Golden State @ Dallas preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 14, 2017 ) Dallas 97, Golden State 112

The Golden State Warriors made sure to wait until Stephen Curry was 100 percent before bringing him back from an ankle injury, and he certainly appeared healthy in his first game back. Curry will try to follow up a 38-point outburst when the Warriors open a three-game road trip by visiting the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.

Curry sat out 11 straight games recovering from an ankle injury and wowed the home crowd in his return by going 12-of-17 from the floor in 26 minutes, including 10-of-13 from 3-point range, in Saturday's 141-128 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. "I was just happy to be back out there with my guys," Curry told reporters. "You sit and watch for 11 games, you just wonder what it's going to be like to get back out there, and I finally got that opportunity. I really didn't know what to expect. I just wanted to get some good reps, get up and down, see how my wind was and, surprisingly, I think my body felt way better than I expected." The Mavericks are winners of four in a row and are coming home after an impressive three-game trip in which they topped the Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder. "We're playing better, and we're doing better in these situations," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle told reporters after his team held off the Thunder 116-113. "Guys just hung together and found a way to close it out, and it's not easy with those three superstars that they've got. But we did it as a team with stops, made some big plays, and it will be a happy new year."

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, NBCS Bay Area (Golden State), FS Southwest (Dallas)

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (29-8): Curry was on a minutes restriction Saturday but will be eased back into a heavier load and is expected to play both ends of a back-to-back on Wednesday and Thursday, when Golden State heads to Houston. His presence seemed to have a positive impact on the rest of the lineup as well, with the Warriors shooting 58.8 percent from the floor and handing out 37 assists on 50 field goals against Memphis. The one negative was All-Star power forward Draymond Green, who picked up two quick technical fouls in the second quarter and was ejected, bringing his total number of technical fouls to an NBA-high 10 on the season.

ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (13-25): Dallas' last four wins have come by an average of five points, and the continued maturation of rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. is one reason the team is beginning to pull out close games. Smith recorded his first career triple-double in Friday's win at New Orleans and followed that up with 19 points and six assists in the victory over the Thunder. "(Smith) was great tonight," Carlisle told reporters after beating Oklahoma City. "He finished the game with a couple of big baskets and some big free throws. ... He went through some situations, but he kept his energy up, he kept his head up and he kept attacking. He kept encouraging everybody in the huddles during timeouts, too, so it was just so much growth. I'm really happy for him."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Curry's younger brother, Mavericks SG Seth Curry, has yet to play this season due to a stress reaction in his left tibia and is not close to a return.

2. Warriors C Zaza Pachulia was perfect on Saturday, going 6-of-6 from the floor, 5-of-5 from the line and handing out six assists without a turnover.

3. Golden State took the last eight in the series, including a 112-97 home win on Dec. 14.

PREDICTION: Warriors 123, Mavericks 110