When the Warriors came all the way back from a 19-point deficit to take a fourth quarter lead on Friday against the Mavericks at the Chase Center, the go-ahead 3-point shot came from an unlikely source.
Steph Curry, Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson all made key 3-pointers to pull away from the Dallas Mavericks, but the basket that put Golden State ahead for the first time all night came from ninth-year veteran Otto Porter Jr.
In a game in which center Kevon Looney stole the spotlight for Golden State with a career-best 21 points and 12 rebounds in a 126-117 win over Dallas, two other role players, Porter and 19-year-old rookie Moses Moody, provided critical contributions to cap off a win that gave the Warriors a 2-0 series lead.
Porter has been one of the Warriors’ most consistent bench players since the start of the playoffs, but after missing the final conference semifinals game against Memphis with foot soreness, Porter has taken advantage of the Mavericks with his size and play-making abilities.
A fadeaway corner 3-pointer with 11:42 remaining Friday gave the Warriors an 86-85 lead and a steal on the next possession followed by a defensive rebound ultimately enabled Golden State to pad its advantage. After Memphis tied the game at 90-90 with 9:50 remaining, Porter collected an offensive rebound following a Looney miss and put the Warriors ahead by two.
Porter scored again off a Poole assist later in the quarter and by the time he checked out with 6:44 remaining, a two-point deficit had turned into an eight-point Warriors lead.
It was hardly a surprise head coach Steve Kerr leaned on Porter to play key fourth quarter minutes with forward Draymond Green in foul trouble, but the fact Moody was part of the contingent that started the quarter came as a mild surprise.
The 2021 lottery pick has mostly played in garbage time during the Warriors’ playoff run, but after guard Damion Lee turned in an abysmal five-minute stint in the second quarter, Kerr turned to Moody when he needed to rest Curry and Thompson at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
“Moses has a real calm about him,” Kerr said. “He doesn’t seem like a 19-year-old rookie. He’s had some great games for us this year including one in Dallas where he was huge in a fourth quarter. We’ve had Moses in mind for this series and it felt like the right time to play him.”
Moody was up for the challenge as he finished a 10-minute stint of turnover free-basketball with a plus-minus of +8, an indication of a job well done. Moody wasn’t flawless on the defensive end of the floor, but he took care of the basketball, set up his teammates and made a driving layup with 3:10 remaining to push Golden State up by eight.
Moody’s steadiness offered a contrast to Lee, who went 0-for-2 and was involved in a tense altercation with Mavericks forward David Bertans as the two were tangled up and exchanged words on a play that led to technical fouls being assessed for both players.
In the end it was Looney, Curry and Poole who anchored the Warriors amid their comeback, but as the series moves to Dallas, Golden State saw the value of depth on full display against the Mavericks.
