The Dallas Mavericks will live to fight another day after outlasting Golden State 119-109 in Game 4 of their Western Conference Finals series to avoid the sweep and set up a Game 5 showdown back in San Francisco.
Luka Dončić led the Mavs with 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists on 10-of-26 from the field and 3-of-11 from three; it was the 11th 30-point double-double of his 27-game playoff career. Dorian Finney-Smith responded after a slow start to the series to finish with 23 points and 6 rebounds on 9-of-13 from the field and 4-of-7 from three, whilst Reggie Bullock enjoyed a bounce-back performance of his own, finishing with 18 points on 6-of-10 from three just two nights after missing all 10 of his field-goal attempts. Jalen Brunson’s steady postseason play continued, with the former-Villanova Wildcat adding 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, whilst Maxi Kleber added an efficient 13 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. The Mavericks hit 20 threes for just the sixth time in franchise playoff history from just 43 attempts.
A 39-20 fourth-quarter fightback was not enough for the Warriors, despite Stephen Curry’s 20 points and 8 assists. The 34-year-old did, however, hit on just 7 of his 16 shot attempts and finished a game-worst -23. The Warriors enjoyed some surprise production from their bench; rookie Jonathan Kuminga added 17 points and 8 rebounds in just 22 minutes of action after playing in just a combined five minutes in his previous four games. Fellow rookie Moses Moody, meanwhile, added 10 points and 2 steals off the bench, whilst Jordan Poole had 14 points and 4 assists. Draymond Green had 10 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks on 4-of-8 from the field, whilst Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson each had quiet nights, combining for just 25 points on 10-of-21 from the field.
Dallas leapt out to an early lead before adding to it with dominant second and third quarters in which they outscored Golden State by 25 points. The home team entered the final frame with a 29-point lead, which the Warriors managed to cut to eight before Dončić willed his Mavericks home to set-up a Game 5 back in San Francisco. The Mavericks shot better percentages from the field, three, and the free-throw line and also won the rebounding and assists battle for the first time this series. The shooting discrepancy was the story, however, with Dallas doubling Golden State’s three-point total. The Warriors actually scored more points in the painted area and on the break but were unable to match Dallas’ hot shooting.
Game 5 will be played at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Friday at 11:00am (AEST), where Golden State will be aiming to close out the series and advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive game. Dallas, however, have little to lose and, if they can find a way to replicate the same red-hot shooting they displayed today, they may be able to take the series back to Dallas. No team in NBA playoff history has surrendered a 3-0 lead but Golden State will still be eager to dispatch of Dallas and prepare for a meeting with Boston or Miami, who are currently tied at two-apiece out East.
