The final battle to advance to the 2022 NBA Finals has started in both conferences. Tonight, fans witnessed fierce competition between the Golden State Warriors and the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
After the final buzzer, the Dubs might have won the game very comfortably, but the series is still far from over. The Mavs have proved their worth in the previous round after winning the second round against the Phoenix Suns 4-3.
The score in the first game stood at 112-97. To be honest, the Warriors are favorites to win this series, but fans expect closer competition.
A huge reason why the Mavericks lost by such a huge margin is the fact that their superstar Luka Doncic was kept in check throughout the game by Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins defended Doncic well, but during one play he took things a bit further as he scratched Luka’s face, giving him a sort of battle scar.
“It’s good. Makes me look tough.”
“It’s good. Makes me look tough” – Luka on his scar pic.twitter.com/UQfSFpgqY3
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) May 19, 2022
Doncic joked about the play, but thankfully it was just a scratch on his face. If it was something serious, it would have seriously depleted the chances of the Mavs having a shot at defeating the Warriors in the WCF.
Regardless of this play, Andrew Wiggins and the Warriors made sure that Luka was kept in check throughout the game. Doncic was asked about his thoughts on the Warriors’ defense and here is what he had to say:
“Great job. That’s it. That’s all I’ve got to say. They did a great job.”
Luka Doncic on the Warriors defense tonight: "Great job. That's it. That's all I've got to say. They did a great job."
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) May 19, 2022
Fans lauded Doncic for his honesty and accepting that the defense was simply great tonight.
The European superstar needs to find a way to score more points in the next game in order to help his team win the series. If he can’t figure that out, the Mavericks will be in serious trouble throughout the series.
