"A lot of this was Luka's playmaking, the Mavs shot 9 for 14 on Luka passes" - JJ Redick highlights a major reason which led to Mavericks avoiding sweep against Golden State Warriors
The Dallas Mavericks took Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday, defeating the Golden State Warriors 119-109. The Mavs went back to their strong shooting, and Luka Dončić, despite shooting poorly, led his team in scoring.
On ESPN's "Get Up," JJ Redick talked about the difference-maker in Game 4:
"Yesterday, I learned about positive regression. We always think of regression to the mean being in a negative way. Last night was a great example of positive regression.
"The Mavericks in open threes this series were shooting 33% prior to last night. In the previous two series, they were shooting 46 and 48%. There just had to be some positive regression, and last night was the case. They just knocked down threes time and time again. A lot of this was Luka's playmaking. The Mavs shot 9 for 14 on Luka passes."
The Mavericks improved their tally for 3-point shooting, and are now 35.9% from 3-point range in the series.
Review: Golden State Warriors at Dallas Mavericks, Game 4, Western Conference finals
The Dallas Mavericks bounced back to take Game 4 of the Western Conference finals 119-109 on Tuesday. Luka Dončić scored 30 points, adding 13 rebounds and nine assists despite a poor shooting night from 3-point range (3-for-11, 27.3%).
The Dallas Mavericks got back in rhythm, shooting 46.5% from 3-point range, but more importantly, knocking down open 3-pointers and easy looks. The Golden State Warriors continued their run of poor shooting, finishing 35.7% (10-for-28).
After a competitive first quarter, the Mavericks distanced themselves in the second quarter. That happened after the starters left and rookies Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga checked in for the Golden State Warriors. The Mavs extended their lead from five to 15 points at halftime.
The third quarter saw the Mavericks pull away, shooting 63.6%, including 61.5% from 3-point range. The only real difference in the game plan from Game 3 to Game 4 seemed to be their replenished penchant to knock down open threes. That's something the Mavericks have specialized in during the playoffs.
Game 5 will be played on Thursday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco.