The Golden State Warriors were well aware that they needed to do something – anything – about Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks if they wished to make the NBA Finals.
Doncic is a machine, a monster on the floor who seems to always find ways to score.
He has worn out the defensive plans for multiple other teams within the league.
That’s why the Warriors needed something special to really impair his skills.
Apparently, that something special was Andrew Wiggins.
“But who will guard Luka?”
Warriors: pic.twitter.com/rokVbPU7Sj
— SplashBrosMuse (@SplashBrosMuse) May 19, 2022
Wiggins was tasked with slowing down Doncic in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
That’s exactly what he did.
Doncic was definitely held back in the opening game of the series.
It looks like Golden State might have found its recipe for stopping Dallas’ biggest star.
Wiggins Stepping Up
Wiggins was all over Doncic on Wednesday night and held him to 5-of-11 shooting.
He also forced Doncic to make three turnovers, something the Slovenian phenom rarely does.
All in all, it was the third-lowest scoring playoff game for Doncic and only the third time out of 24 postseason games that he failed to score more than 20 points.
It’s true that all of Doncic’s contested shots came against Wiggins but no one can deny that he was greatly held back because of the Warriors’ approach to defense.
You would be smart to expect the same plan for Friday night’s Game 2.
The only problem is that Doncic and his team might be able to outsmart and outmaneuver the Warriors.
Dallas has repeatedly shown that they are a very adaptable team.
They are able to readjust and tweak their lineup and their plans based on their opponents.
That’s exactly what they will need to do against the Warriors – otherwise, this will end up being a very short series.
NEXT: Klay Thompson Is Getting Close To His Old Self