Kevin Durant’s first triple-double as a Golden State Warrior helped his team end 2016 with victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
The Golden State Warriors have the best record in the league and they’re nowhere where they could be. They’re still a work in progress, trying to build as much as possible. They’re extremely talented, but flawed.
Two games ago, the Dubs blew a 14 point lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the fourth quarter. Last game, they build a huge lead and let it slip away against the Toronto Raptors, holding onto a narrow victory. The Warriors were outscored 30-17 as they beat the lowly Dallas Mavericks by just 9 points.
Golden State improved to 29-5 with their 108-99 victory. They used big second and third quarters to gain separation from Dallas, but they let the Mavs right back in it in the fourth. While they never really threatened to take the game away, they shouldn’t be letting a poor, shorthanded team like the Mavericks come back like that.
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The Mavericks were able to keep it close in the first quarter as they tried to slow down the pace. Once the Warriors were able to start running, it was over for Dallas. Golden State outscored them 27-6 on the fast break.
Ultimately, it just came down to talent in this one. The Warriors relied on two of their four All-Stars, who carried them to victory. Klay Thompson went on one of his incredible runs, scoring 17 points in the third quarter. He finished with 29 points on 11-19 shooting and 5-11 from beyond the arc.
Kevin Durant was dominant once again. He continued his MVP campaign with his first triple-double as a Warrior. He had just 19 points, but also added 11 rebound and 10 assists.
The Warriors’ other MVP, Steph Curry, had a pretty quiet game. He had just 14 points and 5 assists. He was 3-6 from deep and +15 in 30 minutes. Former Warrior Harrison Barnes led his team with 25 points on 11-18 shooting.
Golden State has had some trouble holding onto the ball lately. They’ve continued at least 20 turnovers in their previous three games, hurting them as they try to put teams away. Steve Kerr would be proud to see that they had just 13 in this one as they also totaled 31 assists.
The Warriors finish the 2016 calendar season with a 72-12 record. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to win a title in that year, but they’re going to look to rectify things in 2017. The Dubs return to action on January 2 again against the Denver Nuggets.
