National Basketball Association

Warriors' Andrew Wiggins steps into spotlight, locks down Luka Dončić

Updated May. 19, 2022 2:32 p.m. ET

By Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer

It's easy to overlook Andrew Wiggins.

On a team with superstars Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, Wiggins is often peripheral. He's overshadowed by the Mount Rushmore of Warriors lore. He's perhaps the only All-Star starter who isn't "the guy" on his own team.

But in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks, Wiggins did what a Phoenix Suns team with the best record in the league failed to do: He helped bottle up Luka Dončić.

Wiggins finished with the highest plus-minus (28) of anyone on the court in the Warriors' 112-87 win on Wednesday that gave them a 1-0 series lead. He had 19 points while holding Dončić to 20, the fewest points he has scored this postseason.

"I thought Wiggs was fantastic," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "Dončić is as difficult a cover as there is in this league."

Defense on Luka propels Warriors to WCF Game 1 win

Mavs star Luka Dončić was held to just two points in the second half Wednesday and had seven of Dallas’ 13 turnovers. Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe talk Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

Wiggins' strong defensive performance is even more impressive considering what happened just three days earlier, when Dončić seemingly scored at will in Game 7 against the Suns, finishing with 35 points to help his team lead by as many as 46 in the biggest shocker of the postseason.

Wiggins watched that game alongside his teammates and tried to zero in on how he was going to stop Dončić.

"Just make him work. That was the main thing, 94 feet, just make him work, pick him up, make everything tough for him," Wiggins said. "He's a good player, great player, so he's going to make shots. He's going to do his thing, but just stay on him, make it tough."

Wiggins made things very tough for Dončić on Wednesday. He picked him up the entire length of the court at times. He tried to tire him out. And his defensive intensity unlocked his offensive game.

It was a great performance that highlighted just how far Wiggins has come in the league.

Wiggins, who was selected by Cleveland as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and then dealt to Minnesota in exchange for Kevin Love, had sky-high expectations as a rookie. Those quickly stagnated. Instead of becoming a multidimensional superstar, he underwhelmed as a shooter with questionable shot selection.

But since the Warriors acquired Wiggins alongside a first-round pick in exchange for D'Angelo Russell at the trade deadline in 2020, he has turned into a two-way player who earned his first All-Star nod in his eighth season.

Warriors clip Dončić's wings in Game 1

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To his teammates, Wiggins' strong performance Wednesday was not surprising.

"That's why he was the No. 1 pick," said Thompson, who had 15 points on 7-for-13 shooting and five rebounds. "You can't teach that athleticism. You can't teach that length. You can't teach his timing. I'm just happy the world is getting to see who he really is, and that's an incredible wing player. And he will be like this for the next 10 years."

Wiggins was all smiles during his media conference following the game. After being written off, his career has been resuscitated by a Warriors team that has put him in position to succeed.

In this series, Wiggins is exactly who the Warriors need on the defensive end against Dončić, especially considering that Gary Payton II is sidelined due to a fractured elbow sustained in the second round against Memphis. And Thompson is still trying to regain his speed and agility on the defensive end after recovering from ACL and Achilles injuries.

"He makes my job so much easier," Thompson said of Wiggins. "I don't have to check the best player every night again. Especially for what I've been through, it's a nice change of pace."

Wiggins set the tone at the start of Game 1.

Despite Curry shooting 1-for-6 from beyond the arc in the first half, the Warriors went into halftime with a 54-45 lead behind Wiggins' smothering defense on Dončić and his 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting.

Of course, it wasn't long before Curry started making shots, finishing with a game-high 21 points and 12 rebounds. Jordan Poole added 19 points.

The Warriors know the Mavericks are going to come storming back in Game 2 on Friday. They watched the Mavericks recover from an 0-2 deficit against the Suns to win the series. They know that Dončić, whom LeBron James recently called his favorite player, isn't going to have two mediocre nights in a row.

But Wiggins says he'll be ready.

He has been waiting for an opportunity to prove his critics wrong for nearly a decade now. And if it means chasing one of the best NBA players in the world around 94 feet of hardwood, he's up to the task.

When Wiggins first joined the Warriors, he marveled at the chance to be part of a winning culture.

It has brought out the best in him, breathing new life into a career that was once on the outs.

"We've got a chance here to do something special," Wiggins said. "So I'm going to enjoy every part of the way."

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.