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The Golden State Warriors have to be feeling pretty good after their Game 1 win Wednesday night. Now, they lead their Western Conference Finals series against the Dallas Mavericks 1-0.
The road to the third round hasn't been easy for either team, making this such a huge matchup. The Warriors beat the MVP-led Denver Nuggets and the Memphis Grizzlies to get to this point. Meanwhile, Dallas defeated the Utah Jazz and the first-seed Phoenix Suns in the first two rounds.
Will the Warriors pick up another win at home, or will the Mavs tie the series at one apiece? Here are our three boldest predictions for Game 2.
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Warriors 3 Bold Predictions for Game 2 vs. Mavs
3. Klay Thompson makes a splash
If you bet on Klay Thompson to put on a show on offense, you were probably a pretty angry person after Game 1. The guard had zero points in the first half after four attempts from the field. He picked up the slack in the second half with 15 points, finishing the game with 7-13 from the field and 1-4 from three.
While Thompson got it together in the second half, he needs to perform better if the Warriors have a chance at the 2022 NBA Title. As an eight-year veteran, he knows this better than anybody. Expect Thompson to dominate on offense Friday night, putting up team-leading numbers. He'll have at least 25 points and four three-pointers in Game 2.
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2. A lot more work to do on defense
In Game 1, the Warriors did a fantastic job on defense to complement their highly productive offense. They even held Luka Doncic to only 20 points. That's the lowest amount of points he's recorded in a game since putting up 15 in mid-March. Doncic shot 33% from the field and 30% from deep and only made five of eight free throws.
While the Warriors seem to have the guard all figured out, changes are coming for Game 2. Doncic and the Mavs undoubtedly have a better understanding of how the Warriors run their defense. Expect Golden State to have to readjust a lot on defense Friday night, and give up a lot of points in the first half of the contest.
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1. A tough loss and high-scoring game
Unfortunately for Dubs fans, a Warriors loss is brewing in San Francisco, courtesy of the Mavs. The Warriors tend to get extremely confident when they pull off huge wins similar to that of Game 1. That being said, they'll have their defensive guard down in the first half, resulting in a huge burst of offense from Dallas. This is when most of the damage will be done, forcing the Warriors to play catch-up coming out of halftime.
Once the second half rolls around, the score should tighten up a little bit. But, with such a huge offensive first half, expect the Mavs to take Game 2. Finally, our boldest prediction yet: Dallas wins 112-108 to tie the series 1-1.
