Warriors storm past Mavericks, take 3-0 series lead

The Golden State Warriors are just one win away from their sixth NBA Finals appearance in eight seasons after storming past the Dallas Mavericks 109-100 to take a 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference Finals series.

Stephen Curry was stupendous for the Warriors, finishing the game with 31 points, 5 rebounds and 11 assists on 10-of-20 from the field and 5-of-10 from three. The 34-year-old is well on his way to being named the inaugural Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP but calling it a “carry-job” would be underselling the play of his teammates. Andrew Wiggins had a playoff career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds on 11-of-20 from the field, including an enormous poster dunk over a leaping Luka Dončić which was initially ruled an offensive foul before being overturned. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green combined for 29 points and 12 rebounds, whilst Kevon Looney added 9 points and 12 rebounds of his own. Otto Porter Jr. lasted just seven minutes being leaving the game with foot soreness, opening up minutes for the likes of Moses Moody and Juan Toscano-Anderson.

The Mavericks were again led by the sensational play of Dončić, who had a game-high 40 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 3 assists but was, however, a game-worst -19. Jalen Brunson’s terrific postseason continued, with the 25-year-old adding 20 points on 7-of-12 from the field, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, whilst Spencer Dinwiddie poured in 26 points off the bench. Reggie Bullock and Maxi Kleber both had nights to forget, with the pair shooting a combined 0-of-15 from the field and 0-of-12 from three. Dallas, who have been buoyed by their three-point shot-making all playoffs long, hit just 13 of their 45 attempts from deep with their catch-and-shoot swingmen struggling to find any rhythm.

Golden State began to pull away from Dallas throughout the third quarter, where they outscored the home team 30-21. The Mavericks were able to make a higher number of threes and free-throws than the Warriors, but Golden State dominated in the paint and on the glass, as well as finishing +10 in the assists department. Dallas’ red-hot shooting they displayed in their series victory over Phoenix has not made the transition into this series and their season is on life support as a result. Golden State are getting star-calibre production out of Curry and their ball movement and shooting ability has opened up the offence for the likes of Wiggins, Thompson, and Poole, whilst their defence – anchored by Green and Looney – has been strong enough for them to close out games.

Game 4 will be played at 11:00am on Wednesday (AEST) in Dallas, where the Mavericks will be attempting to keep their season alive. The Warriors, however, will have their sights set on punching their ticket back to the NBA Finals. No team in league history has come back from a 3-0 series deficit, which means Dallas will have to pull off the impossible if they are to win their first championship since 2011. The winner of the series will face the winner between Miami and Boston, with the Heat currently up two games to one with Game 3 to be played tomorrow.

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