Luka Doncic’s triple-double streak is over as the focus turns to his tender left hamstring. Daniel Gafford is staring down Wilt Chamberlain for the best run of consecutive made baskets in NBA history. Doncic scored 21 points as his triple-double run ended at seven games, Gafford made five baskets to push his streak to 33 in a row and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Golden State Warriors 109-99 on Wednesday night
Quick Read
- Luka Doncic’s impressive streak of seven consecutive triple-doubles came to an end, with a focus on his left hamstring’s condition after he left the game due to soreness.
- Daniel Gafford’s streak of consecutive made baskets reached 33, approaching Wilt Chamberlain’s historic NBA record of 35 set in 1967, with all of Gafford’s recent shots being dunks.
- The Dallas Mavericks secured a 109-99 victory over the Golden State Warriors, despite the Warriors missing key players Stephen Curry and Draymond Green due to injuries.
- The status of Doncic for the upcoming game against Oklahoma City is uncertain due to his hamstring issue, with Mavericks Coach Jason Kidd indicating a decision would be made closer to the game.
- The absence of Curry, who is sidelined with a sprained right ankle, and Green, who missed the game due to back soreness, was felt by the Warriors as they faced their fifth loss in six games without Curry.
- Despite a challenging shooting night, especially from the 3-point line, the Mavericks managed to control the game, particularly with an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter.
- The Warriors are set to play the Lakers on Saturday, while the Mavericks have an upcoming game against Oklahoma City.
The Associated Press has the story:
Doncic scores 21, triple-double streak ends at 7 as Mavs top Warriors 109-99
Newslooks- DALLAS (AP) —
Luka Doncic’s triple-double streak is over as the focus turns to his tender left hamstring. Daniel Gafford is staring down Wilt Chamberlain for the best run of consecutive made baskets in NBA history. Doncic scored 21 points as his triple-double run ended at seven games, Gafford made five baskets to push his streak to 33 in a row and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Golden State Warriors 109-99 on Wednesday night.
The triple-double streak for Doncic was all but over when the NBA scoring leader returned to the game in the fourth quarter. He was gone 22 seconds later, soon ruled out with left hamstring soreness.
Coach Jason Kidd said he wasn’t sure if Doncic would make the trip to Oklahoma City, where the Mavs finish a back-to-back on Thursday night.
“We’ll have a better answer (Thursday),” Kidd said. “This is a fluid thing. This thing is being talked about now.”
The Warriors were without Stephen Curry for a third consecutive game, and it showed with sub-40% shooting almost the entire game in a fifth loss in six games this season without their star guard.
Golden State is 1-2 since Curry has been sidelined by a sprained right ankle. Steve Kerr said before the game Curry should join the team in Los Angeles, and the coach is hopeful Curry will play Saturday against the Lakers.
The Warriors also were without Draymond Green, who was scratched before the game with back soreness. Jonathan Kuminga led Golden State with 27 points.
“What Draymond does, he puts his impact on the game one way or the other,” Kerr said. “Doesn’t matter. People get hurt, and you’ve got to respond.”
All of Gafford’s buckets came on dunks, and he is two short of Chamberlain’s NBA record, set in 1967. The 6-foot-10 center acquired before the trade deadline had a season-high seven blocks.
“I try to tell myself not to worry about it,” Gafford said. “If I do it, that’s good. I’m going to celebrate it, of course. I just want to come out and win games. I’ll worry about the record after for sure.”
Doncic had nine assists and three rebounds. His triple-double run included NBA records of five consecutive with at least 35 points and six in a row with at least 30 points.
While the Warriors didn’t shoot well from anywhere, the Mavericks withstood one of their worst nights of the season from 3-point range, starting 1 of 17 before finishing 6 of 27 (22%).
Doncic threw his arms in the air after his only connection from deep in the third quarter. He was 1 of 6 from beyond the arc, while Kyrie Irving was 1 of 5 while finishing with 23 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
The Mavericks took control with an 11-0 run for an 87-72 lead while Doncic was sitting early in the fourth quarter. His return didn’t last long, but the Mavericks continued to pull away without the five-time All-Star.
Andrew Wiggins scored 17 points for Golden State, which lost for just the second time in 11 road games in a matchup of teams that started the night in position for the play-in tournament.
“I like the team a lot better now than I did a couple of months ago where we were really sorting through things,” Kerr said. “We have an identity. I think we’ll bounce back here, and I’m excited about the last part of the season.”
UP NEXT
Warriors: At the Lakers on Saturday.
Mavericks: At Oklahoma City on Thursday.
