3 things to know: Mavs survive thrilling battle between Luka Doncic and Steph Curry, 134-132

In the second part of the Golden State Warriors’ two-game “baseball” series against the Dallas Mavericks, the battle between Steph Curry and Luka Donic lived up to the hype.

Curry tallied a game-high 57 points on 19-of-31 shooting from the field in 37 minutes. The Warriors point guard caught fire from beyond the arc, drilling 11 triples on 19 attempts from beyond the arc. Curry added five assists, two rebounds and two steals against Dallas. However, it wasn’t enough.

Doncic was able to keep pace with the two-time Most Valuable Player, scoring 42 points on 12-of-23 shooting from the field, including seven 3-pointers. Doncic registered a double-double with 11 assists against the Warriors.

With the All-Star guards trading shots wire-to-wire, the contest came down to the final minutes. A missed out-of-bounds call at the baseline from Kristaps Porzingis led to a Doncic 3-pointer with 44.5 seconds remaining to give Dallas a seven-point lead. Although Curry was able to answer with a triple of his own, the Mavericks were able to hold on late for a two-point victory after a dagger 3-pointer from Maxi Kleber, 134-132.

Slow Start

Throughout the year, the Warriors have struggled to stay consistent in the first quarter of contests. In Dallas on Saturday, the Warriors didn’t answer the opening quarter horn. Through the first seven minutes, the Warriors fell down 18-2 against the Mavericks.

Although the Warriors were able to cut the Mavs’ lead to only four points by the start of the second quarter, slow starts have continued to plague Golden State throughout the young season.

Kent Bazemore

Kent Bazemore logged an impressive performance off the bench on Saturday night, scoring a season-high 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. The veteran guard provided a much-needed spark off the bench for Steve Kerr, adding three boards, an assists and a steal in 23 minutes. Bazemore has tallied double figures in scoring in two of the last three games for the Warriors.

Even with a fully healthy rotation, the Warriors could use a consistent scoring threat off the bench. Bazemore could be developing into the answer.

Draymond Green

Although he only scored two points, Draymond Green made his presence felt on Saturday night. On top of dishing out 15 assists for the second consecutive game, the former Defensive Player of the Year added six boards, six steals and four blocks in 37 minutes.

As long as James Wiseman, Kevon Looney and Eric Paschall deal with injuries, Kerr will need to lean on Green for his defense and playmaking in Golden State’s thin frontcourt.