Curry and the Warriors put the Mavs to sleep in comeback win
The first half of game two between the Warriors and Mavs proved to be a snooze fest for Warriors fans. The Dubs found themselves down by as many as nineteen points with two minutes to go before halftime. They would cut the lead to fourteen in those two minutes and when both teams headed for the locker room, the score read 72-58 in favor of Dallas.
But no lead is safe with the Warriors, especially at home. Before Friday night’s game their home record at Chase center in the playoffs was 6-0. And Steve Kerr realized this, preaching to stay poised as the Warriors are accustomed to being pressured in high stake moments at home. And add on the fact that they are known for being deadly in the third quarter, where they catch the opposing team off guard and gain momentum right after halftime. Game two was no exception.
The third quarter also saw the Warriors unsung hero, Kevon Looney score 14 points. He ended the game with 21 points and 12 rebounds, no doubt his best scoring game in the playoffs ever. This coming fresh off of the 22 rebounds in game six against the Grizzles last round. His play has been phenomenal in the playoffs as he continues to quiet the doubters that said the Warriors needed a true big man to be successful.
It wasn’t just Looney who stepped up, but several others stepped up. Wiggins had 16 points, Klay 15, Poole 23, Porter 11, and Curry with a team high 32 points. All of which was needed to make the comeback in the second half. It seemed like no one settled for jump shots and the ball wasn’t sticking like Draymond had advised them to do after game one. Looney had a few clutch offensive rebounds and straightaway shots at the rim while Curry, Poole, and Thompson attacked the rim and got themselves going.
Another key part of the comeback was their defense. They allowed only 13 third quarter points without Draymond Green as he had to sit with five fouls. Again, Looney’s value showed as he protected the rim and moved his feet when he was switched out on to Doncic. Give credit to Steve Kerr also as he switched up his defensive looks from man to man, to a 3-2 zone, to box and one, all in efforts to try and slow Doncic and the Mavs down.
It would be the fourth quarter that would be the real test for the Dubs as they started it down by only two points. Then after a few needed baskets from Poole, Porter, and others they would find themselves with their first lead of the night. It ballooned from 3, to 5, to 10 and at that point the Mavs just couldn’t stop the bleeding. The two teams were trading shots but with the Warriors’ lead it didn’t matter. To make matters worse for Dallas, Curry took the game over in the fourth quarter.
He scored ten fourth quarter points and would hit a few dagger shots and layups to help seal the victory. Now the series shifts to Dallas where the Warriors will face Luka at home. As mentioned on the broadcast by Reggie Miller, we will see how the Mavs respond as their guys should play better at home. They also came back from down 2-0 against the Suns. But the Warriors are a different squad, more proven, and hungrier than ever to reclaim their throne as champions. Curry led them one step closer to doing so in game two and put the Mavs to sleep as they took the 126-117 victory.