It was a busy Monday night in the NBA with 16 teams playing their matchups. The defending NBA champions, Golden State Warriors, also hit the floor on Monday as they faced the Dallas Mavericks. The Warriors were looking to bounce back with a victory against Dallas, after falling short to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. The Mavericks, on the other hand, were hoping to finally get their first win of the season after losing their first three matchups. A crowd of more than 19,000 sold out the American Airlines Center in Dallas in what would turn out to be a blowout victory for the visitors.
Easy win for the champions
The Warriors started off strong in this one, as they opened up the game with a great first quarter. Midway through the first period, their lead was already 15 points (23-8) and they outscored the Mavericks 40-24 in the first 12 minutes. Golden State never looked back after that, as they controlled the game to the end. At halftime, the score was 65-62 for Steve Kerr's team. The Warriors went on to score 34 points in the third quarter, outscoring Dallas 34-22 in the quarter. They held a 99-84 lead heading into the final period of the game. They led by as much as 31 points, in a game that never really came into question. The final score was 133-103 as Golden State got their second win of the season.
The Mavericks are now 0-4 in the 2017-18 season.
Golden State had five different players in double-digit scoring on Monday. Steph Curry led the way with 29 points and eight assists. Kevin Durant added 25 points and eight rebounds, while Klay Thompson finished with 21 points and four rebounds.
Wesley Matthews led Dallas in scoring with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
J.J. Barea added 13 points and eight assists, while Harrison Barnes contributed with 13 points and seven assists for the Mavericks.
Memphis with another big win
After defeating the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, the Memphis Grizzlies faced the Houston Rockets on Monday night. Houston outscored Memphis 26-24 in the first quarter and held an 11-point lead (41-30) midway through the second period.
At halftime, the Rockets were in front 57-50. It was a back-and-forth affair in the third quarter, with Houston still leading 76-70 heading into the final period of the game. But in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies created their comeback. They outscored the Rockets 28-14 in the fourth quarter and ended up with a 98-90 victory. It was another big win for David Fizdale's squad, as they are now at the top of the Western Conference standings with a 3-0 record.
Marc Gasol was once again the leading scorer for the Grizzlies. Gasol finished the game with 26 points on 8-of-15 shooting, and he also added five rebounds and two assists. Mike Conley added 17 points and four assists, while James Ennis had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis.
For the Rockets, it was James Harden with 22 points and eight assists who led the way. Eric Gordon scored 21 points, while Clint Capela contributed with 14 points and six rebounds.
