The Western Conference featured a marquee matchup as the Warriors and Mavericks faced off in a crucial battle for playoff positioning. Both teams, last year’s conference finalists, are fighting tooth and nail for a direct spot in the postseason. As Jeetbuzz Login noted, the outcome of this game could heavily tilt the balance. With Luka Dončić returning to the lineup and Dallas enjoying home-court advantage, the odds were stacked against a Warriors team notoriously poor on the road this season.

Golden State’s road struggles have been well-documented. Only bottom-tier teams like the Pistons, Spurs, and Rockets have worse away records. And once again, the Warriors looked flat from the opening tip. Facing a Kyrie-less Mavericks squad, they quickly fell behind. Jeetbuzz Login analysts emphasized that this wasn’t just another road loss—it was a glaring exposure of their defensive weaknesses.

Draymond Green has openly criticized the team’s lack of discipline on the road, pointing to a failure in unity and energy. But at the heart of their issues is defense—or the lack of it. The Warriors currently rank as the worst defensive team on the road, and that vulnerability was brutally highlighted by Dončić’s dominance. Golden State simply had no answer for him.

Head coach Steve Kerr tried various matchups. He started with Klay Thompson, but Thompson, post-injury, no longer possesses the lateral quickness or physicality to contain elite scorers. Next up was Jonathan Kuminga, whose athleticism seemed promising. However, Dončić exploited Kuminga’s inexperience, manipulating him with ease in one-on-one scenarios.

Ironically, the Warriors had previously cracked the code on defending Dončić in last year’s playoffs. Back then, they used a combination of taller, faster, and more physical wings to hound him full court, while teammates cut off his passing lanes. That strategy paid off, and for a while, Golden State was arguably the best team in the league at slowing Dončić down.

But as Jeetbuzz Login points out, the key piece to that puzzle—Andrew Wiggins—has been out for an extended stretch. The absence of Gary Payton II has only made things worse. Without their two most trusted defenders, the Warriors lack both perimeter strength and size, making their defense highly vulnerable. Simply put, they’re undersized and overmatched.

Golden State continues to wait for Wiggins and Payton to return, knowing that without them, the team’s defensive identity is incomplete. Until then, games like this one serve as a wake-up call. The road to the playoffs demands more than just talent—it demands grit, cohesion, and above all, defense.