Stephen Curry leads 7 Warriors in double-figure scoring as Golden State uses a big 3rd quarter to pull away from Dallas in Game 1.
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SAN FRANCISCO — If we’re trying to be accurate here, there were actually seven takeaways of Luka Doncic in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, which is why the Warriors won in a mini-rout, 112-87, and assumed a 1-0 advantage in the series.
But, Luka’s turnovers aside, here are Four Takeaways from a game that saw the better team (probably) overtake the best player in the postseason (given the evidence of the past month):
1. Warriors wisely know Luka will learn from this
Doncic was held to his lowest scoring game of the playoffs, coughed up those seven turnovers (matching his combined total of the previous three games) and had one more turnover than baskets.
To summarize: Luka looked a little lost. Finally.
He didn’t hurt the Warriors. He never scared the Warriors. He was, for the first time this postseason, mostly muted after averaging 32.6 points in a previous round demolition. However, the Warriors didn’t exactly pop champagne bottles afterward. The only victory they claimed was on the scoreboard.
Because they know they didn’t invent the defense needed to slow a superstar; they just did it better than the Suns and Jazz by mixing up their personnel, pressuring him at half-court a few times, even picking up him from full court on occasion, and then held their breath.
“I’ve faced different kind of defenses a lot of times,” Luka said.
The last time Luka was this mild, he shot 8-for-24 in the closeout victory over the Jazz. After the Suns watched all the tape of that game and created a plan from it, Luka lit them up for 45 points.
That’s why Warriors coach Steve Kerr wisely expressed caution and perspective: “I think it’s important to try and make him work. Any great player in this league, you’re trying to limit the damage he can do. We pick him up (at half and full court) and have him exert some energy but other teams have done that too. We’re under no illusion that we figured anything out. We’ll stay committed, stay aggressive and see what happens next.”
2. Andrew Wiggins made Luka work defensively, which helped limit Luka offensively
Sometimes the best way to slow a scorer is to force him to exert energy at the other end. Sometimes, a weary playmaker eventually buckles from the load.
The Mavericks knew this, and thought it was safer for Luka to match against Wiggins instead of Klay Thompson or Jordan Poole … except Wiggins torched that strategy, and Luka, right from the tip. Wiggins had 15 points by halftime and forced Luka to scramble defensively. In the second half, Luka had just one basket. Maybe burning the candle at both ends had an effect.
Wiggins was helpful in multiple ways. He stayed on the attack offensively and eventually took more shots than Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson or Jordan Poole. That’s something Luka and the Mavs didn’t expect, and it was done for a reason, to force Luka’s workload. Wiggins also was the primary defender on Luka and did a credible job.
And this: Two years ago the defender assigned to Luka would be Thompson, one of the league’s finest in that regard, but that was two major injuries ago, and fortunately for the Warriors, Wiggins was more than capable of assuming that task.
A few more games like this and Wiggins could shed a reputation for being a rather passive player, which he earned, fairly or not, while losing in Minnesota. Funny how narratives change when you join a contender, make an All-Star team and hold Luka in check, even for one game.
“I’m enjoying it,” he said. “We’ve got a chance to do something special … regardless of what the task is or what the challenge is, I’m just going to try my best.”
3. Steph Curry’s quirky 2022 playoffs captured in one game
There was a point Wednesday night where Curry missed four consecutive 3-point attempts, had just one basket and clanked three out of five free throws, each one getting a gasp from the crowd, as if they saw a ghost. After all, this is the NBA’s all-time 3-point king and a lifetime 90% free throw shooter.
And then Curry awakened and went 2017 on the Mavericks, swishing from 30 feet, and began dancing after one especially noisy 3-pointer that pushed Dallas off the cliff.
“I don’t ever lose confidence,” Curry said.
It was a rash reversal that seemed surprising, only if you weren’t paying close attention to Curry’s playoffs so far. Curry shot 77% from the free throw line in the first round, then 85 the next (included a 14-for-14 game). He’s also coming off a Memphis series with sub-42% overall shooting; again, a decent rate for some, but not Curry.
And that’s the point: Curry isn’t having an efficient postseason — for him. Judged on this curve, he’s even a bit perplexing. That said, Curry still demands respect from the defense and carries the same level of confidence. He’ll shoot himself out of a mini-slump before he caves to it.
“The best players all have that knack for turning a bad game into something better,” said Kerr. “When you have that kind of confidence and experience and you’ve been through early struggles and everything, you feel comfortable in that setting.”
4. No 3s for the Mavs means they’ll have no chance in this series
Sure, it sounds weird given Golden State’s history and reputation for 3-pointers, but the Mavs probably rely on the deep shot just as much, if not more, than the Warriors. At least Golden State brings players — Curry, Thompson, Poole, Wiggins, Otto Porter — who can sink the mid-range shot and also get to the rim. Essentially, they have multiple ways to score if the 3s don’t fall.
The Mavericks, though, lack that luxury. Their personnel is built to orbit Luka and spread the floor. They took 48 shots from deep Wednesday, 19 more than the Warriors. Problem: Dallas missed 36 of them.
That’s a serious issue for a team that’s more inclined to pick and pop instead of pick and roll. Their screeners for Luka then drift to the perimeter instead of toward the rim. That puts a premium on shooting, and the Mavericks failed spectacularly in Game 1.
“We knew what was going to come and we didn’t make shots,” said Mavs coach Jason Kidd. “Luka got into the paint and got looks for guys who usually make them, and they didn’t.
“Can we get those same shots in Game 2? When we go back and look at the open shots we had, we got a lot of them. Just didn’t knock them down.”
The only front-line player with rim tendencies is Dwight Powell and he’s not a volume shooter; the Mavs don’t even call his number. The rest — Maxi Kleber, Reggie Bullock, Dorian Finney-Smith, Davis Bertans — are all poppers … who shot mostly blanks.
This can change from game to game, of course. The Mavs better hope so, because the Warriors, ratings-wise, are tougher than the Suns and Jazz, especially with Draymond Green at the wheel.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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