Warriors vs. Mavericks player grades: Steph Curry dominates on offense, Draymond Green on defense

Wow. Has everyone taken a deep breath yet? If not, I encourage you to do so now. The early favorite for game of the season — not just for the Dubs but perhaps the entire NBA — just played out in front of you, with the Golden State Warriors besting the Dallas Mavericks 120-117 in a game that had theatrics (the lead changed hands countless times), stakes (it was the first in-season tournament game for both teams), and emotions (it was Klay Thompson’s return to the Bay Area). If you didn’t love watching that game, then I don’t know what to tell you, other than start looking around for a new sport to follow.

It’s hard to do that game justice, or to lock in for any sort of objective analysis, but the players did their jobs so now I must do mine. It’s time to grade the 11 Warriors who took the floor on Tuesday night (the rotation was temporarily trimmed after Kyle Anderson experienced neck spasms shortly before tipoff). As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.

Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Entering Tuesday’s games, league-average TS was 57.3%.

Draymond Green

31 minutes, 11 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 2 fouls, 3-for-6 shooting, 2-for-4 threes, 3-for-4 free throws, 70.9% TS, +18

Draymond’s offensive performance in this game was mighty impressive. He dictated the offense with brilliant passing, racking up six dimes without a single turnover. He continued to look oh-so-comfortable shooting threes, pushing his season mark to 16-for-35, and his two-year performance to 67-for-164. He pushed the Warriors to get out in transition, where they excelled.

But it was his defense. Oh goodness, it was his defense. Age and the emergence of Victor Wembanyama may have ended the chances of Draymond winning a second Defensive Player of the Year trophy, but on Tuesday we were reminded that, when he’s locked in, he’s still as good of a defender as exists in the NBA.

He made his presence felt early; when Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić would beat their man off the dribble, they usually settle for difficult, off-balance shots rather than challenging Green in the paint. He had one early highlight that brought the team momentum, blocking a three, leaping out of bounds to save the ball, and igniting a fastbreak in which De’Anthony Melton made a layup.

But it was at the end of the game where Draymond really showed off. Everyone will remember Curry’s flurry in the waning moments, but what Green did on the other side of the court was every bit as important. In three possessions, Draymond drew a charge against Daniel Gafford, blocked a Gafford shot, and sealed Gafford off so tightly that Thompson was forced to make an impossible pass, throwing the ball away in the process. That shutdown defensive performance allowed Curry’s offense to shine, and the Warriors to escape with a win.

Grade: A+

Trayce Jackson-Davis

14 minutes, 8 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 3-for-5 shooting, 2-for-6 free throws, 52.4% TS, +4

Jackson-Davis didn’t get to play a huge role in this game, but he sure took advantage of the minutes he got. He had a brilliant first quarter, and brought so much energy to the halfcourt offense, while also getting down the court in transition. I thought it was an exceptional defensive game from him, and he did work on the glass. TJD out-rebounded every Mavericks player despite playing just 14 minutes, which was a huge part of Golden State securing a 50-40 advantage on the glass.

Grade: A-

Andrew Wiggins

34 minutes, 8 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 3-for-8 shooting, 0-for-3 threes, 2-for-4 free throws, 41.0% TS, +16

Wiggins started the game with the unenviable task of guarding Dončić. And I thought, especially in the beginning, that he did a fantastic job on the Mavericks superstar, even though Luka still put up numbers — as he always does.

I thought Wiggins’ defense fell off a little bit as the game went on, but it was still a quality performance on that end of the court. Dončić may have netted 31 points, but he needed 27 shots to get there, rarely got the free throw line, and turned the ball over five times. You’ll live with that any day, and while the entire Warriors team gets credit for that job, Wiggins gets the most credit.

He didn’t do much elsewhere on the court. He was mostly a non-factor on offense, and wasn’t as aggressive crashing the glass as we’d all like to see from him. So I’ll say those struggles cancel out the strong defensive game, and result in an average performance.

Grade: B

Steph Curry

35 minutes, 37 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers, 2 fouls, 14-for-27 shooting, 5-for-12 threes, 4-for-5 free throws, 63.4% TS, +24

The driving factor behind Golden State’s 9-2 start to the season has been their depth. But this was an old school game for Curry — a throwback to the days where the Dubs dominated when he was on the court, and tried to hang on for dear life when he was on the bench. Golden State outscored Dallas by 24 points in Curry’s 35 minutes ... and were outscored by 21 points in the 13 minutes that he rested. Sometimes plus/minus is a silly stat, and sometimes it accurately tells the story; for Curry on Tuesday, it’s emphatically the latter.

Curry put the team on his back throughout the night. He dropped in 12 points in the first quarter, countering the star performances from Dončić and Irving, and making sure the Warriors didn’t get lackadaisical as they soaked in the moment with Klay’s return. In the third quarter, which the Warriors won by 11 points to turn a deficit into a lead, Curry exploded, leading the team to a 16-0 run.

But nothing compares to the fourth quarter, when Curry went on a 10-0 run all by himself, to turn what felt like a loss into a win. A run that included a go-ahead layup, a dagger three, and a night-night celebration.

And even after the run ended following a Dallas three, Curry dropped in two more points in the form of late-game free throws to help put the game away.

He was the best player on the court on Tuesday, and it wasn’t close.

Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points and assists; best plus/minus on the team.

De’Anthony Melton

26 minutes, 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 6-for-12 shooting, 2-for-6 threes, 58.3% TS, +14

Just as was the case with Wiggins and Dončić, Melton had the difficult assignment of guarding Irving, and while Kyrie got his numbers, I thought Melton did a good job. Irving did have a very efficient night, shooting 8-for-13 from the field, but it was almost entirely a case of good offense beating good defense, as nearly all of his buckets were on the extreme end of the hard shot spectrum. And, like Dončić, he turned the ball over five times.

Melton also had one of the biggest plays of the game, with a steal on one end followed by a three on the other end, cutting a seven-point deficit to just four points with under five minutes to play. It was a turning point in the game, and started a 15-5 run to close out the contest.

He’s finding his groove, and Warriors fans are quickly seeing just how good he is.

Grade: A-

Jonathan Kuminga

27 minutes, 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 fouls, 6-for-11 shooting, 2-for-5 threes, 2-for-4 free throws, 62.7% TS, -3

Kuminga was quietly the Warriors second-leading scorer in this game, and one of their most efficient scorers, too. That feels important on a night where the Warriors offense was playing gorgeous, movement-oriented basketball. Kuminga may be the team’s second-best isolation scorer, but he’s also learning how to flourish in the system. Shooting 40% on threes certainly helps!

He also got to guard Dončić a fair bit, and I thought he did a quality job there.

Grade: B+

Kevon Looney

15 minutes, 5 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 2-for-5 shooting, 1-for-2 free throws, 42.5% TS, -9

At some point in the last few years, Looney turned from a decent rebounder into a comical one. And this was a case of exactly that. Looney grabbed a hilarious 11 rebounds in just 15 minutes.

If you want to put it in more digestible terms, Looney played 3.1% of the total minutes that were played in this basketball game, and he grabbed 12.2% of the total rebounds. He and Jackson-Davis combined for 20 rebounds — half of Dallas’ team total — in just 29 combined minutes.

As is often the case, Looney did his work on the offensive glass, where a staggering nine of his boards arrived on Tuesday. He’s now fourth in the NBA in offensive rebounds, a mark that looks absolutely hilarious when you look at minute allotments:

Ivica Zubac: 48 offensive rebounds in 385 minutes
Jakob Poeltl: 46 offensive rebounds in 384 minutes
Nikola Jokić: 45 offensive rebounds in 381 minutes
Kevon Looney: 44 offensive rebounds in 161 minutes

He has more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds, but that doesn’t mean he’s a slouch at the latter. He’s just inclined to box out his man and let a teammate grab the board, whereas on offense he attacks the more chaotic opportunities. What an awesome player.

Grade: B+

Buddy Hield

21 minutes, 14 points, 1 rebound, 2 steals, 6-for-13 shooting, 2-for-8 threes, 53.8% TS, -21

Hield played a little recklessly in this game. He got away with it: he didn’t have any turnovers or fouls, and while he didn’t shoot at a high efficiency, he didn’t shoot at an awful efficiency, either.

Still, his quick trigger on offense and struggles on defense were fairly apparent in this game.

Grade: C-
Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.

Gary Payton II

7 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 0-for-1 shooting, 0.0% TS, +4

GPII didn’t play much in this game, which might seem surprising given the three-headed perimeter monster that the Mavericks offense possesses. He probably would have played a bigger role had everyone else not done such a good job on Thompson, Dončić, and Irving, who finished with a combined 74 points, but didn’t do so on outrageous efficiency, and had 12 turnovers against 15 assists.

Grade: C

Moses Moody

12 minutes, 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 1-for-4 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 41.0% TS, -15

Not Moody’s best game, but he really locked in defensively, and brought a whole bunch of intensity to both ends of the court. We even saw a big dose of emotion from him at one point, which isn’t the most common occurrence!

Grade: B-

Brandin Podziemski

17 minutes, 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 fouls, 1-for-2 shooting, 1-for-1 threes, 75.0% TS, -19

Podziemski has been struggling quite a bit lately. It’s not really anything to be concerned about — he’s a second-year player, after all, and playing with a facemask on — but at the moment it’s starting to cost him minutes. In his last two games, he’s combined for just three points, two rebounds, and two assists, while playing a little bit worse defense than we’ve grown accustomed to with him.

Nothing to worry about, unless you’re heavily invested in his grades.

Grade: C-

Klay Thompson

33 minutes, 22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, 5 fouls, 7-for-17 shooting, 6-for-12 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 61.5% TS, -1

It was great, if highly emotional, to see Thompson back in the Bay Area, wearing another team’s jersey. And it felt like a twist on old times as he knocked down three after three in big moments.

More than anything, though, it was clear that Thompson made the right choice. He looked grateful and excited to be back, but not sad or regretful. He seems happier and more engaged on a new team than he had in the last few years. He embraced the opportunity to go up against Green and Curry, and you could see in all of their eyes and performances just how much they wanted to beat each other.

I miss watching him in a Warriors jersey, but it’s good to see him playing well and seemingly happy.

Grade: A+

Tuesday’s DNPs: Gui Santos, Lindy Waters III
Tuesday’s inactives: Kyle Anderson, Reece Beekman, Quinten Post, Pat Spencer