Curry scores 32 but it’s the Looney game, he sparks Warriors comeback Game 2 win

Rudy Gobert couldn’t do it. Deandre Ayton couldn’t do it consistently or when it mattered.

Kevon Looney did it in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals — made the Mavericks pay for going small. Of course, Looney had help that Gobert and Ayton lacked: The gravity of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole to space the floor and force defenders to rotate off him, opening up room for Looney to operate.

Looney had 11 points in the third quarter when the Warriors staged their comeback and finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds in the game, plus he played a key defensive role in the second half.

Kevon Looney is the first Warriors center with a 20/10 playoff game since Robert Parish in 1977. pic.twitter.com/LOBecakSy0

— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 21, 2022

Golden State came from 14 down at halftime — and overcame 42 points from Luka Doncic — to win Game 2 126-117. The Warriors now lead the series 2-0, with Game 3 in Dallas on Sunday night.

The Mavericks need to find a way to get consistent stops before then. Dallas was generating good looks and getting buckets all game long — they had an offensive rating of 117.2. The Warriors had a 126.3 rating (stats via Cleaning the Glass).

This looked like it would be a Mavericks’ game in the first half — they played harder and smarter than the Warriors. Doncic was getting downhill against Andrew Wiggins, getting into the paint, kicking out, and unlike Game 1 Dallas was knocking down its 3s. Throw in some sloppy Warriors turnovers and the Mavericks raced out to a 26-10 lead.

Doncic scored 18 in the first quarter and the Mavs hit 15-of-27 3-pointers in the first half. Everything was working. The Warriors were running Doncic pick-and-rolls with Reggie Bullock and the Warriors had no