After their loss in the closing seconds on Wednesday night against the Utah Jazz, the Warriors returned to the friendly confines of Oracle Arena to start a four-game homestand with a matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks, who beat the Warriors on November 17th, would be short-handed for this game as they would not have Dennis Smith Jr., who missed the game with a sprained right wrist.
Even though they were without their point guard, the Mavericks made life very tough for the Warriors. The Warriors struggled for much of the first half, trailing by as many as nine points, before retaking the lead in the third quarter.