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The Golden State Warriors used a combined 70 points from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to beat the Dallas Mavericks 130-112 on the road.
Curry finished just one rebound shy of a triple-double with 31 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds while Klay Thompson finished with a game-high 39 points, including 10 threes. Buoyed by the hot shooing of Thompson and Curry, who added six threes of his own, the Warriors tied their franchise record for threes in a game (22) and tied the NBA record for most threes in a half (15) in the first half.
The Splash Brothers were two of five players in double figures as the Warriors won going away. However, the score doesn't do justice to how close the game was throughout.
Warriors hit a franchise-record-tying 22 threes, replicating the feat they accomplished vs. Phoenix on Nov. 27
— GSWStats (@gswstats) March 19, 2016
Second Half: Warriors pull away in the fourth quarter
The Warriors were actually down 83-81 with 7:43 left in the third quarter but held the Mavs to just two points — a David Lee layup — for the remainder of the quarter to help them take a nine-point lead into the fourth. From there, a 17-point fourth quarter from Thompson, which included 4-for-6 3-point shooting, helped the Warriors take their biggest lead of the game (16) with a minute left before ultimately winning by 18. The Mavs didn't exactly go cold, shooting 50% from the field themselves, but they simply couldn't overcome the Warriors' shooting.
James Michael McAdoo started the second half for the injured Andrew Bogut, but Anderson Varejao spent the majority of the fourth quarter on the floor at the center spot for the Warriors and seems to be looking more comfortable as the high post hub of the offense even though it doesn't necessarily show up well in the numbers.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Harrison Barnes' performance as he scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half. He missed a couple of somewhat acrobatic, yet probably make-able, layups, but overall it was just nice to see him to put the ball through the basket as the Warriors gear up for the playoffs increasingly short-handed.
First half: Warriors 73, Mavs 67
What really matters about the first half is that Stephen Curry did this:
Steph Curry's cheat code allows him to bank 3s from the corner https://t.co/zil28fViyo
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) March 19, 2016
But if you're really concerned about scores and statistics and stuff, the Warriors' 73 points was a season-high for a Mavs opponent and they tied the NBA record for threes in a half with 15. While Curry led the way in scoring with a game-high 22 points that included five threes, Klay Thompson led the 3-point barrage a game-high six on his way to 20 points.
Warriors have hit 15 threes in the first half, matching their NBA record for threes in a half (set by Golden State on 11/27 at Phoenix).
— GSWStats (@gswstats) March 19, 2016
The Splash Brothers' big scoring output in the first half helped the Warriors overcome a poor scoring performance from the bench, which led to a 29-12 advantage in bench scoring for the Mavs. Former Warrior David Lee was a big part of that, scoring a team-high tying 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. That scoring output from Lee and J.J. Barea helped the Mavs overcome a 14-point deficit on the strength of a 13-2 run during the second quarter.
What does Andrew Bogut's injury mean moving forward?
Most significant to the long-term prospects for the Warriors as they attempt to break the 72-win barrier was the loss of center Andrew Bogut, who left the game right before halftime and was ruled out for the second half. The official diagnosis after the game was a strained left big toe.
Steve Kerr said Andrew Bogut probably won't play tomorrow in San Antonio. "If I had any guts, I'd sit everybody."
— Rusty Simmons (@Rusty_SFChron) March 19, 2016
Assuming they're without both Bogut and reserve center Festus Ezeli in San Antonio — in addition to Andre Iguodala — they're probably going to have a tough time managing minutes against the Spurs on the road.
Click here for more on Andrew Bogut's injury.