The Dallas Mavericks played an excellent first half of basketball in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors on Friday. The Mavs had a 14-point lead and looked poised to even up the series. But the second half was a completely different story on the defensive end.
The Warriors outscored the Mavericks by 23 points to win the game 126-117 and take a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd shared why his team struggled defensively in the second half.
“Offense,” Kidd said. “We play defense when we play offense, and we play no defense when we can’t score. That’s something that we have to get better at this time of the year.”
Kidd isn’t necessarily wrong in his assessment. As the Mavericks offense cooled off, the Warriors O heated up.
After a high-scoring first half in which they led 72-58, the Mavericks scored a combined 45 points in the second half, including a 13-point third quarter. During that stretch, the Warriors scored 68 points, 43 of which came in the fourth quarter.
The Warriors also out-rebounded the Mavericks, 43-30, and scored 62 points in the paint to Dallas’ 30.
As the saying goes, “defense wins championships.” But the Mavericks won’t get a chance to play for a championship unless they tighten things up.
Game 3 of the series takes place in Dallas on Sunday, while Game 4 will be on Tuesday. Game 5, if needed, is slated for Thursday.
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