SAN FRANCISCO – All week long, entering Wednesday night’s Game 1 matchup between the Warriors and Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals, the discussion focused on a simple question: Who would guard Luka Doncic?
We had an idea that Andrew Wiggins would take the bulk of the defensive responsibilities against the Mavs’ all-word talent. Wiggins himself said he likes the challenge of guarding the guy who makes the other team “go.” Sure enough, the Warriors forward found himself dogging Doncic all night, sometimes picking him up 80 feet away from the basket.
All that extra effort didn’t appear to dampen Wiggins’ effort on offense. He also racked up 19 points in a 112-87 Warriors win that Golden State controlled throughout.
"Just make him work," Wiggins said of his mentality on Luka. "That was the main thing. Ninety-four feet make him work. Make it tough for him."
It’s hard to keep a lid on Luka, but that’s exactly what the Warriors did on Wednesday night. Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney also drew some defensive assignments on Doncic, whether by design or through a switch but most of the night, No. 77 found himself hounded by No. 22.
"I thought Wiggs was fantastic," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game. "Luka is as difficult as a cover as there is in this league. We just asked Wiggs to try to hound him and guard him as best he could, stay in front and keep the pressure on 'em. He did a fantastic job. Wiggs is a huge part of our defense and our team."
Klay also offered a very on-brand assessment of Wiggins' performance on Wednesday night, saying, "He was moving them puppies tonight."
It looked like Doncic wore down a bit as the game dragged on. He started off with 18 points in the first half on 5-of-12 shooting before fading from the Mavs offense. Luka only had two points in nine minutes in the third quarter, as he also committed four turnovers in the frame, thanks to some timely swipes and opportunistic double teams. In the fourth, Doncic was held scoreless. He finished the evening with 20 points on 6-of-18 from the field, which marks his lowest point total of the playoffs.
The Warriors also switched up coverages and mixed in zone, and box-and-one. Wiggins, of course, was the one who found himself on an island against Doncic. He didn’t get marooned. Wiggins finished with a +20 while Doncic logged a -30 in plus/minus.
"You can't do the same thing with Doncic every possession," Kerr said. "You gotta be able to mix it up. He's too good."
Offensively, Wiggins did almost all of his damage in the first half, scoring 15 of his points on 6-of-8 shooting and 3-of-4 from 3-point land.
After the game, Thompson gave Wiggins credit for living up to his Two-Way Wiggs nickname.
"Andrew was incredible tonight," Thompson said. "You can't say enough good things about him. He makes my job so much easier -- I don't have to check the best player every night again. After what I've been through, it's a nice change of pace. He just doesn't seem to get tired."
It might seem like Wiggins has been in the league forever, but he's still only 27 and in his athletic prime.
"I feel like I'm still young," Wiggins said. "I don't really get too tired. I’m locked in, I’m motivated."
Wiggins slumped in the second half of the regular season after making his first career All-Star team but has been doing the dirty work in the playoffs. On Wednesday night, he couldn’t have played his role much better while shutting down Luka.
"I just think that Andrew's in a really good groove," Kerr said. "He's had an excellent playoff and he's played well in every series so far. He's comfortable, he's confident."
Aside from a slow first half from Klay, Game 1 essentially went to script for the Warriors. Wiggins clamped down Luka and they didn’t have to double him much. As such, the Dallas role players weren’t able to pop off. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 17, but Jalen Brunson (14 points) and Dorian Finney-Smith (five Points) didn’t make much of an impact. Dallas doesn’t have much of an interior presence, as Dwight Powell scored just three points and grabbed three boards.
Steph started off slow but helped cradle the game for the Warriors with three 3-pointers late in the second quarter and early in the third quarter. Curry finished with 21 points.
Jordan Poole sparked the Warriors with 19 points off the bench and looked unguardable at times. Draymond Green brought the intensity all night on both ends of the floor en route to 10 points and nine rebounds. Kevon Looney didn’t miss, going 5-of-5 for 10 points while grabbing five rebounds. In all, seven Warriors scored in double digits.
At no point did it feel like the Mavs had shot at the game, as they trailed by double digits after the first quarter and were cold shooting.
Golden State will look to take a 2-0 series lead on Friday night (6 p.m. PT tip-off) at Chase Center.
"One game we did an excellent job defensively," Kerr said. "But we're under no illusion that we've figured anything out."
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