Doncic, Curry duel as Mavs beat Warriors in thriller

Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks smiles during play against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter at American Airlines Center on February 06, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images/AFP

Luka Doncic equaled a career-high with 42 points to fend off a 57-point performance from Stephen Curry as the Dallas Mavericks avoided back-to-back losses to the Golden State Warriors with a thrilling 134-132 win on Saturday.

Slovenia’s Doncic drained a clutch three-pointer with 44 seconds left and Maxi Kleber, of Germany, sealed the win with another three to give the Mavs a four-point lead with six seconds to go in the contest at the American Airlines Center in Texas.

The Mavs with the victory managed to avoid a two-game sweep at home after losing 147-116 on Thursday.

Curry bombed in 11 threes including one with 39 seconds to go and another with 10 seconds to cut the Mavericks lead to 131-130. That set the stage for Kleber’s heroics as he finished off a three-way passing play from the left side to clinch the victory.

“What a display of basketball out there,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “Just amazing playmaking and shot-making the entire night. Curry and Doncic were spectacular. Both teams played with a lot of heart and a lot of joy. Great thing to see.”

LUKA and STEPH combine for 9⃣9⃣ points, 1⃣8⃣ threes, and score 10+ points EACH in EVERY quarter!

Where else do two offensive marvels THRILL from start to finish? #OnlyHere pic.twitter.com/uDotRJZn99

— NBA (@NBA) February 7, 2021

Doncic made 12 of his 23 shots and seven of his 12 from beyond the arc. He also dished out 11 assists and had seven rebounds.

Curry’s 57 points came on 19-for-31 shooting overall and 11-for-19 from beyond the arc. It was his second-highest scoring game of the season, after posting 62 against Portland in January.