The Golden State Warriors were down big in the first half of their second Western Conference Finals game at the Chase Center.
The Mavericks’ lead grew to as large as 19 as the home team has no answers for superstar guard Luka Doncic. This was a different feeling than Game 1 where the Dubs controlled throughout and Dallas struggled to make shots from the jump.
The Warriors capped off a comeback win with Stephen Curry putting the Mavericks to sleep, but it was Kevon Looney who deserves the game ball.
In Game 2, Dallas was hitting, and it should’ve been concerning for fans as the Warriors played much of the first half and even in the second half with a double-digit deficit. With the scoring this team has, being down 10 or more means very little.
Stephen Curry put the Warriors to sleep with his 10 points in the last 6 minutes of action. That’s what fans and those watching will remember most. However, Looney was the one that thrived on Saturday evening.
He scored 21 points.
For reference, those wondering what the sportsbooks projected him to score may be underwhelmed as he was projected around 5.5-6.5 points despite going 5-for-5 from the field in Game 1. Big money could’ve been made on the Dubs former first-round pick.
He just hasn’t been a large part of the offensive game plan over his career. Looney’s career-high prior to last night was 15. He went for 21, scoring more than five-time All-Star Klay Thompson and All-Star starter Andrew Wiggins.
Kevon Looney: "I got MVP chants, so that was pretty cool. I'm gonna cherish that one. I might not get another one so I'm going to have to cherish that one."
— Steve Berman (@BASportsGuy) May 21, 2022
Looney ended the game with a game-high 12 rebounds as well, 5 of which came on the offensive side of the glass. He was 10-for-14 from the field, most of which came around the rim or on the offensive glass.
Just for reference to show how involved Looney was, this was just his third time all season shooting ten or more attempts. It’s also important to note his maturation in his role and use in this series.
He has had 9 games this postseason where he’s been given under 20 minutes. He’s also been subbed out of the starting lineup. Yesterday, he went for 32 minutes, the second-highest of this current playoff run for the 6-foot-9 center.
Looney was everything Golden State needed, and given the Mavericks’ lack of size and dependability on Doncic getting looks around the rim, I would expect Looney to continue playing a large role moving forward.