Andrew Wiggins on Tuesday scored 23 points as the Golden State Warriors overcame Luka Doncic’s 20th triple-double of the season to beat Dallas 104-100, snapping the Mavericks’ seven-game winning streak.
Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer at 33.9 points per game, finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. His 20 triple-doubles trail only Domantas Sabonis (26) and Nikola Jokic (23).
Doncic also recorded his 48th 30-point game of the season, second only to Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (50).
Photo: AP
Warriors coach Steve Kerr praised Wiggins for his defense on Doncic, who on Tuesday was chosen Western Conference player of the month for last month, winning the award for the second month in a row.
“It was our defense that got us the win,” Kerr said. “Holding those guys to 100 points is pretty difficult. I thought [Wiggins] was brilliant. He put in so much effort just trying to make Luka work. Luka was amazing as he always is, but that effort really set a tone.”
The Mavs cut the deficit to 102-100 with 15 seconds remaining, but the Warriors closed out the game with late free throws from Klay Thompson.
Photo: Cary Edmondson-USA Today
Six Warriors scored in double digits on a night when Stephen Curry shot just five for 18 from the floor. Thompson and Chris Paul each had 14 points, Curry scored 13 and Moses Moody had 12 as Golden State won their fifth straight.
“Steph and Klay didn’t play particularly well tonight on the offensive end, but a lot of the other guys got going,” Dallas guard Kyrie Irving said. “I think that was the tale of the game today.”
Draymond Green made two huge plays down the stretch for the Warriors, blocking Daniel Gafford with 1 minute, 30 seconds remaining, before giving Golden State an eight-point lead with a layup on the next possession. He had 11 points.
Photo: AFP
“That was probably the key defensive play of the game,” Kerr said of Green’s late block. “Just a massive play.”
The Warriors led by 11 points with 7 minutes, 28 seconds remaining, but the Mavericks tied it at 92 with 4 minutes, 28 seconds left.
Dallas (45-30) remained fifth in the Western Conference. The Warriors (41-34) are still No. 10 in the West, three games ahead of the Houston Rockets (38-37).
The Mavericks started out the game with a 9-0 run, but the Warriors finished the first quarter with a 28-27 lead. Curry led a 14-0 run by Golden State in the second quarter to give the Warriors a 13-point lead, but the Mavericks scored the final 13 points of the period to tie the game at 49 at halftime.
“It felt like kind of a playoff atmosphere tonight as well, the way we were going back and forth,” Irving said.
Elsewhere, Nikola Jokic put up 42 points and hauled in 16 rebounds, while Aaron Gordon scored 23 points as hosts the Denver Nuggets moved back atop the West Conference by beating the San Antonio Spurs 110-105.
Jokic, who also had six assists, passed Carmelo Anthony for third on Denver’s all-time scoring list with 13,978 points.
Michael Porter Jr scored 15 and had a career-high 16 rebounds. Denver moved ahead of Oklahoma City in the West.
Victor Wembanyama had 23 points, 15 rebounds, nine blocked shots and eight assists, while Tre Jones had 10 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his third career triple-double for San Antonio.
Malaki Branham led the Spurs with 24 points.
In Philadelphia, Kelly Oubre Jr scored 17 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, while Joel Embiid added 24 points in his return to lift the 76ers to a 109-105 win over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder.
Embiid had not played since Jan. 30 due to left-meniscus surgery.
Before his injury, Embiid was leading the league in scoring at 35.3 points per game, along with 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists.
On Tuesday, he was 12-for-12 from the free-throw line with seven assists, six rebounds and three steals. He scored 10 of his points in the fourth quarter, when Philadelphia outscored the Thunder 36-25.
The loss was just the third in 10 games for the Thunder.
Chet Holmgren led the Thunder with 22 points, while Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins added 15 each.
Jaylin Williams notched a career-high 12 assists.
Additional reporting by Reuters
Elsewhere on Tuesday, it was:
‧ Heat 109, Knicks 99
‧ Jazz 113, Cavaliers 129
‧ Kings 109, Clippers 95
‧ Raptors 111, Lakers 128
‧ Timberwolves 113, Rockets 106
‧ Wizards 117, Bucks 113
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