The Golden State Warriors defeated the Dallas Mavericks 126-117 in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Chase Center in San Francisco on Friday to lead 2-0 in the series.

Despite the win, the Warriors were under great pressure in the first half of the game, not only because they trailed by as much as 19 points twice in the second quarter, but also because the opponents shot to kill at the 3-point line where they hit 15-of-27 from the field. Some of these triples were unreasonably tough shots, but some were chances created by Luka Doncic with his genius mind and smart scanning of the floor.

Having struggled in front of the Warriors' well-designed defense for him in the lost Game 1, Doncic made his response on Friday night. When he attacked Stephen Curry using the pick set by a teammate, Curry often tried to slow him down first before Andrew Wiggins could return to guard Doncic. There is one problem with such defense: the player Curry guards, which is usually a shooter, will be left open for a short moment.

Doncic exploited these chances well and kept feeding Reggie Bullock who shot 4-for-5 in triples, all from the two wings, in the first half. When his teammates posed enough offensive threat from outside, Doncic found it much easier to drive in. He's not a fast slasher, but once he's one step ahead, he could block Wiggins behind with his wide shoulders and work comfortably in the middle range.

Doncic 24 points and seven assists in the first half for the Mavericks but wasn't as tired as he used to be when he performed like this because his teammates contributed to the scoring work as well.

Unfortunately, their 3-point shooting performance failed to continue in the third quarter during which the Mavericks shot 2-of-13 from downtown. However, the team only underperformed offensively in this quarter alone. The biggest cause for their loss happened on the defensive front.

Though the Warriors were not as productive as the Mavericks at the 3-point line in the first half, they still hit 8-of-15 behind the arc. In order to contain them, the Mavericks stopped at nothing to try to shut down the opponents at the 3-point line in the third quarter. They double-teamed Curry, and followed Thompson close to keep them from shooting outside.

Nonetheless, unlike the Mavericks, the Warriors have more ways to launch offense than investing everything in triples. The excessive concentration of defense on the perimeter by the Mavericks left a lethal vacuum in the paint. As a result, Kevon Looney, who only took 3.1 field goal (FG) attempts to score 4.5 points on average in the playoffs this season, shot 5-of-6 from the field, all under the hoop, to score 11 points in the third quarter. 2.06-meter-tall Looney is not a full-sized center. Nor is he a productive finisher. But he doesn't have to be either when he faces much smaller defenders or no defense at all in the paint.

If the Mavericks took care one defensive end at the cost of the other in the third quarter, they completely fell apart defensively in the fourth quarter. They watched the Warriors shoot 15-for-19 from the floor, including making all FGs and free throws in the last four minutes. Though the Mavericks made four triples and Doncic tried to lead their offense by getting 14 points, they couldn't put up any resistance with no defense at all.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr made a bold decision by putting first-year rookie Moses Moody on the court for as long as nine and half minutes. He only averaged seven minutes in five of the previous postseason games, mostly during garbage time, but Kerr still picked him over the other young man Jonathan Kuminga because Moody shoots better and makes better decisions dealing with the ball.

Moody responded to coach's trust by playing a solid role for the Warriors in the final quarter. Though he only had two points and one assist, he was doing the right thing on both offense and defense. When the team is in the favorable situation in the game, it's more important to avoid making mistakes than risking for highlights.

Draymond Green was a bad example for that in Friday's game. He got six points, six rebounds, five assists and four turnovers in less than 29 minutes before being fouled out in the fourth quarter. He's been known for passion, energy and toughness, but at least half of his six personal fouls in this game were totally unnecessary, not to mention that he kept behaving in a provocative way after being called on a technical foul. Green is too important to the Warriors and he knows it. He should know better to protect himself and try to stay on the floor as long as possible.

The Mavericks are heading home for Game 3 at the American Airlines Center on Sunday. They are tailing 2-0 and seem to have no solution to beat the unfavorable situation, just like they were in the last round of series against the Phoenix Suns. However, coach Jason Kidd and Doncic managed to lift the Mavericks out of the difficulties in the end. The Warriors can’t afford to underestimate them despite the lead.