The Golden State Warriors‘ road trip didn’t start the way the team would have hoped, but they’ll be returning to the Chase Center on a winning streak after edging Luka Doncic’s Mavericks on Wednesday, 126-
The Warriors entered the game just a half-game ahead of the Thunder and Mavericks in the Western Conference, but clinched what could be a vital tiebreaker over the Mavericks as the regular season draws to a close.
Steph Curry found Draymond Green for a crucial bucket that turned into a three-point play, and then later put the Warriors up 127-125 with a blow-by layup with 8.5 seconds remaining in the fourth.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, however, already stated his intent to protest the outcome of the came should the Mavericks lose by two according to the ESPN broadcast, due to a controversial play in the third quarter. The Mavericks thought they had possession of the ball and allowed the Warriors to inbound unguarded, leading to an easy two points for the Warriors.
The Mavs forgot to play defense 😂 pic.twitter.com/S6q9ByrTb7
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 23, 2023
The Mavericks misplayed their next possession as Doncic ended up trapped under the basket and missed a short shot, and the Warriors held on for a very important victory in the race for playoff seeding.
Kuminga tonight:
22 PTS
9-11 FG
2-3 3PLed the Warriors in scoring. pic.twitter.com/l9OqBE6gpY
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 23, 2023
A lot has been made of the Dray/Kuminga pairing offensively….but this is the defensive potential.
Kuminga slides his puppies, forces a tough shot.
Dray cuts off the baseline of the offensive rebound and gets the steal.
Dray stays vertical on a transition contest. 🤌🏾 pic.twitter.com/nVRYI2qfa9
— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) March 23, 2023
DUBS WIN pic.twitter.com/YrUkE84fmm
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 23, 2023
BIG TIME BUCKET
SC30 😎 pic.twitter.com/nh2oNJZeDz— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 23, 2023
Defensive masterclass by Draymond in this 4th quarter. With 5 fouls too 🔒 pic.twitter.com/aBxR2kyb5w
— De🅿️ressed Warriors Fan 🏆 (@GoIdenState) March 23, 2023
Luka Doncic makes the money motion at the referee after a no-call late vs. the Warriors 😳💰 pic.twitter.com/MJnjIvdyO1
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 23, 2023
Warriors win B2B road games 😭😭
and secure the 6th seed for now 😂😂😭😭 pic.twitter.com/WuDr7SsaSU
— Chef Curry (@baby_face_goat) March 23, 2023
Steph tonight:
20 PTS
5 REB
13 ASTWarriors have won 6 in a row when Steph has 10+ AST. pic.twitter.com/bvHe1ZHr2w
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 23, 2023
Huge win for the Warriors tonight — only their second time winning consecutive road games this season and getting the tie-breaker over the Mavericks.
Golden State’s chances to finish in a top-6 seed jump from 38% to 59% with this win, according to @ESPNStatsInfo.
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) March 23, 2023
JK is being patient on offense 👏
Warriors Postgame Live is airing right now on NBC Sports Bay Area and streaming here: https://t.co/xZ06KkRKVW pic.twitter.com/X9h1pFjLRE
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 23, 2023
This is the second time all season the Warriors have won two straight on the road. Came at a crucial time. They back up a win in Houston with a high-stakes win in Dallas, giving them the tiebreaker over the Mavericks and current control of the #6 seed.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 23, 2023
Luka Doncic had a chance to tie the game or cut the Warriors lead to 1 on this possession…
But missed the layup contested by Draymond Green and the Warriors win 😬pic.twitter.com/TvoBIK3wjF
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 23, 2023