Curry and Green When the Mavericks last faced the Warriors in Dallas, Golden State was without the services of both Steph Curry and Draymond Green. Curry — a legendary figure — can bring his team back or put a close game out of reach in a matter of moments. It will be up to Derrick Jones Jr, Dante Exum and anyone else the Mavericks send his way to curtail the greatest shooter to ever lace ‘em up. Two dangerous moments from Curry that have haunted defenses for years — curl screen releases and reloads from beyond the arc after an offensive board. Keep an eye on both of these dynamics in the half-court. As for Green, his quarterbacking of the Golden State defense along with moments where he rises to the occasion make him as dangerous as ever on any given night. His block of Daniel Gafford Tuesday night at a key juncture underscores his value to Golden State. How will Dallas adjust three nights later? The Non-Gafford Minutes Daniel Gafford’s importance for the remainder of the regular season went from high to critical with the injury to Derek Lively II. The Mavericks were simply outmatched in key areas when Gafford was off the floor Tuesday night. Without their rookie to back up their trade deadline acquisition, the minutes without The Landlord now loom large. Dallas must minimize the Warriors’ ability for second-chance points and points in the paint while Gafford is resting.

April 5, 2024 Matthew Adasho Sports 0

The Golden State Warriors (42-34, 23-15 away) match up with the Dallas Mavericks (46-30, 23-15 home) for the second time this week.

This time both teams will be on the second night of a back-to-back with the Mavericks aiming for a different result after falling to the Warriors on the West Coast on Tuesday night, 104-100.

The Warriors present unique challenges

Undersized but determined to outrebound you. Laser-focused coaching to cut off your go-to offensive sets that seem to work against a garden variety team. Young athletes on the front line paired with grizzled veterans bound for the Hall of Fame. Despite their well-documented drama and notable flaws, the Golden State Warriors are a tough matchup for the Dallas Mavericks even if they are not the same caliber of team that won the Finals two years ago.

Can the Dallas coaching staff bake in some wrinkles that Steve Kerr and company have not seen in the film room, or will the game plan rely on the Mavs backcourt’s improvisational genius and count on more shots falling down the stretch this time around?

Curry and Green

When the Mavericks last faced the Warriors in Dallas, Golden State was without the services of both Steph Curry and Draymond Green. Curry — a legendary figure — can bring his team back or put a close game out of reach in a matter of moments. It will be up to Derrick Jones Jr, Dante Exum and anyone else the Mavericks send his way to curtail the greatest shooter to ever lace ‘em up. Two dangerous moments from Curry that have haunted defenses for years — curl screen releases and reloads from beyond the arc after an offensive board. Keep an eye on both of these dynamics in the half-court.

As for Green, his quarterbacking of the Golden State defense along with moments where he rises to the occasion make him as dangerous as ever on any given night. His block of Daniel Gafford Tuesday night at a key juncture underscores his value to Golden State. How will Dallas adjust three nights later?

The Non-Gafford Minutes

Daniel Gafford’s importance for the remainder of the regular season went from high to critical with the injury to Derek Lively II. The Mavericks were simply outmatched in key areas when Gafford was off the floor Tuesday night. Without their rookie to back up their trade deadline acquisition, the minutes without The Landlord now loom large. Dallas must minimize the Warriors’ ability for second-chance points and points in the paint while Gafford is resting.

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