The Dallas Mavericks saved their first elimination game on Tuesday and made it 1-3 in their West final against the Golden State Warriors (119-109) thanks to a collective display of triples and a Luka Doncic who stayed just one assist of the triple-double.
Dallas experienced a rain of triples from the Mavericks (a fantastic 20 of 43) and also a real one outside the stadium, since the downpour that fell on Tuesday forced the start of the third quarter to be delayed due to leaks. The water did not wet Doncic's gunpowder, who finished the game with 30 points (10 of 26 shooting), 14 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
Dallas dazzled in the first three quarters and started the last one with a 29 that seemed definitive, but the Warriors reserves got to 8 points and Doncic had to give one more push to close the victory.
Dorian Finney-Smith (23 points on 9-of-13 shooting) and Reggie Bullock (18 points on 6-of-10 three-point shooting) stood out in a Mavericks with six players over 10 points. For his part, Stephen Curry (20 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists) was the best of the Warriors who were a disappointing 10 of 28 on three-pointers.
The Western final now returns to San Francisco, where the fifth game will be played on Thursday and where the Mavericks will continue their quest to achieve what no one has achieved before in the NBA: come back from 3-0 against in the playoffs (146 -0 in history for the teams that won the first three games)
In the Mavericks' perimeter shipwreck in Game 3 (13-for-45), Kleber, Finney-Smith and Bullock all had an unfortunate and prominent spot going 2-for-17 from 3-point range between the three.
The beginning of the fourth duel was quite the opposite since each one of them added two triples in the first quarter and the Mavericks struck first (28-24) after a solid 7 of 12 in the outside shot and a firm attitude in defense and the rebound.
Curry started with finesse and 10 points in the opening quarter, but Dallas' second unit kept up the good work while Doncic took a breather (37-31 with 8:45 left at halftime). In this way, Brunson led the Mavericks to overcome the 10-point advantage against a Warriors disoriented in defense and thick in attack.
Without a visitor reaction, the Mavericks went to the locker room with very good feelings (62-47), a very choral game (Doncic had 13 points) and a fireworks show in the triple (11 of 23) that contrasted with the drought Warriors outside (3 of 16).
The delay due to the leaks of the American Airlines Center in Dallas did not disrupt the rhythm of the Mavericks. Thus, two consecutive triples by Finney-Smith forced the Warriors to ask for an early time-out before the game got completely out of hand (72-50 with 9:24 on the clock).
Faced with individual or zone defense, Dallas' ball circulation, with Doncic shining in the direction, worked with exquisite precision and the released triples followed one after another against some Warriors in which Thompson's awakening was not enough.
With all this, two consecutive triples by Dinwiddie led the locals to their greatest advantage just before the start of the fourth quarter (99-70). Kerr seemed to throw in the towel and none of his starters stepped on the court at the start of the fourth quarter, but a 0-9 start by the Warriors' reserves kept the excitement going (99-79 with 9:32 to go).
The zone choked the Mavericks as the Warriors kept cutting back with Poole, Kuminga, Bjelica, Moody and Lee. San Francisco's astonishing second unit came within 8 points thanks to a triple by Kuminga, but Doncic, already with the Warriors' starters in front again, took care of sealing the victory and clearing away the ghosts of that second game that they lost after leading by 19 points.
