Kevon Looney to start for Warriors in Game 1 of Western Conference finals

After his big Game 6, Kevon Looney will start Game 1 for the Warriors against the Dallas Mavericks

SAN FRANCISCO — Steve Kerr has fielded questions all week about who will guard Dallas superstar Luka Doncic. The Warriors’ starting lineup for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals offers a few hints.

The Warriors will opt for their best defense over their best offensive lineup, having Kevon Looney start at center again after his brilliant performance in Game 6 of the conference semifinals against the Grizzlies. Here’s the starting lineup for Wednesday’s game at Chase Center:

Steph Curry

Klay Thompson

Andrew Wiggins

Draymond Green

Kevon Looney

Outside of Wiggins, who is expected to be the primary defender on Doncic, the Warriors can turn to a few other options. Looney can match Doncic’s size and — because the 6-foot-7 point guard isn’t the fleetest of foot — perhaps stay toe-to-toe with him, too.

Looney played a crucial role in the Warriors’ Game 6 clincher against the Memphis Grizzlies. He collected a career-high 22 boards, 11 on the offensive side and 11 on defense.

Starting for the Dallas Mavericks are:

Luka Dončić

Jalen Brunson

Dwight Powell

Dorian Finney-Smith

Reggie Bullock

Dončić is averaging 31.5 points in 10 games these playoffs, second only to Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who averaged 31.7 points per game in 12 games. Doncic is also an elite passer who is averaging 6.6 assists per game in the playoffs.

The Mavericks have drawn comparisons to the 2018 Houston Rockets — who the Warriors eliminated in the Western Conference finals in seven games that year — and Doncic has drawn similarities to James Harden on that team for his bullish and crafty ability to get to the rim and his ability to draw contact as well as zip difficult passes to his teammates.

Before Game 1, Kerr compared Doncic to LeBron James, a familiar Warriors foe in the NBA Finals.

“LeBron and Luka are similar in that they control games,” Kerr said. “They go about it differently, skill level is different, athleticism is different, but I would say there’s a similar dynamic that each guy is in total control.”