The Golden State Warriors stormed out towards what seemed certain to become a dominant win. A 37-24 thumping that was all the more impressive given how short-handed the Warriors were.

But in the end, it was the Dallas Mavericks that had the last laugh, stymieing that same Warriors offense that scored 37 points in the first quarter and holding them to a meager 13 in the final frame. It was a 20 point differential that proved way too much.

I watched that first quarter, went to make dinner (grilled chicken sandwiches with bacon and provolone) and came back to a two-point game; so I can’t tell you exactly what happened in that 4th quarter. But then again. But then again, neither can the Warriors. When things break down to that extent, when the rotations are all slow, none of the bounces go your way, it’s a bit of everything going wrong all at once.

Eight and a half minutes. Scoreless.

Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater

Another collapse at home from the Warriors, losing a 21-point lead. Dallas beats them 34-13 in the fourth quarter. Warriors didn't make a shot from 9:59 until 1:30 of the quarter. Drought of 8.5 minutes. They're 2-5 in their last seven. Now only 1.5 games up on Memphis.

3:09 AM ∙ Feb 28, 2022

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This is some sad trombone stuff here.

Now, Golden State isn’t always going to be this short handed, but then again, there’s still a fair amount of temporal space to cover before meaningful reinforcements show up. This one may be especially painful for those amongst the fan base who were hoping for some action at the trade deadline.

Yes, the Warriors were missing huge swaths of their rotation due to injury, but that’s sort of the point of people who’ve been clamoring for some sort of reaction from the front office. This has been the status quo for the season. I don’t know that someone like Robin Lopez would have helped much, but it’s games like this where I most strongly understand those yelling at the front office to do something.

Warriors on NBCS @NBCSWarriors

Kerr: "We can't just say, well, when Draymond and Andre are back, we'll be better"

3:37 AM ∙ Feb 28, 2022

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Hopefully Klay Thompson will be back for the next game. James Wiseman is travelling with the team and appears to be honing in on a full return sooner rather than later.

But the biggest irony here is that the Mavericks stole a page out of the Warriors playbook, leaning into the whole “we don’t need centers” lifestyle, and blowing up the Warriors’ complicated offense with a switch-heavy small ball approach.

Joe Viray @JoeVirayNBA

Jason Kidd leaned into small lineups with switchable personnel to switch a LOT of the Warriors’ actions. Felt like that was the key adjustment. Don’t think Dwight Powell has seen time on the floor since the 3rd quarter.

3:03 AM ∙ Feb 28, 2022

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We’ll have more on this game for you tomorrow. Golden State has the day off for mental reflection and angry film review before taking on the feisty Timberwolves on Tuesday.