The Dallas Mavericks’ season ended Thursday night in a 120-110 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. Golden State wins the series 4-1 and is advancing to its sixth NBA Finals in the previous eight seasons.
The loss brings an end to the Mavericks’ deepest playoff run since the 2011 championship-winning season. It also ends Luka Doncic’s outstanding fourth NBA season, in which he earned all-NBA First Team honors for a third consecutive season. Doncic shined in the postseason, averaging 32.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, and seven assists per game during the playoff run. He added 28 points, nine rebounds, and six assists on Thursday, though he struggled to start the game. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 26 points.
The Warriors honed in on Doncic, double-teaming him from the game’s first possession. Doncic missed his first four shots and finished making just 2-of-10 shot attempts in the first quarter. Doncic had six points by halftime, the lowest first-half scoring total he has ever had in a playoff game.
“I don’t like losing, especially not like this,” Doncic said. “I played terrible. But if we’re talking about our season, I’m really proud of this team. … Nobody had us here. But I promise we fought until the end.”
Meanwhile, the Warriors were led by Klay Thompson, who poured in 32 points and shot 8-of-16 from three in Game 5 after combining to make 7-of-24 attempts (29.2%) in the first four games of this series. Thompson scored 19 points in the first half, including a three-pointer that gave the Warriors a 13-point lead in the first.
Golden State coasted to a 17-point halftime lead (69-52), and Thompson added two three-pointers early in the third quarter for a 23-point lead.
“We need Luka to go big a lot of nights just to give us a chance, and unfortunately, the ball just didn’t go for him tonight,” Dallas head coach Jason Kidd said. “I think he carries the load as well as anyone, and I think for us as an organization, we’ll help lighten that load as we go forward.”
Doncic responded in the third quarter with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including two threes. He added two rebounds and two assists as the Mavericks embarked on a 22-5 run late in the quarter and cut the Warriors’ lead to eight points with a minute left in the quarter. Still, Doncic had an inefficient shooting night, making 10-of-28 shot attempts, including 3-of-13 from three.
The championship-experienced Warriors’ lead was never seriously threatened in the fourth. Golden State made 45-of-88 (51.1%) shot attempts. Andrew Wiggins added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors, while Draymond Green scored 17 points, his highest-scoring game this postseason. Stephen Curry had 15 points and nine assists and was named the MVP of the Conference Finals.
Golden State will have home-court advantage in the NBA Finals, with Game 1 scheduled for June 2, where the Warriors will face the winner of the Eastern Conference finals between Boston and Miami. The Celtics currently hold a 3-2 series lead heading into Game 6 on Friday night.
Despite the season coming to an end three wins short of an NBA Finals appearance, Doncic had a positive outlook when asked about the Mavericks’ future.
“Great,” Doncic said. “Honestly, great. I think this year we made a huge, huge step. Maybe a couple steps. I think we are in a great way.”
Dallas certainly showed a lot of resolve in the team’s first season under Kidd and general manager Nico Harrison. Kidd’s expectations for 23-year-old Doncic’s growth and development are still high after a season he finished fifth in MVP voting and gained substantial playoff experience.
“We’re all going to go on a ride with him on this journey,” Kidd said, “and hopefully, at one of the years … we can hold that trophy. That’s what it’s all about. But he’s going to get better … [B]eing in this situation more will only help him.”