Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry said it was a "dumb play" to pass up a potential game-tying layup on his team's penultimate possession of Tuesday's 116-113 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Curry appeared to have a clear path down the lane for a chance to level the score at 115, but instead, he pulled up and tried to launch a three before getting called for a controversial travel.

"Bang, bang situation," Curry told reporters. "Dumb play by me to not take the layup. I got a little confused on what the time and score was. Going for the hero shot. I didn’t think it was a travel to the point where let the play run out. But who am I to say?"

Golden State wasn't in the penalty late in the fourth quarter, so it had to foul twice after Curry's travel and six valuable seconds ran off the clock.

Dorian Finney-Smith missed his second free throw to give the Warriors one more chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but Klay Thompson couldn't connect on a game-tying three at the buzzer.

The loss dropped Golden State's record to 11-11, including a 2-10 mark on the road.

Luka Dončić posted his fifth triple-double of the season for the Mavs with 41 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in 39 minutes as he continues to establish himself as the early MVP favorite.

Tim Hardaway Jr. added 22 points, highlighted by a key three-pointer with just under two minutes remaining to put Dallas ahead for good.

"Hardaway's shot was the key, I thought, down the stretch," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. "We have to expect that teams are going to make shots against us. We're going to be circled on every team's calendar."

Despite the loss, the Warriors are still trending heavily in the right direction with five wins in their past seven games to help right the ship after a 3-7 start to their latest title defense.

If Golden State is going to get back to a championship level, however, it's going to need continued improvement on the defensive end. Dallas shot 46.2 percent from the field and knocked down 15 threes in Tuesday's matchup.

The Dubs rank 20th in defensive efficiency so far during the 2022-23 season, per ESPN.

Curry and Co. will attempt to resume their rise up the Western Conference standings when they open a three-game homestand Friday against the Chicago Bulls.