Golden State Warriors test their strength and fail versus Dallas

Tuesday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks offered a great opportunity for the Golden State Warriors to test their strength after what has been a successful two-week run for the Dubs. In embarrassing fashion, the Warriors dropped the ball from start to finish.

I shouldn’t have to say much other than at one point, the Mavericks outscored Golden State 28-0. Yes, for an entire nine minutes, the Warriors did not score a single point. The end result was a 30 point beatdown and a game the Dubs won’t soon forget.

In a chance to test their strength on Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors collapsed to the Dallas Mavericks and will have to rethink their approach.

Luka Doncic scored 39 points, dished 8 assists and snatched 6 rebounds in under 30 minutes of playing time. The Mavericks’ bench mob of Jalen Brunson, Tim Hardaway and Nicolo Melli combined for 38 points whereas the Warriors entire bench amassed just 33 points.

The Dubs did get a surprising 26 point performance from Mychal Mulder to go along with 27 points from Stephen Curry. However, something clearly went terribly wrong — and it all has to do with their game plan.

Steve Kerr has relentlessly pushed his conservative motion offense throughout the course of the last two seasons. While emphasizing a full-team effort is important and will ultimately help them once Klay Thompson is back — there is no denying it has held the Warriors back this season.

It’s no secret the Warriors aren’t exactly loaded with a strong supporting cast around Curry. Because of this, when you prioritize moving the ball and therefore taking the ball away from Curry more often — you’re going to get games like this.

Again, the Warriors’ brand of motion offense is one worth teaching the young, developing players on the roster. It will be crucial for the rest of the team to understand their role moving forward, however.

If the Warriors want to make any type of noise in the playoffs, they’ll have to give Curry the ball and get out of his way sometimes. It’s obvious the coaching staff knows this, as the team has been playing their best brand of basketball while their pick-and-roll numbers increase. Of course, relatively consistent games from Kelly Oubre and Andrew Wiggins has contributed to this as well.

After this loss, the Dubs still sit somewhat comfortably at 10th in the Western Conference. With three upcoming games against the New Orleans Pelicans, they can punch their tickets to the Play-In Tournament if things go their way.