Golden State Warriors earn huge win over Dallas Mavericks after controversial play

It’s late in the third-quarter, a timeout has been called after an out-of-bounds and the Dallas Mavericks believe they have possession. Instead, it’s Golden State Warriors ball and they’re left to simply inbound the ball from the baseline for a Kevon Looney dunk.

That proved the difference as the Warriors got a massive 127-125 win over the Mavericks. The home side will point to that play anyway, but in reality it was a much-improved Golden State road performance that deserved the victory.

In a team-based performance on Wednesday, the Golden State Warriors earned just their ninth road win for the season in controversial fashion.

The Warriors got off to a nice start offensively, but six first-quarter turnovers would plague them in a 33-30 opening for the Mavericks. Golden State got 16 points from their bench in the first 12 minutes, led by seven from Jonathan Kuminga as Stephen Curry took just one shot in the first eight-and-a-half minutes.

That was to set up the theme of the night. The two-time MVP took what the defense gave him — they often trapped and had Reggie Bullock shadowing him the whole night. In response, Curry dished out 13 beautiful assists to just three turnovers. Kuminga was the main beneficiary, finishing with a highly efficient 22 points on 9-for-11 shooting to lead Golden State in scoring.

The Warriors addressed their turnover issues in the second-quarter, not recording any as they put up 35 points to take a two-point lead to half-time. Golden State would lead for the majority of the second-half, but at no point was it ever an assertive or comfortable advantage. Christian Wood gave Dallas the lead with a pair of free-throws with just over three minutes remaining, though Kuminga responded with two clutch ones of his own on the next possession.

Tied at 120 with 1:45 to play, Draymond Green made a massive and-one layup over Wood before converting the free-throw. Wood responded with another bucket, and after Donte DiVincenzo missed a three-point attempt, the Mavericks had the chance to retake the lead with less than a minute remaining.

The Warriors came up with a big possession of defense, forcing Luka Doncic into a tough three that he then tipped out of bounds on the follow. Green then beautifully sealed on the interior as Curry got an uncontested layup at the rim to extend the lead to three with 8.5 seconds remaining.

The former Defensive Player of the Year had made some huge plays down the stretch while playing with five fouls, and he did so again as Doncic missed a quick layup attempt after the timeout. The ball would fall with Looney who made two clutch free-throws to ice the contest. Bullock made another three at the buzzer, but all that did was reduce the final margin to two and open up further controversy on Looney’s bucket late in the third.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was furious after the game, labelling it the “worst officiating non call mistake possibly in the history of the NBA.” The Athletic’s Shams Charania has reported that Dallas will file a protest, though how that looks is unclear at this stage.

The controversy shouldn’t take away from what was one of Kuminga’s best games of his career, and an all-around Warriors performance that belied their recent road form. After an unconvincing win in Houston on Monday, this is now just the second time this season that Golden State have won consecutive road games.

Green fought through foul trouble to finish with a highly productive 14 points, four rebounds, eight assists, three steals and four blocks. DiVincenzo had four threes and 14 points, while Looney had a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double that included five important offensive boards. Kuminga was the standout though, playing over 30 minutes and harassing Doncic (30 points, 17 assists, 11-for-27 shooting) for the majority of the game.

The Warriors close the road-trip 2-3, a decent result after the 0-3 start. More than that, the win ensures Golden State maintains possession of the sixth-seed, and they now hold the tiebreaker over Dallas after winning the season series 2-1. The 38-36 Warriors now return home to face Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.