The Golden State Warriors are back in the NBA Finals after three years. In Game 5, the Dubs beat the Dallas Mavericks 120-110, but despite a 25-point lead, they had to shake a bit in the third quarter.
A 15-0 run by the visitors in the third quarter pushed the deficit back to single digits, but the Dubs caught themselves in the final part of the match and took the victory over time, winning the series 4-1. The opponent in the NBA Finals has not yet been determined, in the East, the Boston Celtics are currently leading 3-2 against the Miami Heat. The finals start next week Friday night, the Warriors definitely have home advantage.
And the Dubs also used this against the Mavs. Klay Thompson burst into flames in front of his home crowd and was the top scorer with 32 points (12/25 FG, 8/16 three). Stephen Curry (15, 5/17, 9 assists) on the other hand lasted a long time and converted only two of his seven three-pointers. Instead, it was primarily a round team presentation in which six players scored double-digit.
Andrew Wiggins (18, 7/16, 10 rebounds) again defended strongly against Doncic, Kevon Looney (10, 18 rebounds, 7 offensive) again caused problems for the Mavs under the boards. Jordan Poole (16) and Draymond Green (17, 6/7, 9 assists) rounded out the strong Warriors team.
Doncic (28, 10/28, 3/13 threes, 9 rebounds, 6 assists) was still the top scorer for Dallas, but the best player among the guests was Spencer Dinwiddie (26, 7/12 FG, 5/7 threes, 7 / 9FT ). Dorian Finney-Smith (13, 6/10) played a strong second half, while Maxi Kleber (7, 3/6, 8 rebounds) was the only Mavs player with significant minutes to have a positive plus-minus rating (+ 2).
The Dallas Mavericks season ends in Game 5
The Warriors got off to a dream start. The threes dropped, Looney got offensive rebounds, and the hosts forced turnovers. Dallas needed a few minutes, but came back into play after some time, though Doncic missed some (and got no calls) at ringside. Curry limped a bit and appeared more like a pass player (already 5 assists). Golden State still led 28-23, with Dinwiddie hitting two threes in the final 18 seconds for Dallas.
But then the avalanche followed, Thompson and Poole hit five jumpers in a row (17 points total), the shot production of dubs was just incredible at this point. That did not change either when Doncic returned. The Slovenian was cleared several times at the curve (2/12 FG at the break), on the other hand, rookie Moses Moody hit the Jumper clockwise. Dallas’ attack picked up speed again thanks to Dinwiddie, but no more stops were made. Already at the break, it smelled of a blowout, even though Curry (5) had only taken 4 throws (69:52).
And this continued to take shape after the change. Thompson already had seven threes, and Curry also entered the zone a few times. The lead grew to 25 points, but Mavs stifled the burgeoning party mood in the Chase Center with a pair of threes (Bullock, 2x Doncic). With a 15-0 run, the deficit was suddenly down to single digits before Poole stopped the bleeding just before the end of the quarter. And yet: It was only 94:84, and Dallas had hope again before the final episode.
The Warriors had a quick response before Green was benched with five errors. Dinwiddie drew three errors in a row, but the Warriors got several other chances with Looney’s work on the board. It was particularly bitter with three minutes left when Dallas stopped, but then ate a Thompson three that came out like a dagger (115-100). Two minutes before the end, coach Jason Kidd hoisted the white flag and heralded garbage time.
The most important statistic
Golden State Warriors (3) – Dallas Mavericks (4) 120: 110 (BOXSCORE), Series: 4-1
- Dallas was looking for the zone, but the Warriors Bigs were strong. Doncic traded a lot in the post, moved to the basket and yet the Mavs scored only 4 points in the zone in the first twelve minutes. The Warriors managed to defend well without errors, especially Doncic kept looking for contact, but only got a shot error in the first half.
- The Warriors’ second quarter was close to perfection. Of course, the Mavs’ defense looked really bad a couple of times, but Golden State also had a counter to it all. Five out of seven threes went through the trap, all three jumpers from the middle distance fell. The hosts scored 41 points (13/19 FG, 10/10 FT), played 11 assists and managed just 3 turnovers.
- Mavs came back with defense and threes and stops were made in the fourth quarter, but the defensive possessions were not completed. In the final section alone, the Warriors recorded a full 8 offensive rebounds, which they converted to 9 points. In the end, this was the most important aspect for the Dubs to prevent the Mavs’ looming comeback.
- Prior to the series, revenue was identified as a key statistic for the dubs, and the Warriors also performed well in Game 5. Although Dallas won this duel by 8:11, it was completely consistent with the dubs. 8 Mavs turnovers resulted in 16 Warriors points, Dallas scored only 11 points after the Warriors turnout.
- The Warriors are in the finals for the sixth time in eight years. The Chicago Bulls around Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen last managed such a race between 1991 and 1998. Under coach Steve Kerr, the Warriors in the Western Conference have not lost a single series in the playoffs since 2014.
Warriors vs. Mavs: The Voice of the Game
Draymond Green (Warriors): “It’s a special moment because no one believed we would advance to the final again with this group. Klay Thompson has two bad injuries, Steph broke his hand and two years ago we have only won 15 matches.”
Jason Kidd (Head Coach Mavs) at Luka Doncic: “I think we can all agree that it was not his best match. It was a lesson for him and the whole team. I’m not saying we had a bad season. We had a bad night on a bad one. time Time. “
Luka Doncic (Mavs): “I hate losing, especially like today. I played terribly. However, I am very proud of our team. No one believed we could get that far.”
Game star: Klay Thompson
It was not his streak in the first four games, but this time “Game 6 Klay” was there in game 5. After just 29 minutes of play, Thompson had scored as many three-pointers (7) as in the previous four games, symbolizing the Warriors ‘at times absurd shots. It’s the story of the Warriors season, where Klay heats up and dubs are hard to beat. It was only fitting that Thompson hit the dagger, it was his eighth three at night.
Game flop: Luka Doncic
It was already bitter for Mavs. The role players like Kleber, Frank Ntilikina or Dinwiddie delivered, but Brunson (10, 3/10) and Doncic could not confirm their strong playoffs. Doncic not only hit badly off the field for a long time, but was repeatedly relentlessly attacked in defense and sometimes let his opponents do without resistance. Another disadvantage of the many players who have been given away: The 23-year-old was usually the last player to switch due to extensive lament and so often put Mavs in precarious situations in the first 30 minutes. His strong second half came too late, the child had already fallen into the well.
Game scene
To clarify againthat it was not Luka Doncic’s first half and how good the Warriors’ defense was. Even when the Slovenian opponent got Andrew Wiggins wet in the post, these were not safe two points because the help was there, in this example Draymond Green who mercilessly cleared Doncic. Striking: Green even helped Doncic up afterwards, the Warriors star’s respect for the 23-year-old was evident throughout the series.
Warriors vs. Mavericks: Series overview
| Game | date | time | home | away | result |
| 1 | May 19 | 3 o’clock | Golden State Warriors | Dallas Mavericks | 112: 87 |
| 2 | 21 May | 3 o’clock | Golden State Warriors | Dallas Mavericks | 126: 117 |
| 3 | May 23 | 3 o’clock | Dallas Mavericks | Golden State Warriors | 100: 109 |
| 4 | May 25 | 3 o’clock | Dallas Mavericks | Golden State Warriors | 119: 109 |
| 5 | May 27 | 3 o’clock | Golden State Warriors | Dallas Mavericks | 120: 110 |