Philippine Daily Inquirer Digital Edition

Golden State a win shy of NBA finals

Warriors gang up on one-man Mavericks show as Golden State now just a win shy of sweep and Finals return

—REUTERS

Luka Doncic had his second consecutive 40-point game on 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. “This is the best time of the year,” War- riors coach Steve Kerr said.

The Golden State Warriors are one win away from another trip to the NBA Finals. They’re doing it as a team. And there’s nothing Luka Doncic has been able to do about it.

Doncic had his second consecutive 40-point game on 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 on Tuesday night of closing out the best-ofseven 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.”

No bench support

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. the other six MaverBut icks who saw action combined for only 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 three[-pointer]. But we’re dying by not getting the rebounds and giving them second-chance opportunities.”

The Mavericks had one more run in them, closing within 104-99 on three-pointers by Doncic and Dinwiddie with still over a minute to play. But Jordan Poole delivered the crushing blow with a three-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.”

Draymond Green and Poole each chipped in with 10 points for Golden State, which won a road for an NBA-record 26th congame secutive playoff series.

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2022-05-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

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Philippine Daily Inquirer