Sports on Draft

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Mavs Money Ball, SB NATION
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors won handily against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday evening, 112-87. The Warriors lead the series 1-0, and could easily be up 2-0 if they take care of business Game 2 at home.

If the Mavericks have any chance in this matchup against the Warriors, they are going to have to steal a game on the road. Winning a playoff game in Golden State is one tough task, no matter who the opponent is. The Warriors are undefeated at the Chase Center after their first two series.

While things could get ugly for the Mavs in a hurry, one thing NBA fans that look forward to in this series is the Luka Doncic-Steph Curry star-studded matchup.

Curry has changed the NBA for years now with his 3-pointers, and is arguably the greatest shooter in league history. Now, Doncic is becoming the face of the NBA, and has been highly praised by the basketball world.

Luka Doncic is only 23 years old, and already is an NBA superstar. Doncic has not only great size at 6’7”, but also has exceptional basketball fundamentals with the skill set of a point guard.

Doncic also is prolific in the paint, Luka will post up anyone from point guards to centers. He completely fooled 3, 4 defenders with ease on several occasions during the Mavs-Jazz series.

It’s simple for the Mavericks in order have any success against the Warriors, and it’s going to take more than just Doncic. One player who has stepped up in his absence, is Jalen Brunson.

Brunson scored a career-high 41 points in a Game 2 victory over the Utah Jazz. He helped fuel the Mavs to victory without Doncic, due to a calf strain.

Mavericks’ Head Coach, Jason Kidd, admitted that Dallas needed players besides Doncic to step up during their 2-0 hole against the Phoenix Suns. The Mavs found a way to make an incredible comeback in that series, and pulled the upset against the Suns in one of the largest margins in a Game 7 victory in the past 25 years (123-90).

Can Brunson come up big once again for the Mavs while Doncic is on the floor? Dallas will need other players like Brunson to contribute in order to have somewhat of a chance against three-time champion Steph Curry and his Warriors.