Dallas Mavericks – Sports Africa

Warriors return to NBA finals with win over Mavericks

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Golden State Warriors Thursday brushed aside Dallas Mavericks 120-110 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, winning the series 4-1 to qualify for the NBA Finals.

Klay Thompson of the Warriors made eight 3-pointers to score a game-high 32 points, while his teammates Draymond Green and Steph Curry combined for 32 points and 18 assists for the win.

The star trio have lifted the Warriors to the NBA’s biggest stage for the sixth time in eight seasons.

Thompson led the Warriors to outscore their opponents 41-29 in the second quarter and establish a 17-point lead at halftime. Luka Doncic of the Mavericks was not in his rhythm in the early minutes, as he only had six points in the first half from 12 attempts.

Although the Slovenian star guard bounced back in the second half to finish with 28 points and nine rebounds, it was too late to wake up. Spencer Dinwiddie added 26 points for the Mavericks in the defeat.

Curry was named the inaugural winner of the Magic Johnson Trophy, formerly known as the Western Conference Finals MVP.

The Warriors are now looking for their fourth NBA title after missing the playoffs in the past two seasons. They won championships in 2015, 2017 and 2018.

Golden State will wait to compete with the winner of the Eastern Conference finals, with the Boston Celtics currently leading the Miami Heat 3-2 heading into Game 6 at home on Friday.

Mavericks avoid sweep with win over Warriors

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Dallas Mavericks avoided a sweep in NBA by edging Golden State Warriors 119-109 on Tuesday, thanks to Luka Doncic’s 30 points and 14 rebounds.

Falling 0-3 behind, the Mavs showed a strong desire to survive, finishing the first quarter with a 28-24 lead. The Warriors sat out their starters in the second quarter, gifting the Mavs a 19-2 run. Jalen Brunson scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half, and the Mavs led by 15 points at halftime.

There was a roof leak in the Mavericks’ arena during halftime, and the start of the second half was delayed by several minutes.

Dallas continued their shooting in the third quarter, hitting eight out of their total 20 3-pointers to lead the Warriors by 29 after three quarters.

Although missing the trademark third-quarter flurries this time, the Warriors’ bench rioted in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to eight points. At the crucial moment, Doncic helped the Mavs take control to seal the win.

Doncic, who has just been named on the All-NBA First Team for the 2021-22 season, praised his teammates’ performance after the game.

“That’s how we’ve got to play, when we play like this we’re a dangerous team,” he said.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 20 points and eight assists, while Jonathan Kuminga scored 17 points, and Jordan Poole added 14.

Leading by 3-1, the Warriors still hold three series points in the Western Conference finals. The teams will play Game 5 on Thursday.

Warriors outsmart Mavericks in NBA Western Conference finals

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Golden State Warriors outsmarted Dallas Mavericks 126-117 on Friday to lead the best-of-seven NBA Western Conference finals 2-0, Stephen Curry scored 32 points with six 3-pointers.

After the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs, the Warriors became the fifth team in NBA history to win 200 playoffs.

The process of the Warriors reaching this milestone has been arduous as Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson got hot to help the Mavericks lead by up to 19 points in the first quarter.

The Warriors couldn’t find a good solution in the whole first half, hopelessly watching the Mavericks score 40 points with nine 3-pointers in the second quarter.

As fans in Chase Center thought the game would be a blowout, they once again witnessed the Warriors’ third-quarter flurries. It was Kevon Looney who sounded the clarion call when he had 11 points in six attempts in the third quarter. “Tonight was my night to make a big difference and I just stepped up,” Looney said after the game.

Curry and the Warriors then took over the rest of the time, shooting 15 for 19, scoring 43 points to seal the game.

Six Golden State players finished in double figures, Curry had 32 points and eight rebounds, and Looney scored a career-high 21 and grabbed 12 rebounds. Jordan Poole added 23 points off the bench.

On the Mavericks side, Luka Doncic produced another high-scoring show with 42 points, five rebounds and eight assists, while Jalen Brunson had 31 points.

The Mavericks badly need a comeback as the Warriors only lose the series once while leading 2-0, and it happened six years ago.

“It’s the Warriors. They have a great team. They’re a championship team. We’ve got to adjust our defense,” Doncic said. “But we can’t look back. What happened, happened. So we’ve got to move on.”

Warriors edge Mavericks in Western Conference finals series

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Golden State Warriors sailed past the Dallas Mavericks to win their Western Conference finals series opener by 112-87 on Wednesday.

Curry started slowly and missed his initial five 3-point attempts, four of which were in the first quarter. But he got involved in other ways by dishing out four assists and grabbing seven rebounds in the first half.

The Mavs made 14 of 44 attempts from the field in the first half, and only seven of 29 three-point attempts, but only trailed by nine points at half-time and were able to remain within sight of the Warriors.

Klay Thompson’s time came in the second half. He had made only four attempts from the field and failed to score a point in the first two quarters, but got into the groove in the second half with 15 points.

With Doncic appearing to be nursing a sore shoulder, the Warriors outscored the visitors 34-24 in the third quarter to lead by 19 points. Warriors coach Steve Kerr was able to withdraw his starters with five minutes left, earning them a valuable rest for what could be a long series.

Curry had 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while Andrew Wiggins added 19 points and made a remarkable contribution in stopping Doncic.

Doncic scored 20 points but shot just 6 for 18 and 3 of 10 from deep, while Dallas trailed for almost the entirety of the game. The Slovenian received a scratch across his face early in the game by Wiggins, who handled much of the defensive load, and also tugged at his troublesome right shoulder that had been taped earlier in the playoffs.

Game two of the series takes place in San Francisco on Friday. The winner of the series will play against the winner of the Eastern Conference, either Boston or Miami, in the NBA Finals.

Celtics, Mavericks reach NBA Conference finals

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Boston Celtics defeated Milwaukee Bucks 109-81 in Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals with Grant Williams scoring a career-high 27 points on Sunday.

The Celtics trailed by six in the first quarter. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown helped the Celtics take the lead in the midway of the second quarter, but Giannis Antetokounmpo turned the game into a seesaw battle after a 6-0 dash for the Bucks. Before the break, the Celtics led 48-43.

The Celtics built a two-digit-advantage in the third quarter. Payton Pritchard’s three-pointer enlarged the advantage over 20 points in the final quarter, putting the game beyond the Bucks’ reach.

The Celtics hit 22 three-pointers in the game, with Tatum contributing 23 points and eight assists.

For the Bucks, Antetokounmpo pocketed 25 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists, and Brook Lopez had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

In Sunday’s other game, last season’s runners-up the Phoenix Suns lost to the Dallas Mavericks 123-90, seeing Luka Doncic and his teammates advance to the Western Conference finals.

Doncic gave the Mavericks an early lead, making his first three shots. Dallas led by 10 in the first quarter. The Suns, who won 64 games in the regular season, only pocketed 10 points in the second session, giving their rivals a 57-27 lead at halftime.

Doncic and Jalen Brunson kept firing beyond the arc midway through the third quarter, helping the Mavericks grab a 42-point advantage before the last quarter to stun the Suns fans. The Western Conference’s top seeds never led at any point during the game.

Doncic hit a game-best 35 points and 10 rebounds. For the Suns, All-Star guard Chris Paul only had 10 points and four assists, while Booker had 11 points and shot 3 of 14.

Miami Heat edge 76ers to storm NBA Eastern Conference final

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Miami Heat marched into the NBA Eastern Conference finals after beating the Philadelphia 76ers 99-90 in the semi-final with Jimmy Butler scoring 32 points on Thursday.

The Heat will touch the conference finals floor for the second time in three seasons, while the Sixers swallowed the home loss witnessing James Harden and Joel Embiid’s terrible performance.

Despite starting forward Danny Green exiting in the first quarter due to a bad-looking left knee injury, the Sixers managed to deliver a tight first half as they only fell one point behind at halftime.

Coming back from the locker room, the Heat took immediate control of the game. Butler scored 14 points in the third quarter and led the Heat with a 19-4 run. The Sixers struggled to narrow the gap to 11 points before the fourth quarter thanks to Shake Milton and Tobias Harris’ tough fadeaway jumpers.

The Heat kept the hot hands at the beginning of the last 12 minutes to enlarge the gap to 20. In the crucial moment, Gabe Vincent’s 3-pointer and Butler’s layup resisted the Sixers’ late comeback, helping the Heat seal the victory.

Butler led with 32 points, Max Strus added 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat.

On the Sixers’ side, Embiid had 20 points from 24 shooting attempts, and Harden’s bleak 11 points were all from the first half.

In the Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks routed the Phoenix Suns 113-86 by taking advantage of the Suns’ 22 turnovers, dragging the series into a tiebreaker.

The Mavericks’ star guard Luka Doncic scored 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Reggie Bullock and Jalen Brunson added 19 and 18 respectively.

Devin Booker contributed 19 points to the Suns but also had eight turnovers. Deandre Ayton had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Chris Paul added 13 points.

Mavericks edge Suns to go even as 76ers route Miami Heat in NBA playoffs

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Dallas Mavericks beat Phoenix Suns 111-101 with 20 3-pointers to tie their NBA playoff Western Conference semifinal series 2-2 while Philadelphia 76ers overpowered Miami Heat 116-108 on Sunday.

In Dallas, the Mavericks were the ones to get into it first as they built a 37-25 lead in the first quarter with eight 3-pointers. The Mavericks scored 14 from long range to create a playoff record for most 3-pointers made in a half.

Even more ominously for the Suns, veteran point guard Chris Paul committed his fourth foul trying to make a tip-in with 1.1 seconds left before halftime, while he picked up his fifth and sixth foul and was ruled out with just three minutes played in the third quarter.

Devin Booker kept the Suns’ hope alive into the fourth quarter despite a long stretch without his backcourt mate, but Doncic eventually wore them down with post-ups and other drives for buckets or assists.

Doncic scored 26 points and Dorian Finney-Smith added 24 to help Dallas grab the second win at home, while Booker led the Suns with 35 points and Jae Crowder scored 15.

In the other game, James Harden scored 31 points, Joel Embiid had 24 points and 11 rebounds to help Philadelphia beat Miami 116-108 in Game 4, which also evened the Eastern Conference semifinal series 2-2.

Embiid dominated the first quarter as he made five of six shots, including a 3-pointer to put the Sixers ahead 30-28. Harden took over in the second quarter with 13 points to give the 76ers a 64-56 lead into halftime.

However, 10 turnovers kept the Sixers from stretching the lead into double digits, with Jimmy Butler keeping the Heat in the game until the end, as he scored 40 points on 13 of 20 shooting from the floor as well as 12 of 13 free throws made.

With three minutes left, Harden hit his fifth 3-pointer of the game to secure the win.

Suns edge Mavericks as Heat route 76ers in NBA Conference semifinals

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Phoenix Suns rallied to beat Dallas Mavericks 129-109 while Miami Heat brushed aside Philadelphia 76ers 119-103 in the NBA Conference semifinals on Wednesday.

Mikal Bridges’ early floater announced the Suns’ top form as they went on a 9-0 run in the first quarter. However, the Mavericks responded with a 10-0 second-quarter run to take a 60-58 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, the two teams were still evenly matched, but the Suns took control in the fourth quarter, going on a 23-2 run and scoring 40 points in total. Chris Paul dominated this quarter and scored 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting.

Despite All-Star guard Luka Doncic’s 35 points and seven assists, the Mavericks were unable to win the game. Apart from Doncic, no Mavericks player scored more than 20 points, with Reggie Bullock scoring 16 points and Spencer Dinwiddie adding 11 points.

Devin Booker led the Suns with 30 points, Chris Paul added 28 points and eight assists, and Mikal Bridges contributed 11 points and six assists.

Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler combined for 45 points to help Miami Heat over the Philadelphia 76ers 119-103, making a 2-0 lead in the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals.

Without All-Star center Joel Embiid, the 76ers still struggled from both ends of the court with just 8 of 30 from 3-point-range. The heat led the first half with 60-52, and went on 13-2 and 10-0 runs in the second half to lead as many as 18 points and seal the win.

Adebayo led the Heat with 23 points, while Butler added 22 points and 12 assists, Victor Oladipo came off the bench to score 19 points.

Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 34 points, while James Harden, the three-time scoring champion, finished with 20 points but only four in the second half.

Suns beat Mavericks as Heat edge 76ers in NBA playoffs second round

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Phoenix Suns brushed aside Dallas Mavericks 121-114 in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Monday, while Miami Heat beat Philadelphia 76ers 106-92 in the Eastern Conference semifinal for a 1-0 series lead.

The Suns jump-started with a 9-0 run and never trailed in the game. Backup center JaVale McGee stole the ball from Dallas star Luka Doncic early in the fourth quarter and dribbled all the way to the other end of the court to finish his solo play with a dunk, extending the lead to 21 points.

Center Ayton dominated the paint and mid-range as he shot 12 of 20 from the field, while Booker, who missed three games during Phoenix’s first-round win over the New Orleans Pelicans, added 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Chris Paul had 19 points.

Doncic led Dallas with 45 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Maxi Kleber went 5 from 6 from long range in the first half and scored 16 points before the break, but only added 3 points in the second half.

Elsewhere, the 76ers were without star player Joel Embiid, who is recovering from an orbital fracture and concussion, and fell to Eastern Conference top-seeded Heat.

Gabe Vincent opened up the game for the Heat, followed by a dunk from 76ers’ DeAndre Jordan. Miami’s 10-2 run with eight points from Tyler Herro give them the biggest 13-point lead over the 76ers of the half.

The 76ers came from behind with an 8-0 run by the end of the second quarter to enter the second half 51-50.

It didn’t take long for the Heat to regain momentum in the third quarter as they threw in 10-0 and 13-2 runs in the third and fourth to put the team ahead, and marked the biggest lead of 21 points to go into garbage time with four minutes and 40 seconds left.

Herro had 25 points and seven assists for the Heat, Bam Adebayo finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, as Jimmy Butler added 15.

Tobias Harris scored 27 points for Philadelphia, while James Harden had 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Raptors on 3-1 lead as Jazz hold Mavericks in NBA playoff series

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Toronto Raptors avoided a first-round sweep as they edged the Philadelphia 76ers 110-102 in Game 4 on Saturday.

Despite having injured his thumb in the first-half of Game Three, 76ers star Joel Embiid still started the game wearing a brace but missed all five shots in the first quarter. The 76ers still tied the quarter with 5 for 10 from the 3-point range.

After taking the lead in the second quarter with solid defense, the Raptors didn’t give the 76ers any chance to even the game, as they extended the series to 3-1 with Gary Trent Jr. adding 24 points.

James Harden scored 22 points for the 76ers along with nine assists and five rebounds. Embiid had 21 points and eight rebounds.

Elsewhere, Rudy Gobert’s alley-oop dunk with 11.0 seconds to go helped the Utah Jazz beat the Dallas Mavericks 100-99 to tie the series 2-2 after Spencer Dinwiddie missed the buzz-beater for Dallas.

Utah built up a 12-point lead after the first half but let Dallas come from behind in the third quarter with 8 of 10 from long distance. The teams exchanged the lead several times in the fourth quarter until Dwight Powell missed a pair of free throws with 19.8 seconds left to give Gobert the chance for the winner.

Gobert had a double-double of 17 points and 15 rebounds for Utah, while Jordan Clarkson scored 25 points, as Donovan Mitchell added 23 points and seven assists.

Dallas star Luka Doncic returned from a three-game absence due to a strained left calf to score 30 points with 10 rebounds and four assists.

The Minnesota Timberwolves also evened the series 2-2 after a thrilling 119-118 home win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Timberwolves led for more than 39 of the 48-minute-game and set up a four-point lead with only 4.4 seconds left after Karl-Anthony Towns scored two free throws to secure the win, despite Desmond Bane hit a three-pointer at the buzzer for Memphis.

Bane had a game-high 34 points, while Dillon Brooks added 24. Towns had 33 points, 14 rebounds and three assists for Minnesota.

The Boston Celtics took a 3-0 lead over the Brooklyn Nets with a 109-103 away victory. Boston led most of the game as Jason Tatum had 39 points, six assists and five rebounds, Jaylen Brown added 23 points.

Kevin Durant scored 16 points for the Nets as he took only 11 shots in the game, while Kyrie Irving also had 16 points.

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