Golden State Warriors 'MVP' Kevon Looney fuels classic third-quarter barrage to take Game 2

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors have a history of big third quarters. No one exactly knows why.

Maybe Warriors head coach Steve Kerr gives the best halftime speech around. Maybe it takes them 24 minutes to fully assess how their opponent is approaching the game. Maybe they need those 24 minutes to wake up. But whatever it is, they come out after halftime, and more often than not, roll.

That was surely the case on Friday night, when the Warriors came back from a 19-point deficit to beat the Dallas Mavericks 126-117 in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. The Warriors now have a 2-0 advantage in the series.

The first two quarters of the game were owned by the Mavericks. They hit 15 3-pointers in the first half, setting a new franchise record for 3s made in a playoff half. Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson became the second pair of starting guards to each score 20 points in the first half of a playoff game in the past 25 seasons.

«I told them that if we developed some poise in the second half, the game would come to us,» Kerr said. «But I thought we were so scattered in the first half. Maybe emotionally more so than anything. Dallas came out and just punched us. We felt confident that if we [got poised], they wouldn't make 15 3s in the second half.»

Entering Friday's game, the Warriors were plus-11 in the third quarter this postseason. In Game 2, they were plus-12.

Golden State scored more points in the paint in the third (18) than the Mavericks had total points (13). Dallas' 13 points in the third are its fewest in a quarter this postseason, and the Warriors limited them to just two 3-pointers that quarter.

«You didn't want to overreact, but also we got a lot better on the ball, just trying to keep bodies on