Mavs keeping the faith going into Game 4 against Golden State

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (3-0) AT MAVERICKS (0-3)

Time: 8 p.m., Tuesday.

Place: American Airlines Center, Dallas

TV: TNT

Radio: The Eagle, 97.1 FM; Univision 99.1 FM (Spanish)

About the Mavericks: The Mavs will try to avoid a sweep in this series tonight. They have not lost four games in a row at any point this season and after tonight they hope to be on a plane Wednesday to play a Game 5 in San Francisco on Thursday at 8 p.m. . .Luka Doncic scored a game-high 40 points and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds in Sunday’s 109-100 loss in Game 3 of this series, one game after scoring 42 points in Game 2. Also for the Mavs in Game 3, Spencer Dinwiddie tallied 26 points off the bench and Jalen Brunson added 20 points. . .The Mavs shot just 40 percent from the field in Game 3, and nailed only 13 of their 45 baskets from three-point land for 28.9 percent. . .The Mavs are averaging just 18 assists per game against the Warriors. Why? “We’re not making shots,” coach Jason Kidd said. “The season is about a flow and being consistent, and that’s one of the hardest things to do in this league is to be consistent. If you look at the beginning of the season we were shooting them off the side of the backboard and they weren’t going in and there was panic from the outside. But jump shooting teams go — they go in or they don’t. And sometimes there’s a rhythm or flow of things. We had some great looks again (in Game 3) that went in and out. Sometimes that’s what happens in sports. They go in and sometimes they don’t.”. .The Warriors scored 112 points in Game 1, 126 in Game 2, but only 109 in Game 3. As far as the Mavs are concerned, they’re making progress in slowing down the Warriors’ high-flying offense. “We were better (Sunday) night,” coach Jason Kidd said. “They didn’t score 120. When you can hold them to 109 that gives you an opportunity to be in a game. Unfortunately, we didn’t shoot the ball well, and you’ve got to give them credit. They took advantage and they kept the lead. Any time we got it to eight or six (points), they were able to respond. And that’s something from us to understand how to learn from Stephen (Curry) or from Klay (Thompson) being able to execute when teams do make a run, how to answer. And they answered every time we tried to make a run.”

About the Warriors: Stephen Curry had 31 points, five rebounds and a game-high 11 assists during the Warriors’ 109-100 victory over the Mavs in Game 3 of this series. Curry was 10-of-20 from the field, including 5-of-10 from beyond the three-point arc. It was his 53rd career playoff game converting at least five three-pointers. No other player has even 30 playoff games in NBA history with five made three-pointers. . .Andrew Wiggins finished Sunday with a career playoff-high 27 points and a career playoff-high tying 11 rebounds. It was the third double-double of this postseason for Wiggins, and the third double-double of his playoff career. . .Warriors coach Steve Kerr said: “This is probably our best stretch of the season where we’ve been able to put together really good lineups, different combinations that maybe we weren’t able to get to the regular season and we’ve got a lot of guys playing at a high level.”. .In Game 3, the Warriors outrebounded the Mavs, 47-33, including 14-7 on the offensive end of the floor. Golden State also outscored the Mavs on second-chance points, 18-4, and in points in the paint, 46-34. . .The Warriors have outscored the Mavs in the paint in this series, 152-96. The 50.7 scoring average is the  most by the Warriors in the paint in a playoff series since 2015. . .Kerr was asked if his team is playing like a championship team. Kerr: “I love the position we’re in. I love the fact that our team came in and got the win (Sunday). You know, this was the one we felt like we had to get. Coming here, up 2-0, you’ve got to take advantage of your momentum. You can’t let a team back in. We know how good Dallas is, so I’m just really proud of the way our guys played (Sunday) and competed and got the job done.”. .In the first round of the playoffs against Denver, the Warriors had a 3-0 lead in that best-of-seven series. But they dropped Game 4 on the road before closing the series at home in Game 5. In the second round of the playoffs against Memphis, the Warriors had a 3-1 lead over the Grizzlies. But Memphis won Game 5 at home before the Warriors closed the series by winning Game 6 in San Francisco.

Twitter: @DwainPrice