Klay Thompson matched his season playoff-high with 32 points as the Golden State Warriors captured the Western Conference crown and earned their sixth trip to the NBA Finals in the last eight years with a 120-110 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 in San Francisco on Thursday, May 26 (Friday, May 27, Manila time).
The 2015, 2017, and 2018 NBA champs thus earned the right to go for another title in the best-of-seven NBA Finals, which will open in San Francisco on June 2.
Kevon Looney dominated the boards with a game-high 18 rebounds to help the Warriors, in their second opportunity, close out the Mavericks with a 4-1 triumph in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals.
Golden State’s Andrew Wiggins chipped in with 18 points, Draymond Green 17, Jordan Poole 16, and series Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry 15 in a balanced effort.
Luka Doncic had 28 points and Spencer Dinwiddie 26 for the Mavericks, who used a 15-0 run late in the third quarter to give themselves a chance after falling behind by as many as 25 points.
Poole ended the flurry and closed the third period with a layup that gave Golden State a 94-84 lead. When Wiggins and Green opened the final quarter with consecutive hoops, the Warriors began printing tickets to their first NBA Finals appearance since a loss to the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
Thompson, who blew out his knee in that Raptors series and missed the entire 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons, bombed in 8 of his 16 three-point attempts and shot 12-for-25 overall in nearly doubling his previous high in the series, which had been 19 in Game 3.
Looney’s rebound total included 7 at the offensive end, helping Golden State to a commanding 51-34 edge overall and a 14-6 advantage in offensive boards.
Looney also found time for 10 points, his second double-double of the series.
Wiggins also recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds to complement his 18 points, while Curry collected 9 assists to go with his 15 points. Green had 9 assists and 6 rebounds complement his 2022 postseason-high point total.
With Green hitting six of his seven shots, Poole six of his eight, and Looney five of his eight, the Warriors outshot the Mavericks 51.1% to 45.1%.
Dallas had the edge in three-point scoring, thanks in large part to Dinwiddie’s 5-for-7 success from beyond the arc. The Mavericks shot 17-for-42 on three-point tries, outscoring Golden State 51-42 from deep.
Doncic was harassed into just 10-for-28 shooting overall and 3-for-13 on three-point attempts en route to his team-high point total. He added a team-high 9 rebounds and 6 assists.
Dorian Finney-Smith had 13 points and Jalen Brunson 10 for Dallas, which lost all three games at Golden State in the series. – Rappler.com
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