Warriors guard Klay Thompson celebrates during Golden State’s 126-117 win in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday in San Francisco. Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry scored 32 points with six 3-pointers and eight rebounds, Kevon Looney had a career-high 21 points and 12 rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors used one of their signature third-quarter flurries to rally past the Dallas Mavericks 126-117 on Friday night for a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

Luka Doncic and the Mavericks led most of the way before the Warriors took their first lead of the night on Otto Porter Jr.’s 3-pointer 18 seconds into the fourth. Porter’s three-point play with 7:21 remaining made it 100-92.

Doncic scored 18 of his 42 points in the first quarter – two points shy of his 20-point Game 1 total. His 3-pointer with 13 seconds before halftime put Dallas up 72-58 at the break and gave him 24 points.

Andrew Wiggins’ 3-pointer with 49 seconds left in the third got Golden State back within 83-81 only for Doncic to answer on a layup moments later. But a 25-13 quarter for the Warriors pulled them to 85-83 going into fourth – a third quarter reminiscent of those that defined so many of their recent playoff runs.

Doncic shot 12 for 23 and shined in a game of brilliant shotmaking – the Warriors finished 56.1% from the floor. In the first half alone, Dallas edged Golden State 52.3% to 51.2%, including a remarkable 55.6% to 53.3% from 3-point range.

The series shifts to Dallas for Game 3 on Sunday. Golden State is two wins from a return to the NBA Finals for the first time since making five straight trips from 2015-19.

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NOTES

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM: Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics was the leading vote-getter for the All-Defensive first team, with Mikal Bridges of the Phoenix Suns joining him as the other guard.

Former Defensive Players of the Year Rudy Gobert of Utah and Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee were also voted to the first team along with Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr.

Smart received 99 first-place votes and 198 points from the panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Bridges, the runner-up to Smart for the league’s top defensive award, got 95 first-team votes and three second-team votes for a total of 193 points.

Players received two points for a first-team vote and one for a second-team vote.

Gobert, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year, was a first-team All-Defensive selection for the sixth straight season. Antetokounmpo made it for the fourth straight season, which includes the 2019-20 season when was both the NBA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.

Jackson, who led the league with 2.27 blocks per game, is a first-time selection.

The second team was Miami forward Bam Adebayo, Milwaukee guard Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia guard Matisse Thybulle, Boston center Robert Williams III and Golden State forward Draymond Green.


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