Warriors’ Late Rally Falls Short in Loss to Mavericks

A fourth-quarter rally was too little, too late for the Golden State Warriors as they fell 103-99 to the Dallas Mavericks on the second game of a back-to-back on the road. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

A fourth-quarter rally was too little too late for the Golden State Warriors as they fell 103-99 to the Dallas Mavericks on the second game of a back-to-back on the road.

Down by 17 in the fourth quarter with six minutes to play, the Warriors (9-7) put together a furious 15-2 run to cut the Dallas (10-6) lead to just four. But the Warriors would not make another field goal in the final 2:33, and the Mavericks hung on to win.

Unable to Get Over the Hump

The Warriors twice had come back from a large deficit and cut into a large portion of the lead, but just when they inched close enough, the Mavericks pulled away with a run of their own.

Late in the third quarter, Golden State had trimmed a double-digit deficit down to four, but then the Mavericks finished the quarter on a 9-2 run and pushed the lead back up to double figures.

That momentum carried for the Mavericks to start the fourth, yet the Warriors were able to make the game interesting late. Down 99-95 with under two minutes to play, Klay Thompson missed two shots badly on consecutive possessions. Dirk Nowitzki then iced the game with his patented elbow jumper.

Lack of Depth and Fatigue

The Warriors were coming off a tough game in New Orleans, and they played like it against the Mavericks. A fatigued team coupled with the absences of Andre Iguodala, Toney Douglas, and others resulted in the Warriors falling behind early.

Leading Scorers

Stephen Curry led the way for the Warriors with 29 points, and he was working extremely hard late in the game to inspire a comeback. David Lee and Klay Thompson had 20 each.

Free Throw Woes

Don’t blame the refs for this loss. The Warriors attempted 34 free throws to the Mavericks’ 10, yet they only converted on 76.5 percent of their foul shots. For whatever reason, Golden State has really struggled with its free throw shooting early in the season, and that cannot bode well for them in late-game scenarios.

Monta Struggles

Ex-Warrior Monta Ellis was held to just four points on 2-16 shooting. He did record 10 assists, but was kept very quiet by his former team. He finished with a team-low plus-minus of -14.

Tale of the Tape

Warriors

• Field Goals: 42.1% (32-76)
• 3-Pointers: 39.1% (9-23)
• Rebounds: 52
• Assists: 18
• Turnovers: 18
• Foul shooting: 76.5% (36-34)

Mavericks

• Field Goals: 44.4% (44-99)
• 3-Pointers: 38.9% (7-18)
• Rebounds: 43
• Assists: 27
• Turnovers: 6
• Foul shooting: 80% (8-10)

Notable Quote

Stephen Curry (via Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle):

“It’s tough to make that run and get over that hump, if you have to keep doing it over and over again.”

Tweet of the Night

What’s on Tap

The Warriors, now 1-1 on this road trip, will have Thanksgiving Day off and play the Thunder on Friday. Last time these two teams matched up, it made for one of the best regular season games we’ve ever seen at Oracle Arena.