DALLAS (AP) Stephen Curry scored 48 points, making 11 3-pointers, and the Golden State Warriors held off the Dallas Mavericks 119-114 Sunday night.
Kevin Durant added 28 points for the Warriors, and Klay Thompson had nine of his 16 in the fourth quarter as the Warriors received a valiant battle from a Dallas team playing without its top two point guards.
Curry’s 11th 3-pointer of the game -tying a season-high – gave the Warriors a 117-114 lead after a see-saw fourth quarter.
Draymond Green blocked Jalen Brunson’s drive at the other end and secured the loose ball. The Mavericks forced a miss, but Harrison Barnes turned the ball over in the frontcourt with 5 seconds left. Curry sealed the game with free throws.
Luka Doncic scored 26 points for Dallas and Barnes had 22. Brunson had 12 off the bench in 30 minutes, in place of the injured J.J. Barea and Dennis Smith Jr.
Devin Harris gave Dallas its first lead since the second quarter with a driving layup to make it 105-103 with 5:29 remaining. Harris followed that with a 3 for a five-point lead, capping an 11-0 run.
Curry tied it at 114 with a floater in the lane with 1:39 to play, and Doncic missed a 3 at the other end, setting up Curry’s winner. Dallas missed its final eight shots from the field.
Golden State had a 10-point lead midway through the third quarter, but Doncic’s 3 started a 7-0 run to pull the Mavs within 80-77. Doncic hit another 3 from well behind the line to close the quarter and cut the Warriors’ lead to 92-88.
Curry had 16 points and Durant nine in the first quarter for all of Golden State’s 25 points.
The Warriors trailed 29-25 after one but closed the first half on a 22-10 run to lead 62-54 into the break. Curry and Durant combined to score 16 of Golden State’s last 18 points in the half.
BAREA TO HAVE SURGERY MONDAY
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said Barea would have surgery Monday to repair his ruptured right Achilles tendon. Barea suffered the injury in the fourth quarter Friday night against Minnesota and is out for the season.
”It’s gut-wrenching for all of us,” Carlisle said. ”I really do believe that he will be back. He’s truly one of the most resourceful players in Mavericks history.”
Barea was averaging nearly 11 points and six assists per game.
Barea’s long-time teammate Harris, who will likely see more ball-handling responsibilities on the second unit, said, ”It’s tough to lose on him. He does so much for our team. It’s not one guy in particular that can replace that. It’s going to have to be a group effort.”
TIP-INS
Warriors: Before taking questions before the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr praised Barea, calling him ”one of my favorite players to watch.” Kerr added, ”His story is amazing. You hate to see anybody go down, but JJ, especially just the way he competes, the way he carries himself.”
Mavericks: Smith missed his third straight game with back tightness. . Carlisle received a technical foul with 49 seconds left in the second quarter, courtesy of referee Ed Malloy following the coach’s animated response to a non-call on a play Carlisle thought was a Warriors foul.
UP NEXT
Warriors: At Denver on Tuesday in a matchup of the Western Conference’s top two teams.
Mavericks: Host San Antonio on Wednesday.
