AP-
That was one big Dub.
Stephen Curry had 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, Golden State’s defense held Luka Doncic in check, and the Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks 112-87 on Wednesday night for a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.
Doncic had 20 points but shot just 6 for 18 and 3 of 10 from deep. He made back-to-back 3-pointers late in the first half to get his team within 54-45 at the break, but Curry and Klay Thompson helped the Warriors pull away in the second half.
Jalen Brunson scored 14 points but missed all five of his 3s for the surprising Mavs, who stunned the top-seeded Suns in a 123-90 thumping in Game 7 on Sunday in Phoenix.
The boisterous yellow-clad(to match the GSW jersey) sellout crowd at Chase Center brought back memories of that 2007 “We Believe” Warriors playoff team that shocked the No. 1-seeded Mavericks in a six-game first-round upset at Oracle Arena.
The Warriors reached five straight NBA Finals from 2015-19, winning in ’15, 17’ and 18. But missed the playoffs the past two years before this run. Now, they’re one win closer to getting back to the big stage.
Andrew Wiggins added 19 points, getting Golden State going by making six of his first eight shots on the way to shooting 8 for 17.
Kevon Looney remained in the starting lineup for Steve Kerr as the Golden State coach made his return to the bench after sitting out the final three games against the Memphis Grizzlies with COVID-19.
Looney finished with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists after coming in to start in the Game 6 clincher against the Grizzlies. The Warriors are now 10-2 in these playoffs dating back to their first round sweep over back-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and the six-seeded Denver Nuggets.
Coach Jason Kidd’s Mavericks couldn’t keep up in a drastic contrast of styles featuring the slow-paced Dallas attack and up-tempo Warriors.
Let’s see what adjustments come in game two on Friday.
Comments