In a must-win game against a young team clearly in full-tank mode, the Dallas Mavericks came out with one of their best performances of the season, getting out to a 63-49 half-time lead against the Golden State Warriors.
Dallas came out flat, but their bench took over in the second quarter, scoring 38 points in the first half.
Brandan Wright, playing against the team who initially drafted him, had 12 points and 6 rebounds on 4-5 shooting. Rodrigue Beaubois had several acrobatic finishes in the lane, with 11 points and 4 assists on 5-8 shooting.
Golden State, who started second round picks Charles Jenkins and Jeremy Tyler with Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut shut down, was a step slow the entire first half, as the game was barely even competitive at points.
The Warriors will only keep their first-round pick if they finish in the Top 7 of the draft, and they are certainly playing like it.
For more coverage of the game, stay tuned to SB Nation Dallas exclusive story stream as well as Mavs Moneyball.