Curry, Warriors outgun Doncic, Mavs in series opener

The Golden State Warriors shut down Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks to win the first game of their Western Conference finals series 112-87 on Wednesday.

Three days after destroying the Phoenix Suns with a brilliant performance, Doncic found the road tougher against a ferocious Golden State team at Chase Center in San Francisco.

On Sunday, Dallas poured it on against Phoenix in Phoenix, but the scoring dried up against the six-time NBA champs.

After leading 54-45 at halftime, the Warriors started slowly but surged away in the second half.

The Warriors outscored the visitors 34-24 in the third quarter to take a 19-point advantage into the fourth quarter, despite Doncic looking to be nursing an injured shoulder.

With an 8-0 fourth-quarter start, the Warriors were up 27 points at 96-69, basically putting the game out of reach.

With five minutes left in the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr was able to pull his starters, gaining vital rest for what might be a long series.

Curry had 21 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists to lead the team, while Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins both contributed 19 points.

“We did what we were supposed to do — we won the first game, but there’s a lot of work left,” Curry said.

“We had a specific game plan coming in and for the most part we executed it. It’s going to take that same effort three more times to beat this team.”

Kerr praised the defensive performance of Wiggins in shutting down Doncic.

“Wiggs was fantastic,” Kerr said. “Doncic is as difficult a cover as there is in this league.

“We just asked Andrew to hound him and guard him as best as he could, try to keep the pressure on him. He did a fantastic job.”

Disconsolate Doncic

Klay Thompson went scoreless in the first two quarters before exploding for 15 points in the second half. Seven Warriors scored in the double digits.

Doncic led the Mavericks in scoring with 20 points, but he appeared dejected after a loss in which Dallas trailed for much the entire game.

However, the 23-year-old felt that there was still time to save the series.

“It’s one game,” Doncic said. “That’s what the playoffs are about. If you lose by one point or 40 points, it’s just a loss. We just have to get ready for game two now.

“But I’ve got to be better. I’ve got to be better for the whole group and that’s on me.”

Dallas coach Jason Kidd pointed out that his team had recovered from a 2-0 series deficit against Phoenix.

“We’ve lost two games in a row on the road before and found a way to get back in the series,” Kidd said.

“This is one game. They did their part and we’ve got to figure it out. But give them credit, they were good tonight.”

After a poor shooting performance in the first two quarters, Dallas only trailed by nine points at halftime.

In the first half, the Mavs made just 14 of 44 field goal tries and seven of 29 three-point attempts.

Despite this, they were able to keep pace with the Warriors, who shot 22 of 39 but only five of 18 from beyond the arc.

Thompson attempted only four field goals in the first half, all of which were missed, while Curry was also off the mark from long range, making only one of six three-point attempts.

Midway through the second quarter, the Mavericks were within two points at 35-33, but the Warriors went on an 11-2 spree, with Curry setting up three-pointers for Poole and Wiggins, to pull away once more and lay the groundwork for victory.

The series continues on Friday with Game 2 in San Francisco.

In the NBA Finals, the Western Conference champion will face the Eastern Conference champion, either Boston or Miami.

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