DALLAS — The Warriors had a decent shot to extend their season-best six-game winning streak, but came up just short. Literally.
Klay Thompson’s corner 3 as time expired would have won the game, but hit didn’t have enough air under it to eclipse the front rim.
The Mavericks were without Luka Doncic, but Golden State was on the second night of a back-to-back and had neither Jonathan Kuminga nor Andrew Wiggins. The injuries neutralized each other to create a thrilling, tight game.
PJ Washington’s layup with 4.5 seconds left turned out to be the game-winner in a 108-106 Warriors (42-35) defeat.
The Warriors sold out for the win, upping Steph Curry (26 points), Draymond Green, and Chris Paul’s minutes above their season averages, but didn’t have enough to overcome Washington’s game-high 29 points and Kyrie Irving’s dynamism.
Kuminga’s bilateral knee tendinitis has now held him out for six straight games. The Warriors have lost only one of them. Despite the abundance of street clothes, the game turned out to be highly competitive.
Without Kuminga and Wiggins, the Warriors had far fewer options to throw at Irving, who took Doncic’s absence as an opportunity to turn up his scoring dial.
Irving beat Moses Moody — starting in Wiggins’ place — on a backdoor cut to open the game. He drilled his first three shots and led the Mavericks to a 29-13 start. In Dallas’ surprise attack, Washington canned three 3-pointers and the Mavs converted Warriors turnovers into points.
But Chris Paul entered and calmed things down for the Warriors, leading a 19-2 surge. His step-back 3 over Daniel Gafford at the horn gave the Warriors a one-point lead after one. Without his first four minutes, Golden State could’ve easily let the game slip away.
Both short-handed squads traded buckets, exchanging the lead five times in the second quarter. As Golden State walked off the court for halftime up two, Paul had a plus-minus of +25; in just 14 minutes, he matched his season-high of four steals.
Paul was so effective, he started the second half in Moody’s place. The game started physically and only intensified.
Trayce Jackson-Davis walked off the court for halftime with a trainer but returned for the second half.
Paul and Draymond Green took umbrage with some no-calls. Several fouls earlier that easily could’ve resulted in foul shots were ruled on the ground. Daniel Gafford held his shoulder after fighting for a rebound. Each team doubled their first-half foul total in the third period alone.
With more physicality came less scoring. Golden State’s defense has driven its current winning streak, and it stayed tough in Dallas. They ran a box-and-one to slow down Irving and held Dallas to 48 points across the second and third quarters. But the Warriors only mustered 44.
Trailing by three to start the fourth, the Warriors’ legs looked heavy. They committed a slew of turnovers, which Dallas turned into five straight points. Curry’s 338th 3-pointer of the season — which moved his current season to the fourth-most all-time — kept the Warriors within reach.
Every time the Warriors made a push — a Green dunk, a Gary Payton II alley-oop, a Moody put-back — the Mavericks answered. No matter what the Warriors did, it seemed like Dallas’ lead hovered at eight.
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Curry scored four straight to inch Golden State within five with three minutes left. Payton finished an and-1 on the break to cut Dallas’ lead to four a minute later. Then Curry froze after drilling a contested 28-footer. 105-104.
After a missed Washington foul shot, Curry drilled a fadeaway baseline jumper. 106-106.
They clawed all the way back, only for Washington and Thompson’s corner miss to send them back down.