Dallas and Golden State fought until the buzzer in a game between the two teams recently involved in massive trades Wednesday at American Airlines Center.
The Mavericks pulled off the 111-107 victory without their newly acquired all-NBA big man Anthony Davis.
Superstar guard Kyrie Irving played a crucial role on both ends of the floor.
He scored 42 points, including 27 in the second half, on 60% shooting from the field and 70% from three.
Irving also drew a controversial charge on forward Jimmy Butler, putting the Mavericks back in possession with 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
“I saw he was about to drive and try to do an overhead swivel coming across the lane,” Irving said.
He was able to step in front of Butler for the offensive foul, but doubts about the accuracy of this massive call have circled the internet.
Despite the skepticism about the call, Dallas reigned victorious and will take every win they can until Davis returns in the next four to six weeks.
On the other hand, Butler and the Warriors lost their first contest together after he was traded from the Heat in a five-team deal on February 5.
Before the game, the star sat courtside at the TCU Women’s Basketball game on Tuesday and seemed inspired for Wednesday’s game.
What’s up @JimmyButler
pic.twitter.com/MtKsNqb77P
— TCU Women’s Basketball (@tcuwbb) February 12, 2025
Despite the loss, Butler finished the game with 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
He is now averaging 22 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game as a Warrior, but didn’t receive much help in the game against Dallas.
Former NBA MVP Stephen Curry scored 25 points in the matchup but struggled with his efficiency.
Curry shot under 40% from the field and went 4-13 from three on top of four turnovers in the contest.
The pressure of facing former Splash Brother Klay Thompson had a psychological impact on Curry.
“Yeah… Just gotta get over the shock still of it…seeing him in a different jersey,” he said.
The shock likely impacted both sides, as Thompson also shot under 40% from the floor but left with the victory.
Dallas and Golden State are now both in the play-in as they rank 8th and 10th in the Western Conference heading into the all-star break.
Mavericks versus Warriors potential matchups moving forward will continue to be gritty head-to-head battles between stars in new places.
