The Dallas Mavericks narrowly earned a 109-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals. Minnesota led for a significant portion of the game, but Dallas never gave up. The Mavs made things especially interesting in the fourth quarter but found themselves trailing by two points in the final seconds of the game. Luka Doncic then connected on an eventual game-winning three-pointer to give Dallas a 109-108 lead with just over three seconds remaining.
The Timberwolves had a decent look at a possible game-winning three, but Minnesota ultimately missed the shot and Dallas won the game. The Mavericks needed a more consistent all-around effort from Doncic in this series following his up-and-down Western Conference Semifinals effort. Of course, his performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder was still elite by most players' standards, but Doncic knew he was capable of more.
Despite dealing with injury trouble once again in Game 2, Doncic did more than enough to lead the Mavericks to the win. Kyrie Irving even referred to Luka as a “warrior” while speaking on TNT after the game following the 25-year-old's stellar effort.
Doncic told TNT's NBA crew that he “will play no matter what” after being asked about how he is feeling physically. His performance was not only superb, but it was valiant. And that's just who Luka Doncic is.
Luka Doncic ruins Timberwolves fans' week
Minnesota fans surely felt optimistic heading into this series. The Timberwolves were fresh off an impressive seven-game series victory over the Denver Nuggets. Additionally, many analysts favored the Timberwolves over the Mavericks in the series.
With Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving leading the way, though, counting the Mavs out is a risky thing to do.
In Game 1, Irving started strong and Luka closed the game out. In Game 2, Irving scored the majority of his points in the fourth quarter. He finished the game with 20 points and six assists.
Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II combined for 30 points and 14 rebounds in the win. That is quality production from the center position. Gafford also added five blocks.
And Luka Doncic had another tremendous performance. He recorded a 32-point, 10-rebound, 13-assist triple-double. He shot 10-23 from the field and 5-11 from beyond the arc. One of those three-pointers would end up sealing the victory for Dallas.
Doncic recorded his fourth 30-point triple-double of his playoff career, surpassing Stephen Curry and James Harden for the fifth-most ever. Again, Doncic is only 25 years old.
The series is not over. Dallas still has work to do. They are in a great position, though.
Winning at least one game on the road to begin a playoff series is important. Teams often feel content if they accomplish that feat. The Mavericks, however, went into Minnesota and earned a pair of crucial victories over a good basketball team.
Momentum is on their side. Game 3 projects to be another competitive affair. Dallas can take a convincing 3-0 series lead with a win in the contest.
Game 3 is scheduled for Sunday in Dallas at 8 PM EST.
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