Warriors beat Mavericks to return to NBA Finals

WASHINGTON - The Golden State Warriors eliminated the Dallas Mavericks 120-110 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Thursday, winning the series 4-1 to advance to the NBA Finals.

Klay Thompson of the Warriors made eight 3-pointers to score a game-high 32 points, while his teammates Draymond Green and Steph Curry combined for 32 points and 18 assists for the win.

The star trio have lifted the Warriors to the NBA's biggest stage for the sixth time in eight seasons.

Thompson led the Warriors to outscore their opponents 41-29 in the second quarter and establish a 17-point lead at halftime. Luka Doncic of the Mavericks was not in his rhythm in the early minutes, as he only had six points in the first half from 12 attempts.

Although the Slovenian star guard bounced back in the second half to finish with 28 points and nine rebounds, it was too late to wake up. Spencer Dinwiddie added 26 points for the Mavericks in the defeat.

Curry was named the inaugural winner of the Magic Johnson Trophy, formerly known as the Western Conference Finals MVP.

The Warriors are now looking for their fourth NBA title after missing the playoffs in the past two seasons. They won championships in 2015, 2017 and 2018.

Golden State will wait to compete with the winner of the Eastern Conference finals, with the Boston Celtics currently leading the Miami Heat 3-2 heading into Game 6 at home on Friday.