If you watched the first 24 minutes of Game 2 between the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks on Friday night but turned the game off at halftime, you’d probably be surprised to learn that the Warriors ended up winning, 126-117. The Mavericks led the game 72-58 at halftime and appeared to be in control of the game. However, the game took a complete 180 turn in the second half.
Golden State outscored Dallas by 12 in the third quarter, then outscored the Mavs by 11 in the final frame to clinch the win. With the win, the Warriors took a 2-0 lead in the series, which will now shift to Dallas for Games 3 and 4.
Luka Doncic did all he could for Dallas as he led the game in both points (42) and assists (eight), but ultimately his production just wasn’t enough. Steph Curry led the way for the Warriors with 32 points and five assists, and Kevon Looney added a career-high 21 points along with 12 rebounds.
The loss has to be disappointing for Dallas, especially after how well they played in the first half. Plus, no team wants to fall behind by two games in a playoff series. Now, they will have to find a way to recover at home. Before we move on to the series, though, here’s a look at three key takeaways from Golden State’s Game 2 victory.
1. Golden State dominated the paint
The lack of a legitimate presence in the paint for Dallas, or two, really ended up hurting them in this game. The Warriors were always able to get into the paint, and once there, they encountered little to no resistance at the rim. You saw it over and over again in the second half. Over the course of the competition, the Warriors attempted 16 shots at rim and converted 14 of them, according to Glass Cleanup. That’s 87.5 percent. On the other hand, the Mavericks didn’t convert a single shot at rim.
Overall, Dallas was outscored 32 points in the paint (62-30) and they were outrebounded 43-30. The point spread in the paint was huge and a major factor in Game 2.
2. The Dallas backcourt came to play
If there was one bright spot for Dallas in Game 2, it was their starting backcourt game. In Game 1, Doncic and Jalen Brunson combined for just 34 points and eight assists. On Friday night, that duo topped those numbers. Only Doncic scored 40 and had eight assists, and Brunson added 31 and five assists of his own. For those who don’t enjoy math, that’s a combined 71 points and 12 assists — stellar production.
Unfortunately for Dallas, that duo didn’t get much help from the rest of the roster, except for Reggie Bullock, who had 21 points. The duo of Doncic and Brunson can only do so much heavy lifting for the Mavs on the offensive end, so they’ll need more from guys like Spencer Dinwiddie (four points in 22 minutes) and Maxi Kleber (three points in 33 minutes). ) advancing in the series.
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3. The Comeback Boys
You can never rule the Warriors out of a game. Even when the Mavericks took a big lead in the halftime locker room, the competition still seemed far from over, and it was. After dropping as many as 19 points in the first half, the Warriors came back in the second half to claim victory.
It was the 12th time the Warriors rallied from a 15-or-more playoff deficit to win the game since Steve Kerr took over as head coach before the 2014-15 season. That’s the highest number for any team in the past 25 seasons, for ESPN. That stat is a testament to Coach Kerr and the guys he has in the locker room. Even if things don’t go well from the start, don’t panic. Instead, they stay the course and trust that the ball will start to bounce in their direction, and often it does.
Reference-www.cbssports.com