Breaking down the Warriors' starters ahead of the Mavs' first NBA Cup game

Tonight the Mavericks take on the Golden State Warriors in what will be Klay Thompson's first game back against his former team, where he won four championships and was an integral part of the dynasty squad. One of the members of the “Splash Brothers”. Stephen CurryThompson had a legendary career at Golden State, where he was a five-time All-Star and helped cement the unit's legacy in basketball history.

Amid all the surrounding history, the Warriors sit in third place in the Western Conference with an overall record of 8-2 and have been one of the most surprising stories overall this season as their young players have been poised to take over the reins from vets like Curry and Draymond Green.

READ MORE: Dallas Mavericks chances to win NBA Cup revealed

When it comes to the Warriors' point guard, it's obvious: Steph Curry, the best shooter in NBA history, is still in his 16th season in the league. Averaging 22.0 points per game on 47% from the field and 43% from three, Curry is still the Dubs' leading scorer in 2024, while also providing 6.3 assists and averaging 1.9 steals.

Starting with the shooting guard De'Anthony Meltonwho has been injured for part of this season but has played in the Warriors' last two games. The defensive specialist collects 9.6 points per game and is assigned Luka Doncic And Kyrie Irving alternatively. The Mavericks will see minutes of that too Buddy Hieldwho has taken over Klay Thompson's role as a catch-and-shoot specialist and is currently second on the Warriors in scoring at 18.0 points per game while shooting 48.8% from distance.

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The small forward spot is held by Andrew Wigginswho ranks third in Golden State with 15.5 points per game. Entering his tenth season in the league, Wiggins was the number one overall pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014, and while he never quite lived up to that billing, he has had a very productive career with various franchises.

It will be at power forward Draymond Greena member of the Warriors' original championship corps who is averaging 8.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game this season. Green, another defensive specialist in the starting lineup alongside Melton, is still providing productive minutes at this late point in his career and will likely be used in certain defensive sets against Doncic depending on the context.

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Trayce Jackson Davisthe second-year out of Indiana, will be the starting center for Golden State tonight. Best known as a play-finisher, Jackson-Davis was selected 57th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft and has drastically outperformed his draft position. He is currently averaging 7.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game over 16.8 minutes.

Off the bench players will be like Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, Kevon Looney, Lindy WatersAnd Gary Payton II. The Warriors legitimately have a defensive rating of 13, as all of these players averaged double-digit minutes when they played. This will undoubtedly be a challenge for Dallas as Golden State's defense has been outstanding this season and they have so many bodies that they are able to stay fresh.

READ MORE: Mavericks at Warriors: How to watch, TV, time, ratings and preview

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