The Warriors cooled off a red-hot Luka Doncic and took advantage of a dreadful Mavericks 3-point shooting night, but they lacked the firepower to compete with the fearsome Mavs at the American Airlines Center.

Doncic, who averaged 35.8 points, 11.2 assists, and 11.0 rebounds in March, finished the game with 21 points and nine rebounds. Dallas went 6-for-27 (22.2%) from three, but compensated by scoring 68 points in the paint.

Golden State was without Steph Curry (ankle sprain) and Draymond Green, who was a late scratch due to low back pain. Their absences put the scoring responsibility on Jonathan Kuminga (game-high 27 points) and created a dearth of physicality on both ends, which Dallas took full advantage of. Center Daniel Gafford recorded seven of Dallas’ 13 blocks, serving as a consistent deterrent around the rim.

“Our defense was not the problem,” Steve Kerr stated afterward. “Our offensive was far more significant. They had 13 blocked shots, the majority of which were the result of us recklessly driving in at Gafford without first getting a body into him to knock him out of his shot-blocking stance. And then there are a lot of stagnant possessions. “There’s not enough flow or movement.”

The Warriors (34-31), who trail Dallas in the Western Conference play-off rankings, might suffer significant consequences as a result of their 109-99 loss. This season, the two teams will play two more games, each of which might determine critical seeding.

The Warriors dominated Dallas early on, drawing the first quarter. Without Curry and Green, Golden State was a huge underdog. However, Kuminga was the main offensive force, dropping 10 in the first frame by persistently attacking. The wing needed only nine minutes to reach double figures for the 43rd time in his last 45 appearances.

Kuminga made six of ten shots in the first half. His teammates went 10-for-33.

The main reason Golden State was able to hang in the low-scoring game was Dallas’ shooting troubles. The Mavericks made only one of their first 17 shots from beyond the arc.

As the Mavericks labored on the perimeter, they and the Warriors traded 13-2 runs in the second quarter. When Dallas threatened to pull away with it, Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis made crucial plays.

Dallas’ size at every position made Golden State struggle all night. The Mavericks scored 40 of their first 54 points inside the paint. Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively each swatted many shots at the rim into the stands.

Golden State managed to keep Luka Doncic under control for the first half, which was practically impossible. The Warriors pushed Doncic to start 5-for-15 by using a variety of on-ball defenders, being disciplined on his pump fakes, and loading up on the weak side for lane help.

The Warriors snapped Doncic’s seven-game stretch of triple-doubles, six of which he had scored at least 30 points each.

In the third, Doncic began to figure out the Warriors. He got a and-1 in the post from Brandin Podziemski, then blasted a step-back three. Nonetheless, Golden State persevered, entering the fourth with a six-point disadvantage.

Doncic started the fourth quarter on the bench, allowing the Warriors to make a run. Instead, Dallas shut down Golden State, outscoring them 16-4.

“We just didn’t turn the water off,” Kuminga explained. “I feel like that’s where we lost the game, they just came out hot.”

Dallas’ bigs and a slashing Kyrie Irving (23 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds) provided the most of the offense throughout the game. Dallas went 34-for-45 in the paint and held Golden State to 24-for-50 from the same range, demonstrating force inside.

“Just kind of got away from us,” Podziemski explained. “Just not getting back into transition; many of their buckets were in transition. Whether it was making three-pointers or passing the ball to Lively or Gafford at the rim and dunking it.”

The Mavericks had such a comfortable lead that they didn’t need Doncic in the fourth quarter. He stepped over to the scorer’s table to check in at one point, but the club later stated that he had hamstring soreness.

They still received 29 minutes from their hero, compared to Golden State’s 0.