The Golden State Warriors are poised to make their sixth trip to the NBA Finals in the past eight seasons after defeating the Dallas Mavericks 109-100 to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals. The Mavericks led 42-33 with 3:58 remaining in a low scoring, back and forth first half, but the Warriors went on a 10-0 run in less than two minutes to reclaim the lead. The Warriors led 48-47 at halftime, and they never trailed in the second half.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors in scoring with 31 points, and he also had a game-high 11 assists. Andrew Wiggins, who is arguably the series MVP thus far, not only scored 27 points while also grabbing 11 rebounds, but he had a team-best +22 plus/minus number. The Warriors deliberately match his minutes with Luka Doncic's minutes, and Wiggins has been the primary defender against Doncic. Wiggins has not shut down Doncic--it is very difficult to shut down any elite scorer--but he has made Doncic work, and he has been solid enough defensively that the Warriors have not had to overly compromise their defense against other players. Klay Thompson did not shoot well (6-18 from the field), but he chipped in 19 points and seven rebounds while also playing excellent defense. Draymond Green (10 points, five rebounds, five assists), and Jordan Poole (10 points, five rebounds) did not post gaudy box score numbers, but they each contributed to the collective effort at both ends of the court that has proven to be too much for the Mavericks to match.
Doncic scored a game-high 40 points on 11-23 field goal shooting, including 4-9 from three point range. He attacked the hoop aggressively, and he shot 14-17 from the free throw line. Doncic had a team-high 11 rebounds. Spencer Dinwiddie poured in 26 points in just 32 minutes off of the bench, and Jalen Brunson added 20 points, but the other six Mavericks who played scored just 14 combined points. Most notably, Reggie Bullock scored no points on 0-10 field goal shooting, and Maxi Kleber scored no points on 0-5 field goal shooting. The Mavericks shot 30-75 (.400) from the field overall, including 13-45 (.289) from three point range.
For the past several years, the Warriors have often been depicted as a team that relies on three point shooting, but in fact the Warriors--when healthy and at their best--are a well-rounded team. In game three, the Warriors outrebounded the Mavericks 47-33, and the Warriors outscored the Mavericks 46-34 in the paint. The Warriors enjoyed advantages in both categories in their game two win. The series has been competitive at times, but the Warriors' 3-0 lead indicates that they are the superior team. No NBA team has come back from a 3-0 series deficit to win a playoff series, and based on what has happened thus far in this series there is little reason to believe that Dallas will become the first team to accomplish that feat.