Mavericks

In Game 3, Reggie Bullock and Maxi Kleber combined for a 0-of-12 clip from beyond the arc. Some of those looks were shots they'd normally knock in — but for ...

Green was visibly frustrated and angry in the first clip above — there were rotations that weren’t made, and some that weren’t supposed to happen. With Moody lingering too long on his stunt, Dončić swings it to Brunson for the open three. On some possessions, all it took was the simplest of movements to get the Mavericks an open shot. Kleber sets the ball screen, but before doing so, directs Finney-Smith to relocate to the opposite (left) corner. In turn, Finney-Smith cuts through the nail and fills the empty space (right corner) that Bullock vacates. They were finding holes in the Warriors’ zone; Luka Dončić was using the attention he was garnering to create holes and generate advantages. You rarely see Dončić move after giving up the ball, but that’s what he does in the possessions above. Draymond Green also holds up a fist to signal to his teammates that they should get into a zone, but not everyone gets the message. In Game 3, Reggie Bullock and Maxi Kleber combined for a 0-of-12 clip from beyond the arc. He holds up two fists — the team’s hand signal for a zone. The open shots that weren’t falling finally went in, but the shots that were decently contested — the pull-up threes that are generally more inefficient than the open catch-and-shoot variety — also went in. The Mavericks shot a blazing 20-of-43 — 46.5% — from beyond the arc.

The Warriors and Mavericks had their own reactions to the odd rain delay during Tuesday's Game 4 matchup.

“It’s raining everywhere,” Kidd said at the extended halftime. “No, once they got it cleared up, everything was fine,” Kerr said after the Warriors’ 119-109 loss to the Mavs. “So the only explanation was there was a leak, and obviously, it was right in that corner in front of our bench. “We've had the basket tilted.

The Mavericks extended the Western Conference Finals at least five games by winning the Game 4 against the Warriors in Dallas. Golden State still holds a ...

“We’re gonna stay together. We’re gonna believe. And we got to stay together.”

Golden State rallied late, but the Western Conference finals are heading back to San Francisco.

To win Game 5, they have to hope the Warriors don’t explode on offense, and they have to be able to knock down 20 3-pointers once again. What can the Mavericks do to win Game 5? But then Dončić got a dunk, and following a charge by Kuminga that was upheld after a Warriors challenge, Bullock knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:43 left to push it back to 15 and essentially end the game. They have to respect that offense and the firepower it carries. But he hit timely buckets to balloon the lead, and he had a huge dunk to end a Warriors run in the fourth quarter. He got the ball to his teammates, and they knocked down shots like we’re used to seeing.

The Mavericks avoided elimination against Golden State, but the focus wasn't just on basketball for both teams.

I’m tired of the moments of silence. While both teams performed professionally, it was hard not for Game 4 to feel especially trivial in light of the horrific event. He took no questions, and pounded the table as he called on Congress to do more to combat gun violence. The Dubs trailed by as much as 29 points in the second half, until a bench unit cut the lead to only eight points in the fourth quarter. Dallas was finally able to take advantage of the Warriors on Tuesday, recording their first win of the series as it heads back to the Bay with the Dubs still up 3–1. The Mavs’ 119–109 win in Game 4 came on the strength of their outside shooting, as their threes finally started to drop like the rain through the leaky roof of Dallas’s arena. Jason Kidd read a prepared statement, and declined to answer a basketball question, saying he was not able to given the circumstances, his voice soft as he tried to gather his thoughts.