Mavericks AM News: Dallas Beats Golden State, But …

41. 114. 79. Final. 91

The Dallas Mavericks make no apologies for how they dismantled the Golden State Warriors, the defending NBA champs who played without Steephen Curry.

It’s hard to tell if the biggest game of the year for the Dallas Mavericks was anti-climactic or just more than the usual home crowd at American Airlines Center was expecting – more as in opportunity.

Reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry, the phenomenal point guard who proclaims himself the best player in the league, did not play at AAC. What transpired in his absence might actually shed a different light on the defending champs as a team.

A final score of 114-91 was certainly not something that anybody would have expected, even without Curry. It never felt like the fans at AAC felt very comfortable, even when the Mavericks lead reached 30 in the third period.

Then again, there won’t be any sympathy cards forthcoming for a Golden State team that’s not 29-2.

More from Sports Dallas Fort-Worth

All that matters for the Mavericks, who also played yet another game without their starting point guard, Deron Williams, are now 19-13 and have now won four straight games and five of their last six. Perhaps even more significant is the fact that Dallas is now 10-5 at home.

Head coach Rick Carlisle was going to be prepared for this game whether the Warriors played with or without Curry. While it’s impossible to know whether or not Curry’s presence would have changed the outcome – it sure could have – it’s still plausible to see that the Mavericks matched up rather well against the defending champions.

Center Zaza Pachulia turned in an early double-double with 14 points to go with 15 rebounds. Those second chance opportunities he created, along with the points in the paint he provided, helped pave the way for the Mavericks.

Point guard J.J. Barea continues playing out of his mind in Williams’ absence as he posted 23 points, which included five more 3-pointers. If Golden State was going to rely on shooting guard Klay Thompson to shoulder the Warriors offense, he came nowhere near Barea’s performance with only 10 points.

All in all, the short-handed Warriors – more players were absent for this game – were no match for the waves of players that Carlisle threw at them as every Mavericks player that entered the game scored, several during trash time late in the contest.

This is not at all to suggest that the Warriors, what with the incredible start they’ve launched this season, are a paper tiger.

But one thing is for sure – this is not the same team without Curry, thus proving just how valuable the sharp-shooter really is.

The Mavericks played their final game of 2015 in style, but New Year’s Day brings a road game against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena just before the tail end of a back-to-back back at AAC against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Tipoff against the Heat is at 6;30pm CT with a 7:30pm CT start against the Pelicans on Saturday night.

Mavericks News From Around The Internet

Warriors Rolled By Mavs Without Curry (ESPN via AP)

Curry’s absence paved the way for one of the biggest wins for the Mavericks in 2015. Clear is the fact that Golden State was less prepared for this absence than the Mavericks were, period.

Impressive Win For Mavs Regardless Of Who Played (Dallas Morning News – Eddie Sefko)

The Golden State Warriors didn’t reach 29-1 only because of Curry, who might miss another game against the Houston Rockets Thursday night. The rest of this championship team was manhandled by Dallas for almost the entire game.

Next: On The Mavericks, PG Is A Team Thing

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Not to get too far ahead ourselves, but owner Mark Cuban has been known to pull the trigger on some big trades. Here’s a look at three Mavericks players that could be moved for a significant upgrade heading into the new year.

Published on 12/31/2015 at 12:23 PM
Last updated at 12/31/2015 at 12:23 PM

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