The Dallas Mavericks came out with a 116-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at home in Game 3 to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals, and the backcourt of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving played so well down the stretch that Josh Hart of the New York Knicks decided to throw some praise their way.
“The best closing backcourt you'll see,” Josh Hart said on X.
While Hart is known for posting some funny tweets and joking around on social media, he is known to throw some observations out during the playoffs. He is giving the Mavericks' backcourt its flowers here.
There are interesting dynamics at play here because of Jalen Brunson's history with the Mavericks. Dallas received criticism for its handling of Jalen Brunson and letting him walk to the Knicks in the summer of 2022. Brunson has become a star player and not a bad closer himself as the leader of the Knicks and is reunited with his Villanova teammate in Hart. However, the Mavericks clearly have recovered nicely, pairing Luka Doncic with Kyrie Irving.
The trade for Irving was met with some questions at the time due to the ugly exit with the Brooklyn Nets, but that deal has aged supremely well, as the Mavericks are now one win away from making the NBA Finals. Looking back, neither the Knicks nor the Mavericks are going to be upset by how things have played out.
Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving leading the way for the Mavericks
When looking at the box score, it is symbolic of the strength of this Mavericks team. Both Doncic and Irving finished with 33 points each. Both of them took 20 shots as well. It is a very balanced attack between the two superstars, and that is why the Mavericks are now on the cusp of making the NBA Finals.
Doncic scored his 33 points on 10-20 shooting and 5-11 from three, while Irving scored his 33 on 12-20 shooting and 3-6 from three.
Obviously, Doncic and Irving are leading the way for Dallas, but PJ Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. contributed in the Game 3 win as well. PJ Washington put up 16 points on 5-10 shooting in the game, while Derrick Jones Jr. put up 11 points on 3-4 shooting. All of his made shots were threes.
If the Mavericks move onto the NBA Finals, they will likely take on the Boston Celtics, who had a historic regular season and are also up 3-0 in their series in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers. It seems like these two teams are on a collision course to meet in the NBA Finals.
It would be an interesting dynamic with Irving going against his old team in the Celtics, a team in which he left on bad terms. The fanbase is not too fond of him either.
The Mavericks will try to close out the series with a win at home in Game 4 on Tuesday.
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