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And there's nothing Luka Doncic has been able to do about it.
Doncic had his second consecutive 40-point game Sunday night,
but the Warriors countered with quality efforts from several
players, including Stephen Curry with a team-high 31 points and
Andrew Wiggins with a playoffs career-high 27 in a 109-100
victory that gave them a 3-0 advantage in the Western Conference
finals.
Curry and Wiggins wrapped up double-doubles with 11 assists and
rebounds, respectively, and Klay Thompson chipped in with 19
points as the Warriors moved within a win Tuesday night of
closing out the best-of-seven series and claiming a spot in the
NBA Finals for the sixth time in the last eight seasons.
"This is what it's about. This is the best time of the year,"
Warriors coach Steve Kerr gushed afterward. "To be involved in
it again is special. We've missed this the last couple of years.
"This is probably our best stretch of the season. We've got a
lot of guys playing at a high level right now."
Seeking to rebound from a pair of series-opening losses in San
Francisco, the Mavericks countered with three players who
performed at a high level, led by Doncic, who had a game-high 40
points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Spencer Dinwiddie
complemented him with 26 points off the bench, while Jalen
Brunson went for 20.
But the other six Mavericks who saw action in the game combined
for 14 points on 5-for-27 shooting, much to Mavericks coach
Jason Kidd's chagrin.
"When you look at the three guys who scored, that's just not
enough against the Warriors," Kidd assessed. "We need more guys
to contribute."
Especially on the backboards. Wiggins grabbed six offensive
rebounds and surprise Game 2 star Kevon Looney had four among
his team-high 12 total rebounds, helping Golden State accumulate
14 offensive boards, 18 second-chance points and 46 points in
the paint.
"Eighteen second-chance points -- it just puts you in a bad
situation," Kidd assured. "I've said this before: We're going to
live and die by the 3(-pointer). But we're dying by not getting
the rebounds and giving them second-chance opportunities."
Up just 48-47 after a first half in which neither team shot
well, the Warriors got scoring from six different players in a
30-21 third-quarter burst to open a double-digit lead. Curry had
11 of his 31 points in the quarter, including a pair of
3-pointers.
The Mavericks, who came back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to
eliminate top-seeded Phoenix in the second round, got as close
as 89-83 with 7:16 remaining on a Davis Bertans dunk.
But Curry countered with a pair of free throws and Wiggins blew
the game open with a pair of dunks, one on which he flew over
Doncic for an electrifying slam that was originally called an
offensive foul but later overturned.
The Mavericks had one more run in them, closing within 104-99 on
3-pointers by Doncic and Dinwiddie with still over a minute to
play. But Jordan Poole delivered the crushing blow with a
3-pointer with 54.2 seconds left.
"Big shot by JP," Curry credited. "Klay started the fourth with
some big shots. Wiggs was unbelievable. That dunk. That putback.
He's everywhere with his energy. It's just a great team win."
Curry shot 10-for-20 overall and Wiggins 11-for-20, helping
Golden State outshoot the hosts 46.9 percent to 40.0 percent.
Draymond Green and Poole each chipped in with 10 points for
Golden State, which won a road game for an NBA-record 26th
consecutive playoff series.
"That number is crazy," Curry declared. "When you're up 2-0 and
you come on the road and try to get control of the series ...
that's huge. We obviously know the job is not done. We get to
play with house money on Tuesday and try to get it done."
Doncic shot 4-for-9 on 3-pointers and Dinwiddie 4-for-10, but
the Mavericks earned just a 39-33 scoring edge from beyond the
arc despite taking 13 more 3-point attempts than the visitors.
--Field Level Media
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