The Golden State Warriors will attempt to reach a high-rent NBA milestone and take a commanding lead in the Western Conference finals when they host Game 2 against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.

With their 112-87 romp over the Mavericks in the best-of-seven opener Wednesday, the Warriors moved within one of becoming just the fifth franchise in NBA history to record 200 postseason wins. The Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs currently are the only members of the exclusive 200 Club.

Golden State is a 6.5-point favorite at BetMGM, where it has been backed by 60 percent of the spread bets and 70 percent of the handle. The action has been similar on the 6.0-point line at DraftKings, where the Warriors have drawn 66 and 77 percent, respectively.

In rolling to a seventh straight triumph at home this postseason, the Warriors dominated the Mavericks in almost every aspect of Game 1, outshooting them 56.1 percent to 36.0 percent overall and 34.5 percent to 22.9 percent on 3-pointers. They also outrebounded the Mavs 51-35.

Andrew Wiggins was the defensive leader with his effort on Mavericks star Luka Doncic, limiting him to a postseason-low 20 points on 6-for-18 shooting. But Warriors coach Steve Kerr doesn’t necessarily expect more of the same moving forward.

“He’s too good,” Kerr said. “One game we did an excellent job defensively, but we are under no illusion that we’ve figured anything out. There’s a good chance those shots start going in next game, so we just have to stay committed and stay aggressive and play with force and see what happens.”

The Warriors pulled away through the second half, but most of them pointed to the impact of the game’s first 12 minutes. That’s when the Mavericks, riding the momentum of a Game 7 win at Phoenix on Sunday, took 19 3-pointers and made just three of them, falling behind 28-18.

“There were a lot of great looks that just didn’t go down. It happens. It’s basketball,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “Hopefully we get those same looks in Game 2.”

Jalen Brunson didn’t make any of his five 3-point attempts on the night. Davis Bertans went 0-for-4, and Reggie Bullock misfired on seven of his 10 tries.

But much of the focus in the postgame analysis was on Wiggins limiting Doncic to 3-for-10 on threes.

“I’ve got to be better. That’s on me,” said Doncic, whose previous low point total this postseason was 24 in Game 6 of the first round against the Utah Jazz. “They did a great job. As a leader, I’ve got to be better for the whole group.”

While the results might not be the same, Wiggins promises his effort will return in Game 2.

“I’m still young. I don’t really get too tired,” Wiggins said. “I’m locked in. I’m motivated, and when you see it work or I feel like it’s helping us play better, it just motivates me to do it more.”

Neither coach spoke much about changes one game into the series. The Warriors have won the last 13 series in which they took Game 1 and will stick to what worked to try to keep that streak alive.

Doncic, meanwhile, hopes the Mavericks learned a lesson after rallying to beat Phoenix: Digging a 2-0 hole is not ideal.

“Game 2 was the same as Game 1 (in the Phoenix series), so we’ve got to learn from that and we’ve got to come out and play harder and play better,” he said. “We’re going to believe. So the confidence is the same. It’s tough to win every game, so some you’re going to lose. But the confidence stays the same.”

The 214.0-point Over/Under at DraftKings has seen the Over supported by 68 percent of the bets and 83 percent of the handle. The 214.5-point total at BetMGM has seen the action skew toward the Under at 56 and 67 percent, respectively.

–Field Level Media

The Boston Celtics went from looking like they were in deep trouble after Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals to delivering a severe beating to the Miami Heat in Game 2.

The difference in performances by both squads makes Game 3 feel extra pivotal when the best-of-seven series continues Saturday night in Boston.

Miami used a 25-point margin of difference in the third quarter of Game 1 to cruise to a 118-107 victory. But with Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart back on the court in Game 2, the Celtics led by as many as 34 while whipping the Heat 127-102.

Miami star Jimmy Butler termed the performance as embarrassing after Thursday night’s setback, while teammate Gabe Vincent cautioned against letting the disappointment linger.

“We lost a game in the playoffs before,” Vincent said. “It’s a loss, whether you lose by one or by 20. Go back to the drawing board and get ready for Game 3.”

But it was the way the Heat lost that was so alarming.

The Celtics had Smart (foot) and Al Horford (COVID-19 protocol) back after missing the opener and easily responded after falling down by 10 in the first 4 1/2 minutes.

The Celtics’ response was so swift and powerful that they led by 29 late in the second half. Boston led 70-45 at halftime partially thanks to 12-of-19 shooting from 3-point range.

“I think the sign of a good team is how you respond after losses, especially tough ones,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum said. “It just kind of shows the character of the group. We’ve done a really good job most of the year responding after tough losses and situations.”

Tatum scored 27 points but the real difference-maker was Smart, who contributed 24 points, 12 assists, nine rebounds and three steals in 40 minutes. Smart also made five 3-pointers and committed just one turnover while accumulating at least 20 points and 10 assists in a postseason game for the third time in his career.

“There’s a different type of energy and feel when I’m out there on the court able to bark out the commands and really get into my guys and get them motivated,” Smart said. “It’s like, ‘OK, if he’s going to go out there and do it, I don’t want to be the guy that’s slacking, so I’ve got to come with it.’ That’s the beauty of having me on the court.”

Smart helped keep Butler to a quiet 29 points when compared to his 41-point output in Game 1.

Butler said he was trying to do too much in Game 2 and will have to incorporate his teammates into the mix more on Saturday.

“I think I have to do a better job of getting everybody else involved, if I’m being brutally honest,” Butler said. “I have to find that fine medium, that fine line in between when to be aggressive and when to make sure that I can get guys open.”

Butler has been handling the ball more than usual with point guard Kyle Lowry (left hamstring) out of the lineup. Lowry missed each of the first two games of this series and eight of the past 10.

Miami sustained another blow when veteran power forward P.J. Tucker departed in the third quarter with a left knee contusion. The Heat said Friday that both Tucker and Lowry would be with the team in Boston.

Meanwhile, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the off day would be used to determine a response to the lopsided Game 2 result.

“That’s definitely part of the process in the playoffs,” Spoelstra said. “You get to this point of the conference finals, you just have very good teams. You have teams without many weaknesses. It’s great competition.”

Boston coach Ime Udoka insisted after Game 1 that his team played just one bad quarter. He wasn’t surprised with the turnaround.

“I think our guys have bounced back really well all year, especially in the second half of the year,” Udoka said. “I think, obviously, adding Marcus and Al back gave us a little boost. But our guys have pride and looked at a golden opportunity that we kind of lost and thought we could do much better, and we did that.”

–Field Level Media