NBA Wrap: Dallas Mavericks defeat Golden State Warriors; Toronto Raptors defeat Milwaukee Bucks
The Toronto Raptors ended their own 15-game winless streak and gave the Milwaukee Bucks their sixth defeat in six games. In other NBA action, the Dallas Mavericks ended the Golden State Warriors’ record-setting six-game winning streak.
On Saturday, April 6, 2024, Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett drives to the hoop against the Milwaukee Bucks.
With 31 points from Gary Trent Jr. and a nearly triple-double from Immanuel Quickley, Toronto defeated Milwaukee 117-111 on Friday, snapping the Raptors’ 15-game losing streak and prolonging the Bucks’ late-season slump.
With Quickley scoring 25 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and dishing out nine assists, and Trent making 7 of 15 three-pointers, the Raptors defeated Milwaukee for the fifth time in six games. With 26 points, RJ Barrett helped Toronto win for the first time since March 3.
Damian Lillard scored 36 points in his return after a three-game hiatus, but the Bucks’ problems persisted. Despite having a strained hamstring, Giannis Antetokounmpo was unable to play for Milwaukee, leaving the team without its other superstar.
Five minutes into the second quarter, Toronto was behind 40–30, and it looked like they were headed for another loss. However, Trent led the Raptors to a 16-3 run later in the half, which put them ahead 56-51 with one minute remaining before halftime.
Midway through the third quarter, a Trent 3-pointer gave the Raptors a 77-63 advantage, eventually pushing the lead to 14 points; however, the Bucks narrowed the deficit later in the frame. In the last second of the third, Lillard finished off a 10-2 run with a 3-pointer to cut Milwaukee’s score to 87-84.
With 20.4 seconds remaining and the Raptors up 113-111, Khris Middleton missed a possible game-winning 3-point shot, giving Milwaukee a chance to close the gap. After making two free throws, Quickley kept the Bucks scoreless for the remainder of the game.
For the Bucks, Bobby Portis scored 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds off the bench, while Middleton finished with 21 points.
Mavericks Break Warriors’ Winning Streak, Starring Washington
With 4.5 seconds remaining, P.J. Washington sealed a 32-point performance by making a game-winning layup to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 108-106 victory over Golden State, snapping the Warriors’ record-breaking six-game winning run.
Tim Hardaway Jr. of Dallas found a cutting Washington for an inside basket to put the Mavericks back ahead after Golden State had knotted the game at 106-106 on a jumper by Stephen Curry with 13 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Just before the final buzzer, Klay Thompson missed a 3-point attempt, but Dallas managed to hold on for its 13th victory in its previous 15 games.
Stepping up with the Mavericks holding out star guard Luka Dončić in the second of a back-to-back, Washington completed 12 of 18 from the floor, while Kyrie Irving contributed 26 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists for Dallas.
Curry finished with 28 points, 14 of which came in the fourth quarter when there were less than six minutes remaining in the game and the Warriors were down 98-88.
In the same way that Golden State overcame a sluggish start, Dallas led 29–13 after less than eight minutes of play. But the Warriors went on a 19-2 run to end the first quarter and led 32-31 going into the second.
With less than 11 minutes remaining in the game, the Mavericks took an 84-76 lead after scoring the first five points of the fourth quarter. Up until that time, the game was close.
Suns Get a Quick Start and Beat the Timberwolves
With a 97-87 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Phoenix Suns maintained their late-season momentum thanks to a fast start and a solid performance by Grayson Allen.
On a night when All-Star Devin Booker was limited to 13 points on 3-of-12 shooting, Allen provided Phoenix a boost with his 23 points and eight rebounds. Allen was a former Duke player.
In the Suns’ third straight victory, Kevin Durant scored 22 points, while Jusuf Nurkic finished with 11 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists.
In addition to recording 13 assists, Booker scored the opening five points of Phoenix’s 15-0 run to start the game. The Suns never trailed, leading 32-20 at the half after shooting 55% in the first quarter to take a 57-41 lead into the half.
Conversely, Minnesota had trouble scoring the whole game and trailed by as many as 23 points in the fourth quarter.
