Dirk Nowitzki Scored 21 Points As The Mavericks Beat The Warriors By 35


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No one knows for certain if this is, indeed, going to be Dirk Nowitzki’s final season in the NBA. He’s deferred questions about it until the offseason, he’s 40, and there’s a whole lot of miles on those wheels, but Nowitzki has also left the door open for a return. One thing is for certain: Dirk and the Dallas Mavericks walked into Oracle Arena on Saturday night and beat the hell out of the Golden State Warriors.

The Mavericks picked up a stunning 126-91 road victory over the best team in the Western Conference. While the game was played without Steph Curry, no one could have predicted that kind of a loss for the two-time defending champs. Then again, no one could have predicted that Nowitzki would turn back the clock, going for a season-high 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field and a 5-for-8 clip from deep.

Luka Doncic had a huge night — 23 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists — but the story of the evening was Nowitzki, who made more threes than the entire Warriors team. With the scoring output, Germany’s best basketball export joined an historic group.

Additionally, it’s been a long, long time since Golden State got thrashed in their building like this. For the last time it happened, you have to go back to when Nowitzki dropping 21 points in a game was an off evening for him.

So what was the reason for the big night? Perhaps it was because he had a little added motivation in the crowd in the form of an old pal who is currently a consultant for the Dubs.

We’ll see what the future holds when the offseason rolls around, but regardless, Dirk will forever be the man.

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