Luka Doncic hits game-winning 3 to put Mavs up 2-0 on Wolves

 

[May 25, 2024]  The Dallas Mavericks needed a big shot as they trailed in the final seconds Friday night.

Luka Doncic was on the floor. Therefore, nobody on the Mavericks had a question about which player would get the opportunity to shoot or find the open man.

"The play was to get Luka the ball, and let Luka do what Luka does in those moments," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. "He has trust with his teammates. If they were to come and hit him, he knew who he was going to find to knock down a shot.

"We talked about taking a two -- we were only down two -- but when he got to dancing with (Rudy) Gobert, you could see that the step-back was coming. And the rest was history."

Doncic knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer with 3.8 seconds left and the Dallas Mavericks held on for a 109-108 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in Minneapolis.

Doncic registered a triple-double with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. Kyrie Irving finished with 20 points and Daniel Gafford scored 16 on 8-for-10 shooting.

The Mavericks seized a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series as they head to Dallas for the next two games. Game 3 of the series is scheduled for Sunday.

Naz Reid led the Timberwolves with 23 points off the bench. He shot 8-for-13 from the field and 7-for-9 from beyond the arc to give Minnesota an opportunity to win, but he missed his final attempt from 3-point range as the buzzer sounded.

Anthony Edwards scored 21 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished seven assists for Minnesota. Mike Conley contributed 18 points.

The Timberwolves led 108-103 with 1:29 to go before Dallas made its final run.

Irving drained a 3-pointer at the 1:05 mark. Jaden McDaniels and Edwards committed turnovers on Minnesota's next two possessions before Doncic's winning shot.

Edwards pointed the finger at himself after shooting 5 of 17 from the field.

"They're just showing me crowds, man, sitting in the gaps," Edwards said of the Dallas defense. "But I'm turning down a lot of shots, like my mid-rangers and stuff, I'm turning a lot of those down. But we're getting open looks, so I'm not tripping."

May 24, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) and center Dereck Lively II (2) celebrate in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves in game two of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Gafford provided energy for the Mavericks throughout the game. In one sequence, he blocked a 3-pointer and sprinted the length of the court to finish with a layup to give the Mavericks a 96-94 edge with 5:55 remaining.

The Mavericks trailed 86-79 entering the fourth quarter.

The Timberwolves enjoyed a 68-52 lead after Conley made a pair of free throws with 9:07 to go in the third quarter.

Dallas responded with a 13-3 run to cut its deficit to 71-65 with 5:40 remaining in the third. Doncic capped the run with a floating jump shot from 10 feet.

Minnesota led 60-48 at the half.

Edwards scored 10 points in the first quarter to lift the Timberwolves to a 32-26 edge. He made a 2-point basket, a 3-pointer and 5 of 6 free-throw attempts.

Minnesota maintained the pressure in the second quarter. Conley put the Timberwolves on top by 14 points with a floating jump shot with 1:32 left in the half, but Josh Green responded with a basket with 1:10 to go before the break.

--Field Level Media

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