SAN FRANCISCO—The Dallas Mavericks return to the Bay Area after staving off elimination against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
Dallas is coming off a 119-109 victory and looks to cut into their 3-1 series deficit in Game 5. In order to do so, they will once again need the elite talent of Luka Dončić on the offensive side of the ball. Dončić dropped 30 points in Game 4.
One of his stats truly stands out from the rest of the Game 4 participants. Not only did he score 30 points, but Dončić also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds. He was the only player in Game 4 to crack the double-digit mark in that category.
Dončić’s teammates also deserve just as much praise. Reggie Bullock, Frank Ntilikina, and Maxi Kleber combined for 36 points in Game 4.
“I think we have a lot of weapons. And if they make shots, I think it’s tough to be us,” Dončić said. “(Whether) they make shots or not, I think they impact the game differently…Those guys are the key to our wins.”
The Warriors have another chance to clinch the 2022 Western Conference title. This time, they will have the home court advantage and look to earn their fifth trip to the NBA Finals in the last seven years.
After being outscored 37-23 in the third quarter, it looked like the Warriors were going to throw in the towel and set their sights to Game 5. That was not the case.
With just a little over four minutes left in the game, Golden State cut their deficit from 29 to 13. What made this comeback more impressive is the fact, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green were not on the floor.
When Curry and Thompson returned to play, it was all but too late. Dončić, Bullock, and Dorian Finney-Smith made clutch buckets down the stretch to keep the Warriors at bay.
One player who had a breakout game for Golden State was rookie Jonathan Kuminga, who took over for the injured Otto Porter Jr. In 22 minutes of action, Kuminga scored 17 points to help lower the Warriors’ 29-point deficit.
“J.K. (Kuminga) did a good job. He was part of that group in the fourth quarter that really battled back and gave us a sliver of a chance,” Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr said. “He played with some force, got to the line, and did some good things for us.”
Player to watch for Warriors: Kevon Looney
The result of Game 5 will most likely be determined by which team has the superior performances from their role players. For Golden State, that includes Kevon Looney.
Looney scored just three points on Tuesday. After securing 12 rebounds each in Games 2 and 3, Looney only hauled in 6 in Game 4.
The reason this is a concerning number is because the Warriors do not have another true center on the floor. Young prospect James Wiseman remains unavailable due to a right knee injury. The injury kept him out of play for the entirety of the seasony
Therefore, the big-man duties for Golden State, for the most part, are allocated to Looney.
What works in the Warriors’ favor is that Dallas’s starting big-man, Dwight Powell, has not seen a large amount of playing time. Powell is averaging only about 10.5 minutes per game in the series.
Mavericks Head Coach Jason Kidd prefers to go with a smaller lineup that can spread the floor and create perimeter shots. Hence why players like Spencer Dinwiddie, Dāvis Bertāns, and Maxi Kleber are key players coming off the bench for Dallas.
Kevon Looney must be able to dominate against those smaller lineups in Game 5 if the Warriors want to end the series.
Player to watch for Mavericks: Jalen Brunson
Jalen Brunson has had a breakout season, especially in the 2022 playoffs. In this series against Golden State, Brunson is averaging 20 points and 5 rebounds per contest. One element of his game that is unstoppable at times is his ability to wreak havoc down low.
Although he stands at just 6-feet-1, Brunson’s 190-pound stature helps him back down smaller, less physical guards and get closer looks at the basket.
He had his way for most of Dallas’s previous series against the Phoenix Suns. Brunson didn’t hesitate to attack Chris Paul, a major reason he was able to score 24 points in the Mavericks’ Game 7 win in The Valley.
“All year we’ve (the team) been talking about (how) when we get in the paint, good things happen,” Brunson said after scoring 15 points in Game 4. “Whether we are scoring at the rim or getting to the rim and kicking out (for three pointers), great things happen for us.”
Brunson must look to attack Stephen Curry whenever they switch onto one another. It will help get him involved in the offense and take the scoring load off Dončić.
Upcoming Schedule
Game 5 between the Mavericks and Warriors is scheduled to tip-off shortly after 9 p.m. EST from the Chase Center in San Francisco. If the Mavericks win, the series will head back to Dallas for Game 6 on Saturday.
