Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) is fouled by Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber, rear, during game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Finals at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Sun May 22, 2022 (AP News photo)

Warriors Take A Commanding Series Lead 3-0

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors (3-0) traveled to Dallas to take on the Mavericks (0-3) in Game Three of the Western Conference Finals on Sunday. The Warriors came out of it with a 109-100 win in Dallas to move up in the series 3-0 and are on the brink of sweeping the series.

The Warriors came out in the first quarter with great energy jumping to a 14-7 lead early. They went on a 10-0 run in the first quarter before Dallas really got going.

Luka Doncic would finish the quarter with a 32-foot three pointer. After the first 12 minutes the Warriors held a slim 25-22 lead. The Mavericks had really heated up as the clock ran out on the first quarter.

The Maverick’s took a lead early in the second quarter. Both teams were struggling from downtown shooting at 22%. Dallas would jump to a nine point lead in the second but Golden State would fight back to take a 48-47 lead into the locker room.

The Warriors would lose Otto Porter Jr. in the quarter who went to the locker room for x-rays on his left foot. This was a significant loss for the Warriors. Porter has been an essential part of Golden State’s success in the past two games offensively and defensively. He was unable to return to the game.

The Warriors began to have turnover issues and coupled with struggles shooting in the second quarter they could not get away with poor ball control going forward.

The Warriors extended their lead in the third quarter leading after three 78-68. Golden State had outscored Dallas 30-21 in the quarter. It would all come down to the fourth quarter for the Warriors. Ball control and execution would decide this game.

The Warriors took a 14 point lead in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks continued to fight trimming the lead to eight but Golden State relentlessly pushed back. Jordan Poole made two crucial long shots to ice this game.

Dallas had trouble shooting the ball in the final quarter and desperately needed stops which just didn’t happen. Golden State had taken a commanding 3-0 lead in the series winning.

Stephen Curry finished with 31 points. Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson rounded out the top numbers, Wiggins with 27 and Thompson with 19.

The two long balls in the final minutes from Poole made all the difference. This was an amazing team effort. Offensive rebounding was just one more plus for Golden State. Kevon Looney finished with 12 rebounds and Wiggins with 11.

The Warriors will play game four on Tuesday night looking to finish off Dallas in game four.. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 PM.