The Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks kicked off their Western Conference Finals series in San Francisco for Game 1 on Wednesday night and after a slow start, the Warriors were definitely the better team on the night.
The Warriors were not one of the favorites to come out of the West at the beginning of the season, but a hot start to their 2021-22 campaign ensured they returned to their status as one of the most feared teams as Steph Curry also found some of his MVP form.
Curry did not have his best shooting night against the Mavs, but finished with 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds as the Dubs cruised to a 112-97 win to take a 1-0 lead.
The Mavericks learned pretty quickly in this game that they will need to learn to defend space better as the Warriors are a much better 3-point shooting team than the Phoenix Suns.
Luka Doncic, who has almost single-handedly willed his team to this stage of the playoffs, had an off-night, ending Game 1 with 20 points (6-of-18 from the field) and seven rebounds. The Warriors held him to just 16.7 percent shooting on contested field-goal attempts - a career playoff low for the Slovenian.
Only one game separated the teams in the regular season, and it's because of the Warriors' 53-52 edge in wins -- rather than the Mavericks' 3-1 triumph in the season series -- that Golden State has earned the home-court advantage in this best-of-seven series.
Mavs' coach Jason Kidd will have a couple of days to figure out what adjustments he needs to make to get Doncic back in his groove, and to help his team (hopefully) steal a win at Golden State before heading back to Dallas.
The Sporting News tracked all of the action from Game 1.
Warriors vs. Mavericks score
| Game 1 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| Warriors | 28 | 26 | 34 | 24 | 112 |
| Mavericks | 18 | 27 | 24 | 18 | 87 |
Warriors vs. Mavericks results, highlights from Game 1
(All times Eastern)
11:19 p.m: That's a wrap from the Chase Center. The Warriors take Game 1 at home 112-87.
11:11 p.m: Both benches have now been cleared. The Mavs have waved the white flag for this game.
11:08 p.m: Looks like Steph and Klay might be done for the night. If so, Curry will finish with 21 points and 12 rebounds while Thompson has 15 points and five rebounds. Interestingly, Luka Doncic is still in the game for the Mavs. The score is 104-76.
11:02 p.m: What a move from Jordan Poole!
10:59 p.m: Warriors have blown this one wide open now. The lead is 29 with 7:18 left in the game.
End of the third quarter: Warriors 88, Mavericks 69
10:48 p.m: Jordan Poole beats the buzzer to end the third! He has 13 points fo the game.
10:42 p.m: The leading rebounder in this game is .... Steph Curry with 12. He's not having the best shooting night, but he is making his impact felt. He has 21 points (7-of-15 from the field) and 12 rebounds.
10:34 p.m: The Mavs have more made free throws (11) than they do 3-pointers (7). Make of that what you will when you see they're down 71-54.
10:22 p.m: Underway in the third and the Warriors' are creating offense from the defense. First Steph Curry nails a three, and then Klay Thompson on an assist from Draymond Green. Warriors open on a 10-2 run and have extended their lead (again) to 17. Timeout Dallas with 9:29 left in the third.
Halftime: Warriors 54, Mavericks 45
10:05 p.m: The Mavericks are shooting 32 percent from the field and 24 percent from long-range, yet are only down nine points at the half.
9:55 p.m: Just like that the Warriors go on an 11-2 run to extend their lead to 12. Andrew Wiggins has 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Timeout Dallas trailing 49-37.
9:50 p.m: The Warriors are building this 10-point lead by hitting their two-point field goals. They're currently 11-of-12 in that department. Draymond has six. They will need more of this from him, too.
End of the first quarter: Warriors 28, Mavericks 18
9:49 p.m: Steph and Klay are a combined 1-of-10 shooting. The rest of the Warriors? 15-of-20. Their lead is four points: 38-34 with 4:25 left in the half.
9:44 p.m: One of the biggest adjustments to watch from Jason Kidd is how they defend space. Playing the Warriors is in stark contrast to playing the Suns in that regard.
9:32 p.m: Draymond Green with the sensational block to close out the first!
9:27 p.m: Jordan Poole jabbing and dancing.
9:24 p.m: The Mavericks have taken 20 shots - 15 of those have been 3-pointers. They've made three. Somehow they're just down six points: 24-18 coming out of the timeout.
9:17 p.m: LUKA! The Mavs are 2-of-11 so far in the first from downtown. This was one of the two makes.
9:14 p.m: Luka is playing with a scratch on his face after Andrew Wiggins swiped at the ball and connected with the Mavs' star's face instead.
9:12 p.m: Warriors shifted to zone the last two possessions which led to (somewhat) open Kleber/Brunson 3s. They missed both. Timeout. Warriors lead 16-13 with 6:12 left in the first.
9:08 p.m: This is some great ball movement from the Warriors that leads to an easy bucket.
9:06 p.m: Each team has started 3-of-5 early. The score is tied 7-7 early in the first.
9:04 p.m: We're underway at the Chase Center!
8:40 p.m: The starting lineups are in. The Mavericks are starting a backcourt Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson, alongside them will be Reggie Bullock, Dorian Finney-Smith and Dwight Powell, while the Warriors starting five will be Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney.
What channel is Warriors vs. Mavericks on?
- Date: Wednesday, May 18
- TV channel: TNT
- Live streaming: Sling TV
Warriors vs. Mavericks start time
- Date: Wednesday, May 18
- Time: 9 p.m. ET | 6 p.m. PT
The Warriors and Mavericks will get the Western Conference Finals underway on Wednesday, May 18. The game will tip-off shortly after 9 p.m. ET and be played at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
Warriors vs. Mavericks series schedule
Here is the full schedule for the 2022 Western Conference Finals.
| Date | Game | Time (ET) |
| May 18 | Game 1: Warriors 112, Mavericks 87 | --- |
| May 20 | Game 2 | 9:00 p.m. |
| May 22 | Game 3 | 9:00 p.m. |
| May 24 | Game 4 | 9:00 p.m. |
| May 26 | Game 5* | 9:00 p.m. |
| May 28 | Game 6* | 9:00 p.m. |
| May 30 | Game 7* | 8:00 p.m. |
*If necessary