LUKA Doncic missed a triple-double by one assist and the host Dallas Mavericks combined impressive 3-point-shooting and defensive efforts into a season-saving 48 minutes Tuesday night (Wednesday in Manila), preventing a Golden State Warriors celebration with a 119-109 triumph in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
Reggie Bullock connected on playoffs-career-high-tying six of the Mavericks’ 20 3-pointers. The Dallas defense limited the Golden State star tandem of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to a combined 32 points, forcing the best-of-seven series back to San Francisco for a fifth game on Thursday (Friday in Manila), with the Warriors leading 3-1.
Seeking to rebound from three defeats that had come by a total of 43 points, the Mavericks dominated the second and third quarters, which were separated by an additional 20 minutes. A Dallas rainstorm found its way onto the court through a leaky roof in the American Airlines Center.
Having shot 11-for-23 on 3-point attempts in the first half while building a 62-47 advantage, the Mavericks responded best to the delay, getting two 3-pointers apiece from Dorian Finney-Smith and Doncic plus a fifth from Bullock in a 19-9 burst that opened a 25-point advantage.
Dallas went on to lead by as many as 29, then survived a late flurry by an all-reserves Warriors lineup to win for the first time since a 123-90 shocker against the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in Game 7 of the Western semifinals.
Doncic finished with game highs in points (30), rebounds (14) and assists (nine) while also contributing three 3-pointers to the Dallas total. Finney-Smith added four treys to account for a majority of his 23 points. — Field Level Media
