Dallas Mavericks: Win Over Warriors Is Impressive Despite Curry’s Absence

Even without Stephen Curry playing, the Dallas Mavericks were able to convince the NBA that they’re better than advertised.

The Dallas Mavericks knew they would be in for a tough game when the defending champion Golden State Warriors arrived in Big D for the Mavs’ last game of 2015.

In the past few seasons, the Mavs and Warriors have been in some heated competitions with upsets, like when the Warriors beat the Mavs with only six players in 2009, and crazy moments, like Tyson Chandler swatting a shoe or Shaun Livingston punching Dirk Nowitzki in an undesirable place.

This game featured a 29-1 Warriors team that had everything and more going for them while the 18-13 Mavericks were looking to continue to prove critics wrong.

Just a few hours before the game began, it was announced the Stephen Curry would be out because of a bruised lower left leg. That led to the Mavs finishing off a massive 114-91 win over a team that isn’t used to being on the wrong end of the final score.

With the win, the Mavs again proved to us that they truly are better than people thought they were going to be.

Wesley Matthews‘ defense does not falter against the best of the best. 

As a player recovering from a torn Achilles, Matthews is looking more and more worth the max contract of four years and $70 million. Having one player who can lock down elite guards is important and Matthews was able to get it done against arguably the best shooting guard in the NBA, Klay Thompson.

Thompson was held to just 10 points, one rebound and two assists on 4-for-15 shooting. Matthews played air-tight defense on him all night long by staying close and blocking off all possible passing lanes, causing frustration for the second member of the “Splash Brothers.”

The Mavs can get big nights out of any player on any given night.

They received that in the form of J.J. Barea as he scored 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting and 5-for-7 shooting from three-point range.

While Chandler Parsons did not have that great of a night (five points), they got quality contributions from Devin Harris (13 points) and Dwight Powell (10 points) in their big win. It furthers the point that Rick Carlisle truly can get the best out of a player no matter what the circumstances are.

To put things in perspective, the Warriors were without arguably the best player in the NBA and they lost 30.5 PPG, 6.4 APG and 5.7 RPG because of it, but this loss should not be taken lightly because of that one factor.

Harrison Barnes, Leandro Barbosa and Festus Ezeli were also out but the Warriors still had a whole team of playmakers like Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green on the court. They still came into the game at 29-1 and their domination cannot be overlooked just because a few pieces didn’t play.

You could say that Curry would’ve been more important if the game was close but the Mavs’ defense overwhelmed the Warriors all night long and led to a 23-point win. There was no mistaking that the Mavs were the better team and even though the final score might have been closer, I’m not sure the name of the winning team would’ve changed had Curry been active.

Jan. 27 will be an important night because it is the next time these two teams meet plus the game will be in Oracle Arena. Barring another injury, Curry will be ready to play in the game and the Mavs will most likely have Deron Williams back in their starting lineup. That will be the Mavs’ opportunity to back up their excellent play and show that Curry’s injury was not the reason they beat his team.

Next: NBA: New Year's Resolutions For All 30 Teams

The Mavs put on a show against the Warriors, who had the best start through 30 games in NBA history, and that’s something to take note of.