” The game is back. “
this Six seeds? Well, after all, the tenth-place Warriors, Found their defensive mojo. They have won six straight games and are on the verge of extending that streak to seven after erasing an early 16-point deficit.This would bring them closer to a coveted but still distant spot Western Conference Stand.
If the Warriors can get closer to the full game Draymond Green Superman’s performance could be shown again if Stephen Curry The Mavericks used every tool in their garage against him.
Or if their late-game defense can hold up.
Draymond can’t do it. Stephen couldn’t do it either, although he came close. The defense late in the game was only one stop away from at least dragging the game into overtime.turn out 108-106 loss In Dallas, it was a reminder that the Golden State Warriors still face challenges.
Warriors four games back of sixth place phoenix sunsWith five games left, the sixth seed is still some distance away from a miracle, something that is extremely rare this season.
This is the 45th “clutch” game for the Golden State Warriors. There will be more to come, whether in the remaining five regular-season games or anything after that. The Warriors’ 2023-24 record in these games defines their season. Too many close games have gone past their opponents.
They have reason to believe that this game can go as they wish. When Curry hit a step-back jumper to tie the game at 106-106 with 13 seconds left, Dallas called a timeout and set up a great comeback by the Golden State Warriors defense. during its winning streak.
Mavericks have no franchise player Luka Doncic But there are still wonderful things Kyrie Irving. no problem.
Dallas sent a foul ball to Irving.Immediately flanked Gary Payton II and Green, Irving passes to Tim Hardaway Jr., defense Klay ThompsonThompson made a bad move and Hardaway took advantage, blowing past him toward the rim, forcing Trayce Jackson-Davis Hardaway passed the ball to Washington, who cut inside and hit the game-winning layup with 4.5 seconds left.
Thompson’s three-pointer at the buzzer didn’t look clean and bounced off the rim. The game is over, the streak is over.
“I like how our defense ran the ball,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters at American Airlines Center. “Keeping the ball out of Kyrie’s hands gave us possession and a good position. Tim Hardaway made a great pass and just passed the ball over.” “Two guys outstretched their hands. Tres was there first, and then Draymond was right behind. He was probably close and deflected the pass. It was only an inch out of bounds.”
The moment Hardaway beat Thompson, the defense was in trouble. This wouldn’t have happened five years ago, when Klay was an elite defender. But in 2024, it happened in the final seconds of a tie.
It’s rare that a game is decided by one possession, but not this one. But it’s clear that Golden State’s late-game rotation is still a work in progress. Part of the challenge has to do with injuries, and part of the challenge is finding a lineup that’s stable enough that Green doesn’t have to put up big plays to get out of trouble.
The Warriors have neither. Jonathan Kuminga (knee) and Andrew Wiggins (ankle), two tall wing defenders. At least one of them, maybe both, will be in the game on Dallas’ final possession.
“Probably just comes down to more possessions,” Payton said, summing up the empty night. “We’ve got to get to 50-50. That’s probably it. It comes down to possessions. Just gotta get stops.”
The Warriors opened with their 25th starting lineup of the season, Moses Moody Joining Curry, Thompson, Green, and Jackson Davis, he got off to a bad start but was saved. when the second unit is turned off A 19-2 run in the first quarter made the game competitive.
In the fourth quarter, the Golden State Warriors seemed a bit sluggish, while the young Mavericks, who were also playing back-to-back games, seemed more energetic. They shot 52.6% from the field in this quarter and even got the last ball.
The Warriors need just one win to clinch a spot in the NBA playoffs, and unlike the sixth seed, the Warriors are not guaranteed a playoff berth. It’s not what they want, but it’s what they deserve.
