Game 4 in Dallas was an extremely entertaining affair as the Mavericks pulled out a very important win to make sure they don’t get swept in the Western Conference Finals. It was an incredibly tense game, as the Mavericks held a 29-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. However, the Warriors bench made a fantastic comeback and cut the lead down to as low as 8 points before the final score read 119-109.
Luka Doncic didn’t have the best shooting night, scoring 30 points on 27 attempted shots. However, he was one assist shy of a triple-double as he had heavily improved his defensive output.
The Warriors gave their fanbase hope as they looked to complete what would have been the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in NBA playoff history. Fans marveled at the wild ending to the game as well as Mavs sending the series back to Chase Center:
Luka in elimination games:
39-9-9
46-7-14
33-11-8
35-10-4
30-14-9
His 36.6 PPG is the highest in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/AqaH9nTM09
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 25, 2022
LUKA HAS NEVER BEEN SWEPT IN ANY PLAYOFFS 🤫
— SLO HOOPS FAN 🇸🇮 (@SloHoopsFan) May 25, 2022
Mavs waited till they were down 0-3 to break out the secret weapon
luka cutting to the basket
— Kirk Henderson (@KirkSeriousFace) May 25, 2022
32-11 my goodness https://t.co/lk6zNYeC9A
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) May 25, 2022
The Warriors were up 3-0 in Denver, up 3-1 in Memphis and up 3-0 in Dallas.
They lost all three closeout games.
They must really want the home gate receipts 💰 pic.twitter.com/YcD5MzgQE6
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 25, 2022
A Damion Lee lineup almost sent us to the promise land. Living in wild times
— Jay 🌉 (@LimitlessCurry) May 25, 2022
Most 30-point playoff games before turning 24:
21 — LeBron James
17 — Kevin Durant
17 — Kobe Bryant
17 — Luka Doncic pic.twitter.com/6sncy8OMyc
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 25, 2022
Luka Doncic shook his head as he went to the scorer’s table to check in. Golden State bench slashed lead from 29 to 16 in less than five minutes.
— Tim MacMahon (@BannedMacMahon) May 25, 2022
This game was an incredibly odd watch, as the Mavericks were en route to a massive blowout win. However, the fourth-quarter comeback put a lot of fear in the hearts of Mavericks fans around the world. Avoiding the sweep was crucial for the morale and perception of this team, and they managed to deliver in this elimination game.
The Warriors have the tools to close this series out at home, as Dallas has struggled away from home all playoffs long. Hopefully, they can find a rhythm and make this series a little more interesting. If they can do that, it will make this series a lot more fun.
The Warriors played with their foot off the gas evidently, playing rookies like Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga for extended minutes. They will fight back in Game 5 and try to close this series out as soon as possible. The Mavericks getting momentum to make it a closer series could put them on the precipice of a historic comeback.
