NBA 2018-19: Golden State Warriors at Dallas Mavericks: 3 Talking Points

Final Score: Mavericks defeat Warriors, 112-109

Two nights after losing to the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center, the Warriors were up against the Dallas Mavericks for their second game of a three-game road trip. On the other hand, the Mavericks were on a three-game winning streak and were looking to extend it to four by defending the home court.

The Warriors entered this game short-handed without the unanimous MVP Stephen Curry who is yet to recover from a left groin strain and the All-Star Power forward, Draymond Green who is out with sprained toe.

Golden State were leading Dallas after the end of three quarters by 4 points. However, in the fourth quarter, Luka Doncic and DeAndre Jordan's exploits saw the Mavericks defeat Warriors. Let us take a look at three talking points from this matchup at the American Airlines Center:

#3 Kevin Durant's 32 points performance

Kevin Durant scored 32 points but the Warriors could not get the win

Stat line: 32 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a block on 45.8 per cent shooting

Kevin Durant's red-hot form continued as he scored 32 points on the night against the Dallas Mavericks. Two nights after scoring 20 points against the Rockets in a loss, Durant was spectacular once again as he scored over the defenders with ease.

Durant started the proceedings with a vicious slam in the first quarter, before following it up with a mid-range jumper. In the second quarter, with the Warriors up by 4 points, he knocked down yet another mid-range jumper to push the lead to 6 points.

Durant went 11-for-24 from the field, with a field-goal percentage of 45.8. However, he struggled from the long range and went 0-for-4 from downtown. Durant was dominant in the paint and went 10-for-11 from the free-throw line. Despite the two-time finals MVP's hot-night, the Warriors could not get the win.

#2 Luka Doncic and Harrison Barnes' hot-night

Barnes and Doncic had a strong night at home

Luka Doncic has been sensational in the first month of action and is the front-runner for the Rookie of the Year. He is averaging 19.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game and a large part of Mavericks' success is because of the 19-year old.

Harrison Barnes missed the first four games of the season due to a hamstring injury but once he came back, he has been performing just like you would expect him to and is playing his role to perfection.

In the game against the Warriors, Doncic and Barnes combined for 47 points on 16-for-34 shooting and their strong performances helped the Mavericks defeat the Warriors. Doncic hit the go-ahead hook shot in the final minutes to halt the Mavs' 10-game losing streak to the Warriors.

They both also combined for 11-for-15 from the free-throw line and the Mavericks are definitely not a team to sleep on with the way they have been playing this season.

#1 DeAndre Jordan's double-double

Jordan's double-double helped the Mavs beat the Warriors. Credit: Mavs Moneyball

Stat line: 13 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal and a block on 80 per cent shooting

Although DeAndre Jordan has not been scoring a lot this season, he is getting crucial rebounds and is also shooting free-throws at an efficient rate. The teams can no longer use Hack-A-Jordan as a strategy to kill the momentum as he is shooting 81.3 % from the free-throw line.

Jordan scored 13 points in this game and pulled down 10 boards to put together a double-double. He finished the night shooting 4-5 from the field and was really efficient from the free-throw line going for 5-for-6.

He also had a huge block on Jonas Jerebko, with the clock winding down and the Warriors lost their third game in four games. The Mavericks have now won four straight games and will next meet Grizzlies at FedEx Forum.