Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks superstar guard Luka Doncic criticized the team's defense after falling 126-117 to the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on Friday.

When asked what went wrong during a third quarter that saw the Warriors outscore the Mavs by 12 points, Doncic pointed to team defense and the need to improve it moving forward (beginning at the 30-second mark):

"We've got to attack the paint more" - @luka7doncic @dallasmavs | 📺 BSSW | #dALLasIN | #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/O5INIZmRen

— FanDuel Sports Network Southwest (@FanDuelSN_SW) May 21, 2022

"Bad defense, that's it," Doncic said. "We've gotta concentrate on our defense these two games. Our defense has gotta improve a lot."

With Friday's Game 2 loss, the Mavericks now trail the series 2-0 and are in desperate need of a Game 3 win in Dallas.

Golden State had its way with Dallas during the second half, outscoring the Mavs 68-45.

Efficiency was the name of the game for head coach Steve Kerr's squad, as they shot 56.1 percent from the field, 50 percent from beyond the arc and 80 percent from the free-throw line, all of which were figures that topped the Mavs.

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole all shot 50 percent or better from the field, while Kevon Looney proved almost unstoppable in the paint.

The unheralded center finished with 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting to go along with 12 rebounds in one of the most unexpected performances of the postseason thus far.

While the likes of Dwight Powell, Maxi Kleber and Dorian Finney-Smith usually defend well in the paint, they had no answers for Looney.

Dallas had a 72-58 lead at halftime and seemed to be trending toward tying the series at 1-1, but the Mavs fell apart in the third quarter, scoring just 13 points and allowing Golden State to cut the deficit to two.

The Warriors then imposed their will in the fourth quarter, as their 43 points were the most in a quarter by either team Friday night. Looney's interior play never allowed Dallas to fully focus on the perimeter.

Doncic carried the Mavericks to wins at times during the first two rounds of the playoffs, but his game-high 42 points were nowhere near enough to beat the Dubs on Friday.

Dallas will need another big offensive performance from Doncic in Game 3, but if the Mavericks don't defend at a far higher level, the series may not even make it back to San Francisco.

Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd lamented his team's third-quarter performance in a 126-117 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on Friday night.

Kidd specifically took issue with the Mavs' shot selection in the third, telling reporters: "When you go 2-for-13 and you rely on the three, you can die by the three. And we died in the third quarter by shooting that many threes and coming up with only two."

To Kidd's point, the Mavericks owned a 14-point lead at halftime, but the Warriors outscored them 25-13 in the third quarter, which set the wheels in motion for Golden State's comeback win.

Now, the Dubs own a 2-0 series lead and have the Mavericks on the ropes as the series heads to Dallas.

While the three-ball helped Dallas build a big lead in the first half, it went away in the second half, which opened the door for Golden State to claw its way back into the game.

Overall, the Mavericks went 21-of-45 from beyond the arc, shooting a strong 46.7 percent. Per ESPN's Tim MacMahon, ESPN Stats & Info found that the 21 made trifectas were tied for the third most by a team in a playoff loss in NBA history.

The fact that Dallas shot the ball so well from long range in the end despite going 2-for-13 in the third quarter speaks to how deadly they were in that regard in the first half.

Remarkably, four of the Mavs' five starters made three or more three-point field goals each during the game and shot the ball 50 percent or better from deep.

Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson, Reggie Bullock and Dorian Finney-Smith combined to go 19-of-33 from three-point land.

The issue for Dallas was the fact that its bench players combined to make just two of their 12 tries from distance.

Golden State is the team usually known for three-point-shooting excellence, and while it only attempted 28 threes in the game, its efficiency was on point in making half of them.

Stephen Curry led the way for the Dubs with 32 points, including six trifectas on 10 attempts, but the surprise star of the game was center Kevon Looney, who ate up the Mavs in the paint with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

As for the Mavs, they squandered a remarkable showing from Doncic, who scored a game-high 42 points to go along with eight assists, five rebounds and three steals.

Doncic seemed to agree with Kidd's assessment after the game, stressing the importance of getting to the basket rather than settling for threes: "We weren't attacking the paint that much. But we got to attack the paint more, like they did. They attacked the paint a lot. They have two of the best shooters in the world, and they still attack the paint. So I think we've got to rely less on the three."

Luka did much of his damage from the charity stripe, going 13-of-15 from the free-throw line, illustrating the importance of getting in the paint.

Given that fact and Kidd's frustration with how things went down in the third quarter in Game 2, the Mavs may have a far different game plan for Sunday's Game 3. 

Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney put on a show Friday with 21 points (10-of-14 shooting) and 12 rebounds in a 126-117 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals at Chase Center.

The Warriors fell behind by as many as 19 points and trailed 72-58 at halftime, but Looney dropped 11 points and five rebounds in a third quarter in which Golden State outscored the Mavs 25-13.

He put the Warriors up for good in the fourth quarter with a layup with 8:29 remaining.

Twitter was ablaze both during and after Looney's tremendous outing.

The Kevon Looney game

- First career 20-point game
- Held the Mavericks to 1-for-11 shooting as primary defender
- Held Luka Doncic to 0-for-3 shooting as primary defender pic.twitter.com/MkaR8VxIFP

— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) May 21, 2022

Steph, Wiggins and Looney. pic.twitter.com/fEop7CKq2H

— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 21, 2022

Kevon Looney tonight pic.twitter.com/NVfqkyTE7s

— RingerNBA (@ringernba) May 21, 2022

Warriors legend Kevon Looney.

— Eddie Paskal (@EddiePaskal) May 21, 2022

Kevon Looney is the first Warriors center with a 20/10 playoff game since Robert Parish in 1977. pic.twitter.com/LOBecakSy0

— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 21, 2022

Looney is honest to God the Warriors MVP today

— Josh Eberley 🇨🇦 (@JoshEberley) May 21, 2022

Kevon Looney vs. the Mavs: pic.twitter.com/5pj0HxYfRo

— FanDuel (@FanDuel) May 21, 2022

Looney better be on the espn/abc graphic for G3

— Sam Esfandiari (@samesfandiari) May 21, 2022

https://twitter.com/OMGItsBirdman/status/1527849346577977345

The last time Kevon Looney scored 20 points in any organized game was Jan. 8, 2015...when he was a freshman at UCLA.

That spanned his last 20 college games & first 421 NBA games of his career. He has 21 pts & 10 rebs (& counting) currently vs the Mavericks pic.twitter.com/2erQAsayK6

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 21, 2022

Looney has been an important piece for the Warriors rotation during the majority of his seven-year career, but he's not necessarily a stat compiler (6.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per this season). That changed in Game 2, though.

Looney and the Warriors will now head to Dallas for Game 3 of the best-of-seven series Sunday at 9 p.m. ET at American Airlines Center.

Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic "is not 100 percent" for Game 2 of his team's Western Conference Finals matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Friday at Chase Center because of an illness, according to TNT's Allie LaForce.

"He [Doncic] just told me about an hour ago that he didn't feel sick until after he got to the hotel after Game 1," LaForce said on Inside the NBA (h/t Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area). She added:

Gets to his room and he's throwing up, he cannot sleep for even a second. So he wasn't 100 percent at practice the next day. I said, 'Well, did you get better sleep last night?' and he said 'Eh, not really.' I said, 'Well, did you sleep eight hours?' And he said, 'No, but I did get better sleep than the night before.' So he is on very little sleep. He did sound stuffed up to me still. He is not 100 percent.

Doncic had 20 points on 6-of-18 shooting and seven turnovers in a 112-87 loss in Game 1 on Wednesday.

Those numbers are far worse than Doncic's typical regular-season and playoff performances.

Of note, the 23-year-old averaged 32.6 points on 47.6 percent shooting, 9.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game against the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the second round. He averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists in the regular season.

Ultimately, no one played all that well for the Mavs in Game 1 aside from perhaps Spencer Dinwiddie (17 points in 24 minutes), but this series is a long way from being over.

And the illness hasn't appeared to affect Doncic early on, as the superstar made four of his first five shots from the field Friday.

Dallas and Golden State won't have much time to rest in this series, with a game scheduled every other day. The conference finals will head to Dallas for Game 3 on Sunday at American Airlines Center.

The Golden State Warriors hounded Luka Doncic in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, limiting him to 20 points on 6-of-18 shooting in a 112-87 blowout of the Dallas Mavericks.

Andrew Wiggins served as Doncic's primary defender for most of the game, earning praise from his teammates afterward.

"He was moving them puppies tonight," Klay Thompson told reporters. "That's why he was the No. 1 pick. You can't teach that athleticism. You can't teach that length. You can't teach his timing. I'm just happy the world is getting to see who he really is, and that's an incredible wing player, and he will be like this for the next 10 years."

Doncic shot 5-of-11 and turned the ball over three times when defended by Wiggins, who regularly picked the Mavericks guard up full court and harassed him as he brought the ball up the floor.

"I feel like I'm still young. I don't really get too tired," the 27-year-old Wiggins said. "I'm locked in. I'm motivated, and when you see it work or I feel like it's helping us play better, it just motivates me to do it more. I'm not tired or nothing. You know, it's adrenaline. I just feel good."

Wiggins also added 19 points and matched Stephen Curry with a team-high three three-pointers. While his NBA career won't ever match the "Maple Jordan" hype he had coming out of high school, Wiggins has increasingly found his niche in Golden State. He's learned to be a committed defender, shot a career-high 39.3 percent from three during the regular season and seemingly relishes in allowing the spotlight to be on others.

In games where he's fully engaged like Wednesday night, Wiggins can look like the Warriors' second- or third-best player.

After the Dallas Mavericks were blown out 112-87 in Wednesday's Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors, Luka Doncic shouldered the blame for the loss.

"I gotta be better, that's not me," Doncic told reporters. "I gotta be better for the whole group."

Doncic finished with a team-high 20 points in the loss, but he shot 6-of-18 from the field and 3-of-10 from three-point land. He was held to just two points in the second half, and he totaled seven turnovers.

The Warriors defense completely shut down the Mavericks. Dallas shot just 36.0 percent from the field and 11-for-48 (22.9 percent) from beyond the arc. Golden State also won the rebounding battle 51-35.

The letdown in Wednesday's contest could be attributed to the Mavericks' emotional seven-game series against the Phoenix Suns in the previous round. Dallas pulled off the upset of the 2022 postseason by blowing out the top-seeded Suns on the road in Game 7 on Sunday to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 11 years.

The Warriors had a few extra days of rest since closing out their series against the Memphis Grizzlies, and they took advantage of the Mavs' sluggish play to cruise to an easy win on Wednesday. Dallas has to come out with better energy in Friday's Game 2 if it hopes to avoid falling into a 2-0 hole.

The Golden State Warriors are usually heralded for their flashy offensive fireworks that provide a slew of entertaining highlights.

But in Wednesday's Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, it was the Warriors defense that carried the team to a 112-87 blowout victory at Chase Center. Golden State held Dallas to 36.0 percent shooting from the field and 11-of-48 (22.9 percent) from beyond the arc.

The Warriors frontcourt of Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney did an outstanding job of shutting down the Mavericks' dribble penetration. In particular, Wiggins played some strong defense on Dallas star Luka Doncic, who finished with 20 points on 6-of-18 shooting with seven turnovers.

Throughout the night, the Dubs received a ton of praise for their effort to stifle the Mavs offense. Some even compared Wednesday's defensive performance to Golden State's title-winning teams.

The Warriors are playing defense like they did in 2015 and 2016. Honestly didn't know if they still had it in 'em.

— Steve Berman (@BASportsGuy) May 19, 2022

This was one of those vintage Warriors games.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) May 19, 2022

The Warriors pulled out those designer belts tonight and gave Luka and the Mavs a good old fashion ass whipping!!! They were on Luka ass like back pockets. Carry the hell on…

— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) May 19, 2022

Warriors have used like 10 different defensive looks this game. Kerr getting his Belichick on

— Sam Esfandiari (@samesfandiari) May 19, 2022

There is no way the Mavs are going to win playing against a set Golden State Warriors defense.

— Mark Haynes (@markhaynesnba) May 19, 2022

Warriors lead the Mavericks 54-45 at halftime. Andrew Wiggins has outplayed Luka Doncic so far tonight. Golden State's funky zone defense is giving Dallas fits.

— C.J. Holmes (@HolmesScribe) May 19, 2022

Steve Kerr's staff deserves some credit for being willing to defend Doncic one on one. Not many teams would, and it's working for the Warriors.

— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) May 19, 2022

I know it's just one game, but *on paper* the Grizzlies were a tougher matchup for the Warriors than the Mavericks. Golden State knows exactly how to defend teams like this. That being said, it's a long series.

— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) May 19, 2022

Warriors are hellbent on not giving up the easy switch.

Something the Suns failed to do against the Mavs.

— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) May 19, 2022

Generational defense by the Warriors. Wait until GPII comes back to finish this run in the Finals 👀

— Jim Park🏀🌌 (@Sheridanblog) May 19, 2022

Smothering Warriors defense tonight.

— TheWarriorsTalk (@TheWarriorsTalk) May 19, 2022

Dallas can’t load up on “Boxes & Elbows” defensively vs Warriors.
And all the Wiggins Haters need to apologize. His defense on Luka and making Luka guard him on defense(Wiggs has 19) is huge for GSW.

— MarkJonesESPN (@MarkJonesESPN) May 19, 2022

Tonight Andrew Wiggins made Luka look like Baby HummingBird.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 19, 2022

While Golden State's defense was stout Wednesday, the team's offense was also efficient with seven players scoring in double figures. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Jordan Poole added 19 points off the bench.

The Warriors had four days of rest since closing out their semifinal series against the Memphis Grizzlies, but any concerns of a flat performance were alleviated in the opening minutes of Wednesday's game. Golden State opened with the energy and effort on defense that it will need to play consistently if it wants to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2019.

The Dubs will look to keep the momentum going in Friday's Game 2.

For the second time this postseason, the Dallas Mavericks are paying for the antics of their bench.

The NBA announced Wednesday that Dallas has been fined $50,000 for "violating league rules regarding bench decorum" in the team's Game 7 win over the Phoenix Suns. The Mavs were also fined $25,000 for their bench behavior in the Game 2 loss to the Suns.

"On multiple occasions, several players and a member of the coaching staff stood for an extended period of time in the Mavericks' team bench area, stood away from the team bench, and were on or encroaching upon the playing court during game action," the league's announcement stated.

The Mavs had plenty to celebrate in Sunday's 123-90 victory. Dallas pulled off a surprising upset of the top-seeded Suns on their home floor, and the team might've had its best performance of the entire year.

Star point guard Luka Doncic put up 35 points and 10 rebounds, while Spencer Dinwiddie dropped 30 points off the bench and Jalen Brunson added 24. The Mavericks shot 56.8 percent from the field and 48.7 percent from three-point range. Their defensive effort was outstanding, holding Phoenix to 37.9 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Dallas' bench players have taken it upon themselves to get involved in the game even when they're not on the floor through enthusiastic celebrations or trash-talking opponents. According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, some players "pride themselves on having the NBA's most boisterous bench."

The Mavericks will face the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday. Despite another fine, it can be expected that Dallas' bench will continue to bring the same energy to this series as it has shown throughout this entire postseason.

Fear not, Dallas Mavericks fans.

Luka Doncic will be sober for Wednesday's Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

After a photograph of Luka Doncic holding a beer spread across social media Wednesday, a Mavericks spokesperson said it "wasn't taken today," per TMZ Sports.

https://twitter.com/AttackTheRack/status/1526966747051565057

That means the Dallas star will be ready to roll as he looks to continue dominating the playoffs in what will be his first appearance in the Western Conference Finals.

While Doncic missed the first three games of his team's opening-round victory over the Utah Jazz, he has been brilliant since his return. He averaged 29.0 points, 10.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists in the next three games while helping the Mavericks close out the Jazz and then elevated his game against the top-seeded Phoenix Suns.

He posted 32.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.1 steals per night across the seven contests and dazzled with a 35-point double-double in Game 7 while leading his side to a 123-90 win on the road.

The matchup with the Warriors, who have reached five of the last seven NBA Finals and won three of the first four championships in that span, will give Doncic an opportunity to further cement his stardom on a national stage.

Competing against the championship DNA of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and head coach Steve Kerr will be no easy task, but neither was eliminating the league-best Suns in such dramatic fashion.

If Doncic keeps playing at the level he has throughout the playoffs, the Mavericks may win the entire thing.

And if they do, any beer drinking will surely be celebratory.        

Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic heaped praise on Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green ahead of their Western Conference Finals matchup.

"Obviously, [Klay Thompson] and [Stephen Curry] are incredible offensive guys, but I think the key to the Warriors' team is Draymond," Doncic told reporters Tuesday. "He's just unbelievable. I really respect him and everything he does."

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, "That includes trash talk."

"That's the fun of the game. I love that part," Doncic added.

Game 1 will go down on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET at San Francisco's Chase Center.

Both Doncic and Green are coming off phenomenal performances.

Doncic dropped a game-high 35 points en route to a 123-90 win over the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals. He notably led the Mavs in points, rebounds, assists and steals during the series.

Green had a 14-point, 15-rebound, eight-assist showing in a series-clinching 110-96 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 6. He's a battle-tested jack-of-all-trades who has won three NBA titles and earned four All-Star nods during his career.

Green hasn't been shy about complimenting Doncic and has done so on multiple occasions:

Draymond Green on Luka Doncic: “That dude good...he gonna be a problem...He’s lifted that franchise.” pic.twitter.com/Dfc5DG0TD0

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 23, 2018

Draymond Green: "Luka Doncic made a statement where he said 'It's easier for me to score in the NBA than it was for me to score in Europe' and everybody went crazy, like 'how disrespectful is he'.

He's shown that it's true."https://t.co/lxDCcLGsUG

— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) February 9, 2021

There isn't exactly a war of words or bulletin-board material being swapped between two teams who clearly have mutual respect for one another.

Doncic also discussed the loud and passionate Warriors fanbase:

Luka Doncic soundbites on the Warriors today. He talked style of play, Draymond Green and the Chase Center crowd: “This a loud gym, man. I’m not lying.” pic.twitter.com/XKXaEEiGGK

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 17, 2022

Doncic is clearly living in the moment as he advances to his first-ever conference finals.

Luka Doncic: “I’m living my best life right now.” pic.twitter.com/mgHc9xa1nu

— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) May 17, 2022

The Warriors are back in the conference finals for the first time since 2019, which capped a five-year stretch in which they made it to the NBA Finals (three titles). Dallas is making its return for the first time since 2011, when it went on to win the Finals over the Miami Heat.