San Francisco, California - The Golden State Warriors produced a comeback for the ages in front of their home fans to beat the Dallas Mavericks 126-117 and take a 2-0 lead in the NBA's Western Conference Finals.

It looked for all the world as if the Mavs would be the ones heading back to Dallas for Game 3 and 4 with momentum, as Luka Dončić had 24 first-half points to help his side to a 72-58 halftime lead.

But the Warriors went up a level defensively in the third period, holding Dallas to just 13 points as they chipped away at the margin, which peaked at 53-34 with seven minutes to play in the second frame.

While the third quarter was a defensive struggle, allowing the Warriors to pull the margin back to two points, the fourth was an offensive explosion as the two teams combined for 75 points.

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Ultimately, the Mavericks could not keep up as the Warriors piled on 43 points in the term, including 12 of Jordan Poole's 23 off the bench (seven-of-10 shooting), and 10 of Steph Curry's 32 (11-of-21 from the field, six-of-10 from long range).

Warriors center Kevon Looney was also a difference-maker, scoring 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting and grabbing 12 rebounds, while Andrew Wiggins had 16 points (five-of-14 shooting) and Klay Thompson had 15 (six-of-10).

For the Mavericks, Dončić finished with a game-high 42 points on 12-of-23 shooting, as well as game-highs in assists (eight) and steals (three).

He was supported strongly by Jalen Brunson, who had 31 points on 11-of-19 shooting, and Reggie Bullock, who shot six-of-10 from three-point range for his 21 points.

Game 3 and Game 4 will be nearly must-wins for the Mavericks. If they lose just one of the two, the Warriors will head home for Game 5 with a 3-1 lead.