The Golden State Warriors have continued their excellent form following the acquisition of Jimmy Butler, recording a second consecutive blowout victory with a 126-102 win over the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center on Sunday.
After falling behind 9-4 in the opening minutes, the Warriors outscored the Mavericks 29-9 over the remainder of the first-quarter and never looked back in another incredibly impressive performance.
The Warriors broke a major hoodoo against the Mavericks on Sunday
Sunday's win brought Golden State's third-straight victory dating back to the last game before the All-Star break, which is the first time they've achieved that feat since November 15 when they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies to move to 10-2 on the season.
It's been a struggle for the Warriors since, but their recent resurgence took another step with another win over a Western Conference rival. It moves Golden State to 30-27 on the season and within half a game of Dallas for the eight-seed in the standings.
It was the Stephen Curry show through the first three-quarters as the 2x MVP lit up Chase Center with 30 points, including a 16-point third-quarter that ensured there were no hopes of a Mavericks comeback after the hosts went into half-time up 17.
LET IT FLY, THIRTY 🤩
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) February 23, 2025
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The performance was reminiscent of the prime Warriors, with the blowout win meaning Curry wasn't required in the fourth-quarter. The 36-year-old was again brilliant, but also far from the only positive for Golden State who continue to fire on all cylinders.
All five Warrior starters were in double figures, including Jimmy Butler who celebrated his first home game at Chase Center with an efficient 18 points, three rebounds and five assists on 5-of-9 shooting in 28 minutes.
Brandin Podziemski had his first double-double of the season with 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, having also shot 3-of-5 from 3-point range while finishing as a +30 in 30 minutes. Moses Moody added another 14 points and four rebounds, while Draymond Green had 13 points, four rebounds and six assists.
The scary aspect for opposing teams is that Golden State didn't even shoot that well, finishing just 12-of-40 (30%) from beyond the arc. It was just as much about the defensive end for the Warriors, with Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson blanketed in the first-half.
The former Warrior legend had zero points at half-time, and while Thompson did spark a little with 11 points in the third, that's all he ended with in a quiet performance. Irving also got going slightly in the second-half, but still finished with just 17 points on 19 shots after leading Dallas to victory over Golden State in a 42-point performance last week.
The Warriors will enter as heavy favorites to win a fourth-straight game when they host the lowly Charlotte Hornets at Chase Center on Tuesday.