If you watched the first 24 minutes of Game 2 between the Golden State Warriors and the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night, but shut it down at halftime, you might be surprised to learn that the Warriors ended up winning 126-117. The Mavericks led 72-58 at halftime, and they seemed to be in control. However, the game finished with 180 points in the second half.
Golden State led the Mavericks by 12 in the third quarter, then they led the Mavs by 11 in the final inning to secure the victory. With this win, the Warriors are 2-0 in the series and will now move to Dallas in Games 3 and 4.
Luka Doncic did his best for Dallas, leading the game in points (42) and assists (8), but ultimately he wasn’t enough. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 32 points and five assists, and Kevin Looney had a career-high 21 points and 12 rebounds.
The loss has to be frustrating for Dallas, especially after their impressive first half. Plus, no team wants to be two games behind in a playoff series. Now, they have to figure out a way to bounce back at home. Before heading into the series, though, here are three key takeaways from Golden State’s second win.
1. Golden State dominates the paint
Dallas’ lack of a legitimate paint presence or two really ended up hurting them in this game. The Warriors have been able to get into the paint, and once at the rim, they faced little resistance. You saw that time and time again in the second half. Throughout the game, the Warriors attempted 16 shots at the rim, 14 of which were successful. That’s 87.5%. The Mavericks, on the other hand, didn’t shoot at the rim.
Overall, Dallas led by 32 points (62-30) in the paint and 43-30 in rebounds. The scoring difference in the paint was huge and a major factor in Game 2.
2. Dallas’ backcourt
If there was one bright spot for Dallas in Game 2, it was their starting backcourt. In Game 1, Doncic and Jalen Brunson combined for just 34 points and eight assists. The duo blew those numbers out of the water on Friday night. Doncic alone scored 40 points and 8 assists, and Brunson also contributed 31 points and 5 assists. For those who don’t like math, that’s a combined 71 points and 12 assists — a solid performance.
Unfortunately for Dallas, the duo didn’t get much from other players aside from Reggie Bullock’s 21 points. Doncic and Brunson can only do so much on offense for the Mavericks, so they need players like Spencer Dinwiddie (4 points in 22 minutes) and Maxi Kleber (33 minutes). Get 3 points) more of such players) advance in the series.
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3. The comeback child
You can never leave the Warriors out of the game. Even with the Mavs leading into the halftime locker room, the game still felt far from over, as it turned out to be. After trailing by as many as 19 points in the first half, the Warriors stormed all the way to the title in the second half.
It was the 12th time since Steve Kerr took over as head coach before the 2014-15 season that the Warriors have won a game by 15 points or more in the playoffs.That’s the highest number for any team in the past 25 seasons, per ESPN. This stat is a testament to Coach Kerr, and the guys he has in the locker room. They don’t panic even if things don’t go their way sooner. Instead, they’ll stick with it, believing that the ball will start bouncing its way, and often does.
