The Golden State Warriors return to the NBA Finals for the sixth time in eight seasons. They scored their ticket Thursday night with a comfortable 120-110 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the fifth game of the Western Conference Finals to win the series 4-1. Now, the Warriors will await the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat.
In keeping with the trend during the conference finals, this game was largely uncompetitive. The Mavericks stayed up early and made a run towards the end of the third quarter to briefly reduce the deficit to one digit, but never led the night. These were all Warriors, as they played one of their most complete games of the postseason. They mastered painting and glass, limited rotations and attended 36 of their 45 baskets made.
Klay Thompson turned the clock around with his best game in the series, with eight triples and 32 points to lead the way. Six different Warriors scored in two figures, including Andrew Wiggins, who scored 18 points and 10 rebounds in another good performance. The Warriors also threw the ball well from downtown, with 14 of 36.
Luka Doncic had a difficult start, but caught fire in the third quarter to lead the Mavericks’ comeback attempt. He finished with 28 points, nine rebounds and six assists in defeat. Spencer Dinwiddie also added 26 points from the bench.
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