Game Report: ‘Cleansed’ Warriors demolish Mavericks

If Steve Kerr provided a blueprint on how he wants the Golden State Warriors to play, Tuesday night’s demolition of the Dallas Mavericks was an ideal resemblance. After a phase of lethargic, uninspiring play, Kerr noted the outing as a ‘cleansing’ for the title-seeking Warriors.

The Golden State Warriors reignited their early season form with a mesmerizing display, claiming a 130-92 win over the previously red hot Dallas Mavericks. 

After scoring just two points in the opening four minutes, Warrior fans wouldn’t have been mistaken for thinking here we go again. But from that point, Golden State’s offense relaunched into its crisp, fluent best.

Following the early Mavericks run, the Warriors scored 27 points in the last eight minutes of the first to open up a nine-point lead. While Dallas had their moments throughout the second, the Dubs maintained their offensive fluidity to hold a 63-51 lead at half.

Any thought of a Maverick comeback was thwarted as the Warriors continued the offensive masterpiece. Dallas’ superstar Luka Doncic tried his best in what was, at times, a one-man show for the Mavericks on offense. But his 25 points through three quarters wasn’t enough to prevent the Warriors from extending their advantage to 19 with a period to play.

If the Warriors weren’t impressive enough already, the jubilant home crowd was treated to further excitement in a dominant exclamation mark. The Dubs outscored the Mavericks 34-13 for the quarter, with half of those points coming from the compelling Jonathan Kuminga.

The most arousing moment came when Kuminga exploded for a devastating and-1 dunk over Maverick wing Josh Green. It was just one in an ever-growing highlight reel for the seventh overall pick, with Kuminga also going 4/4 from deep on the night. His 22 points were enough to lead the Warriors in scoring, outlining the return to a team-orientated, diverse scoring display.

It was the most well-rounded team display since Klay Thompson’s return, underlining an improvement in his own individual game as well as his teammate’s acclimatization. Thompson signified the Warriors commanding ball movement, dishing six assists including a series of awe-inspiring behind-the-back dimes.

It was really the first time he and Jordan Poole had flourished in the same game together. The pair combined for 32 points on 12-22 shooting and 5-11 from deep, also seeing game time together as Kerr used them together with Stephen Curry. The two-time MVP again struggled from deep (2-10), yet as usual, found other means to contribute through a spike in pull-up mid-rangers and rebounding.

Against a Dallas team who’d gone 10-2 in January and elevated themselves to the fourth-best defense in the league, it was the kind of statement win the Warriors needed to remind the league of their very best.

But as Kerr pointed out, they’ll need to replicate that kind of form on a consistent basis. That starts with another match-up with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, a team they lost to less than two weeks ago.