The shots that didn't fall for the Mavericks in the first three games of the Western Conference finals finally started dropping in their 119-109 win over the Warriors in Game 4 at American Airlines Center on Tuesday night.
After shooting 41 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from 3-point range in their three losses, the Mavericks made 50 percent of their shots Tuesday night, including 46.5 percent of their 3-pointers.
That allowed the Mavericks to build a 15-point halftime lead and a 29-point third quarter lead, though the Warriors' bench unit almost erased the deficit in the fourth quarter, cutting Dallas' lead to as little as eight points.
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"We felt all along we were getting great looks," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd told reporters after Game 4. "Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don't in this series so far. It's a matter of making shots."
That's when Kidd took a bit of a jab at the defense the Warriors have relied on during the series.
"The biggest compliment we've gotten is they got to play zone because they can't play us 1-on-1, right?" Kidd said. "And so this is a championship DNA team and they're giving you a compliment that they can't guard you. It's pretty cool. And they're winning the series, but we believe if we can continue to keep getting the shots that we got -- if we make them, it puts pressure on them."
While Andrew Wiggins has been the primary defender on Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić, the Warriors often times have used a zone defense to try to slow Dallas down. For the better part of three games, it worked.
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Despite what Kidd said, the Warriors likely won't abandon their defensive gameplan in Game 5 at Chase Center on Thursday night.