Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga have seen their minutes steadily decrease since the opening week. The situation in Dallas, however, paints a similar picture, and perhaps slightly more concerning in both form and permutation. Indeed, the Mavericks are 5-5 in conference play, on a losing streak, and average one of the fewest points and assists in the Western Conference. Part of their woes this season can be contributed to losing Jalen Brunson to the New York Knicks last year in free agency after he flourished playing next to Doncic. The loss of Brunson also cost the Mavericks one of their two primary ball-handlers behind Doncic, meaning that Spencer Dinwiddie has had to carry most of that load this season.
As good as Curry and Doncic have been, neither of them has had the luxury of a good supporting act - perhaps a factor that makes their respective performances even more impressive. The Dubs second unit is largely comprised of youth and inexperience, a good indicator of where the future of this franchise lies after their 2022 Championship title. Yet for all of the promise of better prospects on the horizon, this has made it increasingly difficult for Steve Kerr to pinpoint a secondary line-up that brings the best out of his favoured three (Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson).
Those two things are key, and that’s what we’ve got to bring to San Francisco. ”YOUTH MOVEMENTThe Warriors got back into the game in the fourth quarter thanks to a young lineup featuring 22-year-old Jordan Poole and 19-year-old rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. That trio, along with Nemanja Bjelica and Damion Lee, cut a 29-point deficit to eight points in the first 8:38 of the fourth quarter before Curry and the starters began to return. The Mavericks closed it out from there but the flashes from the young group could earn them more time. Kuminga hadn’t played at all the previous two games before scoring 17 points in just under 22 minutes in Game 4.
Image: Kyrie Irving defends against Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic during overtime of an NBA basketball game It hasn't just been down to Curry carrying his team. Both Thompson and Green have improved in their offensive abilities. With the pair contributing to the points, it means less pressure on the cavalry, and more freedom for Kerr to experiment with formations and positions. On the other hand, Doncic has been the leading figure, with Dinwiddie battling alongside him.
The Warriors managed to rebound after those slipups in the first two rounds against Denver and Memphis and are hoping for a repeat after losing 119-109 at Dallas on Tuesday night when the Mavericks got off to a fast start and didn’t slow down until the fourth quarter. “It’s a good lesson learned, ” guard Stephen Curry said. “You tip your hat to them because they made a lot of shots. We had a couple breakdowns in our zone that gave them easy looks, and they made us pay. We knew to close them out, it’s going to be tough. So you’ve got to strap up on defense. When we go ho