The Golden State Warriors have advanced to their sixth NBA Finals in the past eight seasons by beating the Dallas Mavericks 120-110 in game five of the Western Conference Finals.

Klay Thompson starred with 32 points, a haul that included a three-pointer that he punctuated with teammate Stephen Curry's signature shake as the Warriors raced out to a 17-point half-time lead and coasted the rest of the way in San Francisco.

Andrew Wiggins added 18 points and 10 rebounds, Draymond Green scored 17 points and Curry had 15 points and nine assists for the Warriors.

Luka Doncic overcame a slow start to score 28 points for the Mavericks. Spencer Dinwiddie added 26.

The win gave the Warriors a 4-1 series result.

After missing the play-offs in 2020 and 2021 in consecutive injury-plagued seasons, the Warriors are returning to a familiar stage.

They are the first team to make six finals appearances in an eight-year span since the Michael-Jordan-led Chicago Bulls had a pair of three-peats from 1991-93 and 1996-98.

The Warriors will host the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat on June 3 AEST in game one of the NBA Finals.

The Celtics hold a 3-2 lead over the Heat heading into game six at home on Saturday AEST.

Thompson, who sat out the past two seasons with injuries, showed flashes of his old self in game five against the Mavericks.

After making just seven three-pointers in the first four games of the series, Thompson had eight this game.

He gave the Warriors a 13-point lead in the first half when he hit one from the corner, before adding two early in the third quarter for a 23-point lead.

Dallas cut a 25-point deficit down to eight in the final minute of the third quarter but could not get over the hump in the fourth.

AP