Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole, center, controls the ball with Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber defending during the second half of Game 4 of their NBA playoff series on Tuesday in Dallas. (AP photo)

For the third straight series, the Warriors lost their first chance to advance while playing on the road. But they can make it to their sixth NBA Finals in the past eight years by finishing off the Dallas Mavericks at home in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals tonight.

The Warriors managed to rebound after those slipups in the first two rounds against Denver and Memphis and are hoping for a repeat after losing 119-109 at Dallas on Tuesday night when the Mavericks got off to a fast start and didn’t slow down until the fourth quarter.

“It’s a good lesson learned,” guard Stephen Curry said. “You tip your hat to them because they made a lot of shots. We had a couple breakdowns in our zone that gave them easy looks, and they made us pay.

“We knew to close them out, it’s going to be tough. So you’ve got to strap up on defense. When we go home, Game 5 and figure out how to slow them down, especially in the first quarter.”

Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole, right, attempts a layup as Mavericks forward Reggie Bullock defends during the second half of Game 4 of their NBA playoffs Western Conference finals on Tuesday in Dallas. (AP photo)

The Mavericks have staved off elimination three times this postseason, winning Games 6 and 7 against Phoenix in the second round and then again against the Warriors in Game 4.

None of the games have been particularly close, with Dallas outscoring the opponents by 70 points in the three wins. Luka Doncic has led the way with 98 points and 35 rebounds in the three wins.

“We’ve got to believe,” Doncic said Tuesday. “I think our defense was way better today, and I think we attacked the paint.”