Golden State Warriors

SAN FRANCISCO — Every game is must-win, but Game 5 for the Warriors could be a turning point for their season. A win would clinch a berth in the NBA Finals, but a loss would swing momentum to Dallas with the series coming down to the wire.

Could they blow a 3-0 series lead? No NBA team has done it before, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility. Without Otto Porter Jr., Andre Iguodala and Gary Payton II, the Warriors needed someone from the bench unit to step up and ensure that wouldn’t happen.

Nemanja Bjelica and rookie Moses Moody delivered to give the Warriors a 17-point lead at halftime.

Bjelica checked in with just under three minutes in the first quarter for his first non-mop-up minutes since the first round against Denver and held down the fort.

He played strong defense against Luka Dončić and gobbled up five rebounds. The Warriors outscored the Mavericks by 14 points in Bjelica’s 11 first-half minutes.

Moody scored seven points, going 2-of-3 from the field — including a three-pointer. He also blocked Dončić at the rim.

Bjelica and Moody were instrumental in the Warriors’ near-comeback in their Game 4 loss in Dallas. The Warriors were down by as many as 29 points and coach Steve Kerr tapped the bench unit to finish the game off and give his starters a much-needed rest. But the bench unit rallied to close the deficit to eight points, putting a possible win within reach late in the fourth quarter.

When Kerr asked his starters to reenter the game, the group couldn’t complete an epic comeback, but the Warriors gained some valuable intel. Bjelica and Moody were ready for bigger moments and in the first half of Game 5, they delivered.