Before the Warriors host the Mavs in Game 5, here’s everything you need to know about Thursday’s contest, including how to watch.
The Dallas Mavericks have lived to see another day. Despite a furious late run by the Golden State Warriors’ reserves in the fourth quarter on Tuesday, the Mavericks survived for their first win of the Western Conference finals in Game 4.
Led by Luka Doncic, Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock, the Mavs drilled a flurry of 3-pointers to surge past the Warriors, 119-109. Doncic led the way for Dallas with 30 points on 10-of-26 shooting from the floor with 14 boards and nine assists in 38 minutes.
However, the Warriors are still just one win away from punching a ticket to the NBA Finals and will now get the chance to close the series out at home in Game 5 on Thursday night.
If you’re wondering how to watch Thursday’s Game 5 in San Francisco, you’ve come to the right place. Below is everything you need to know before Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, including how to watch or stream the contest on Thursday night.
After the Warriors’ near-comeback fell short in a loss to the Mavericks in Game 4, NBA Twitter chimed in with reactions.
Despite a furious fourth-quarter run by the Golden State Warriors’ bench, the Dallas Mavericks survived to avoid a sweep in the Western Conference Finals with a 119-109 win in Game 4 on Tuesday evening.
The Mavericks built a 29-point lead heading into the fourth quarter behind a barrage of 3-pointers in Game 4. The Mavs shot 46.5% from deep, hitting 20 triples against the Warriors. Eight members of the Mavs hit a 3-pointer in Game 4, with Reggie Bullock leading the way with six triples on 10 attempts from deep on Tuesday night in Dallas.
Down 29 points, Steve Kerr cleared his bench to start the final quarter. However, a lineup featuring Jordan Poole, Damion Lee, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Nemanja Bjelica stormed back into the game in the fourth quarter, cutting the Mavericks’ advantage to only eight points.
However, Luka Doncic took over down the stretch, killing the Warriors’ chances of an improbable comeback. Doncic tallied a near triple-double with a game-high 30 points on 10-of-26 shooting from the floor with 14 boards, nine assists, two steals and two blocks in 38 minutes.
The series will now shift back to the Bay Area on Thursday for Game 5 with the Warriors holding a 3-1 lead over the Mavericks in the Western Conference finals.
After Golden State’s near comeback came to a halt in Dallas, the NBA community on Twitter chimed in with different reactions. Here’s a look at what fans and analysts were saying on Tuesday night.
Before the Warriors face the Mavs in Game 4, here’s everything you need to know about Tuesday’s contest, including how to watch.
The Golden State Warriors are one win away from punching a ticket to the NBA Finals. Before being crowned Western Conference champions, the Warriors will have to go through the Dallas Mavericks one more time. Their first opportunity comes in Game 4 on Tuesday.
On Sunday in Game 3, the Warriors weathered runs by the Mavericks to hold on to a 109-100 victory. Despite another 40-point performance from Luka Doncic, the Mavericks couldn’t compete with Andrew Wiggins and Steph Curry. Wiggins put together a playoff career-high 27 points with 11 boards. Curry added a team-high 31 points to seal the Warriors’ third consecutive win over the Mavericks.
If you’re wondering how to watch Tuesday’s Game 4 in Dallas, you’ve come to the right place. Below is everything you need to know before Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, including how to watch or stream the contest on Tuesday night.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban took to Twitter to defend his team, posting a Nets video in hopes of showing the NBA’s hypocrisy.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban took to Twitter earlier this week to defend his organization’s sideline antics, using a video of the Nets bench from a couple years ago to call out the NBA’s hypocrisy.
A couple years ago, when the Brooklyn Nets were struggling, a video went viral of the team’s bench celebrating in a variety of different ways. The video circulated around the internet heavily, mostly garnering positive responses from fans.
The Mavericks have not been given the same celebratory leigh-way on the sidelines. So far in this NBA postseason, Mark Cuban and company have been fined $175,000 dollars.
The energetic bench consists of Brooklyn Nets alumni Theo Pinson, who was singled out by the NBA during their pre-postseason ‘Points of Education’ video.
When asked about Andrew Wiggins’ poster dunk in Game 3, Luka Doncic had a funny reaction.
Game 3 of the Western Conference finals was defined by a single moment. With the Golden State Warriors leading by eight points in the fourth quarter on Sunday night, Andrew Wiggins exploded to the rim for arguably the best highlight of the current postseason.
Wiggins flew through the air past Dallas Mavericks star point guard Luka Doncic for a rim-rocking dunk worthy of a poster. Wiggins was initially called for an offensive foul on the play, but the call was later reversed after Steve Kerr challenged the whistle. As the Warriors’ bench went into a frenzy, Wiggins quieted the home crowd with his thunderous jam at the bucket over Doncic.
After the game, Doncic was asked about the poster dunk from Wiggins and gave the Warriors’ wing credit. Doncic said he was impressed by Wiggins’ dunk over him in Game 3.
Luka Doncic on Andrew Wiggins' Q4 dunk over him: "That was impressive. I’m not going to lie. I saw the video again, and I was like, 'Ooof.' I wish I had those bunnies.”
Wiggins’ emphatic dunk on Doncic was an exclamation point on a playoff-career performance from the Warriors’ first-time All-Star. Wiggins tallied a playoff career-high 27 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the floor on Sunday night. Wiggins secured a double-double, tacking on 11 rebounds and three assists in 40 minutes in Game 3.
Behind a stellar performance from Wiggins, the Warriors took hold of a commanding 3-0 lead over the Mavericks in the Western Conference finals.
The Dallas Mavericks duped us — some worse than others. But I can’t imagine many escaped the okie doke Dallas has pulled off in these playoffs. What okie doke, you ask? Let me explain.
Without trying to speak for everyone outside of Dallas, I think it’s safe to assume many NBA fans and bettors had a reasonable read on the Mavs coming into these playoffs. They were good, not great. Their first round win over the Utah Jazz was as much about Utah as it was about them.
It wasn’t until the Mavericks stunned the reigning Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns in the second round that we were forced to question that logic and think maybe, just maybe, Dallas was actually on to something.
As it turns out, we were right the first time.
We knew Dallas was a one-man show with an ascending second scoring option and a wild card bucket-getter on the bench. We also knew the surrounding pieces were mostly perimeter shooters with otherwise limited offensive abilities. And we knew, as a team, they played pretty good defense. We thought that meant they could maybe win a series but wouldn’t go very far.
They were underdogs in their first round series against the Jazz despite finishing one spot ahead of Utah in the regular season standings. That was partly because Luka Doncic was hobbled. And even knowing that, I still thought they could win. That prediction was less about Dallas, however, and more about Utah’s shoddy play entering the playoffs and typical unreliability this time of year.
The second round is where Dallas’ own deficiencies were supposed to prove fatal. And for the first two games in Phoenix, it appeared to be heading that way. But then, the Mavs won four of the next five games to move on, and that’s when everything we knew came into question. Is this Mavericks team better than we thought? Did we underrate its supporting cast? Can they actually beat the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals?
With each passing game, it’s looking like the answer to those questions is a resounding “no!” I didn’t pick the Mavs to win this series, but I at least gave them a chance to win a couple games. Now, I’m beginning to question whether they’ll win a game after falling to 0-3 with Monday’s loss.
It seems Dallas’ win over the Suns was similar to the team’s win over Utah in that it likely had as much to do with issues on the other team – Deandre Ayton was benched, Chris Paul was hurt, Devin Booker was a no-show. That’s not to say the Mavericks aren’t good. But they just aren’t any better than we originally thought they were. The Warriors are making that very clear.
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).
Before the Warriors travel to meet the Mavs in Game 3, here’s everything you need to know about Sunday’s contest, including how to watch.
Following a comeback win in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, the Golden State Warriors will go on the road to meet the Dallas Mavericks with a 2-0 lead in the series.
After a barrage early 3-pointers from the Dallas Mavericks, the Golden State Warriors fell down by as many as 19 points in Game 2 on Friday night. However, Steph Curry, Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole put together a furious comeback in the second half to steal Game 2 from the Mavericks, 126-117.
Despite 42 points from Luka Doncic, it wasn’t enough to slow down the Warriors’ comeback. Steph Curry led the Warriors with 32 points while Kevon Looney recorded a career-high 21 points.
If you’re wondering how to watch Sunday’s Game 3 in Dallas, you’ve come to the right place. Below is everything you need to know before Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, including how to watch or stream the contest on Sunday evening.
Welcome to Layup Lines, our daily NBA newsletter where we’ll prep you for a tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every afternoon.
What’s up y’all. This is Prince here for today’s Layup Lines, and I want talk about something you likely forgot about up until last night’s game between the Warriors and Mavericks (and the reason I know you did is because I did too)? Andrew Wiggins was an All-Star starter back in February.
See! That memory of when it was first announced just popped back in your head. The confusion that came over you when a guy who was drafted first overall and had his previous team give up on him after falling way short of expectations not only made an All-Star team for the first time, but was one of the 10 players in the entire NBA with the privilege to start the game…and the realization that it was totally deserved.
The 180 Wiggins made since leaving Minnesota has been incredible to see, and he reminded us again on Wednesday that it’s not a fluke. He was a game-best +25 on the floor, and his 19 points tied for second-most on the team behind Steph Curry’s 21. Ten of his points came in the first quarter and helped set the tone for what was to come. And more importantly, Wiggins continued to show that he’s a legit defender now. As the primary player guarding Luka Doncic, he helped limit the Mavericks star to 20 points on 6-of-18 shooting and seven turnovers.
That won’t happen every game. Doncic is too good to contain for entire an series. He’s going to figure out how to be a factor. But it’s fun to see Wiggins become the player everyone thought he could be. It just goes to show that everyone develops at a different pace, and team situations matter.
His new situation, where he doesn’t have to be the first or second or even third option, makes him all the more dangerous. And that’s where the Warriors have the edge in this series.
The Tip-Off
(AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer, File)
The things NBA prospects get asked leading up to the draft are always tricky, because on one hand we like for our athletes to be honest, but then the things they say can have real consequences on the court. And so when they’re asked things like, “Who do you want to play against the most?” or “Who do you think is the best player in the league?” the answers aren’t always as easy as you might think.
That’s what makes potential No. 1 pick Chet Holmgren’s answer to the latter question so savvy, as our guy Sykes wrote. Holmgren said it’ll be “myself in two months.”
“Smart kid. Definitely a smart response right there. Spoken like a true vet.
Of course, he’s going to take it on the chin a bit for his confidence. But who can really knock you for believing in yourself! Nobody, that’s who.
I don’t know how this whole NBA thing will work out for Chet on the court. By all accounts, he’s got loads of talent and should be pretty awesome at the next level.
But, regardless, it seems to be that he has this media thing down already.”
It was a bold statement, but you can’t blame someone for having confidence in themselves.
Celtics (+102) vs. Heat (-1.5, -125), O/U 206.5, 8:30 PM ET
Just when it looked as though the Celtics would roll in Game 1, the Heat came storming out of halftime and completely flipped the script. They went from down by 13 to up by as much as 20 and winning by 11. But the previously shorthanded Celtics have reinforcements on the way. I think they’ll be able to sustain a lead longer and tie this series up.
Who’s in and out?
— Al Horford (health and safety protocols) is available
— Marcus Smart (foot) is probable
— Derrick White (personal) is out
— Kyle Lowry (hamstring) is out
Shootaround
— Not everyone thought Draymond Green’s flex on Luka Doncic in the Warriors’ Game 1 win was a good idea, but it made for an incredible photo
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).
After drilling a 3-pointer in the third quarter of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Mavs, Steph Curry broke out a new celebration dance.
The two-time Most Valuable Player finished the first quarter with four points on 1-of-5 shooting from the floor and 0-of-4 from the 3-point line. Curry’s uncharacteristic start even extended to the second quarter. Heading into the locker room at halftime, Curry recorded 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field and 1-of-6 from beyond the arc.
However, it doesn’t take Curry long to heat up. The eight-time All-Star came out firing in the second half. Curry buried a pair of haymaker 3-pointers in the first three minutes of the third quarter. Curry’s second triple pushed Golden State’s lead to 17 points and forced the Mavericks to call a timeout.
Following his dagger 3-pointer, Curry celebrated with a signature dance as the raucous Chase Center crowd rose to their feet.
On the way to a commanding 112-87 win over the Mavericks, Curry led the Warriors in scoring and rebounding with 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the floor with a game-high 12 rebounds. Curry added four assists, a steal and a block in 31 minutes.
Prior to the start of Game 1, Seahawks WR DK Metcalf dropped his prediction for the Western Conference Finals.
Prior to the start of Game 1 between the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks, everyone is dropping their prediction for the Western Conference Finals.
Before he starts to strap up for NFL training camp, DK Metcalf shared his prediction for the Western Conference Finals. Although he plays for a Bay Area rival, the Seattle Seahawks wide receiver sided with the Warriors. On Tuesday, Metcalf simply tweeted, “Warriors in 5.”
Along with tweeting his prediction in support of the Warriors, Metcalf has also retweeted a few tweets from Golden State’s official account, including a highlight video of their best plays against the Mavericks from the 2021-22 campaign.
When Game 1 tips off on Wednesday, it’s safe to say Metcalf will be locked in watching. The opening game of the Western Conference Finals is set to start at 6 p.m. PT in San Francisco on Wednesday.
