GAME 5: DALLAS MAVERICKS (1-3) at GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (3-1).
Time: 8 p.m., Thursday.
Place: Chase Center, San Francisco.
TV: TNT.
Radio: The Eagle 97.1 FM; Univision Zona MX 99.1 FM (Spanish)
Format: Best-of-Seven.
About the Mavericks: Cue the disco music. Preferably Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees. That’s the Mavericks mission in Game 5 as they try to figure out a way to get a win in Golden State’s house. They had a shot at doing so in Game 2, ahead by 19 points in the first half and by 17 early in the third quarter, but were run down in the final 20 minutes of the game . . . They avoided elimination on Tuesday with a 119-109 victory at American Airlines Center in Game 4 and are trying to do what no NBA team has before – win a best-of-seven series after falling behind 3-0 . . . Luka Dončić has been fantastic in win-or-go-home situations, averaging 36.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 8.8 assists while going 3-2 in those situations. He’s coming off of 30 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in Game 4. He has scored at least 30 points in all five of his elimination games, second most all-time to start a career behind Elgin Baylor’s eight 30-plus games . . . Dončić (32.7 points) owns the second-highest career scoring average in playoff history (min. 10 games played), behind Michael Jordan (33.4). For the 2022 NBA Playoffs, he is averaging a league-high 31.9 points per game, ahead of the reigning Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (31.7) and reigning two-time league MVP Nikola Jokić (31.0) . . . The Mavericks shot 20-of-43 (46.5 percent) from beyond the arc in their Game 4 win, marking the fourth time this postseason they have connected on 20-plus 3-pointers, most in a single playoff run in NBA history. The win also marked the team’s 11th game with 15 3-pointers this postseason, the most in a single playoff run in NBA history.
About the Warriors: It will be shocking to the wise guys if they don’t win Game 5 as they are favored by seven points, according to bovada . . . They have yet to lose at home in the playoffs (8-0), including Games 1 and 2 in this series by a combined 34 points. There still has yet to be a game in this series decided by fewer than nine points. The eight-game winning streak at home in the playoffs is the second-longest in franchise history behind a nine-game run in 2017 . . . Steph Curry has been the pinnacle of consistency in the playoffs this year, averaging at least 26 points in every series, including 26 in the first four games of this one. He has shot 47.1 percent from 3-point range in the series. Curry on Tuesday reached his 100th playoff game with 20 or more points, joining a list of 16 players who have done so. Of the rest of them, 11 are in the hall of fame and the other five are LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Dwayne Wade, Dirk Nowitzki and Curry . . . The Warriors are averaging 49 points in the paint in the series, and have outscored the Mavericks in the paint 196-132 . . . They lost Game 4 at least in part because they failed for the first time in this series to dominate the rebounding department. They lost the rebounding 45-42 on Tuesday. Even with that, the Warriors are up 183-143 in total rebounding in the four games . . . In Game 5 of any playoff series, the Mavericks have a 26-23 record, but it is considerably better since 2015, 12-4 . . . Kevon Looney is shooting 73 percent from the field in the series (19-of-26) . . . Jordan Poole is shooting 61 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3-point land.
Twitter: @ESefko
Share and comment