The Dallas Mavericks stunned the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-108, coming back from 18 points down to win after Luka Doncic took a step back with three seconds left. Doncic led the Mavericks with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. Naz Reid scored 23 off the bench and the Wolves lost. The Mavericks have a commanding 2-0 series lead heading to Dallas.
Minnesota outplayed Dallas early, fouling out in the first five minutes of the game to put the Mavericks in the bonus. Anthony Edwards looked much more fluid, attacking the paint with authority. Doncic helped keep Dallas in the mix despite the team’s foul trouble by connecting two of his early threes. Karl-Anthony Towns committed two fouls in one possession, forcing Naz Reid to the field, who hit two threes in the frame. Contributions off the bench from Derrick Lively and Jaden Hardy helped keep the game within striking distance. The Mavericks endured some horrible misses and lapses offensively and outrebounded the Timberwolves 32-26.
Dallas’ defense and rebounding were poor at times as they fell behind by as many as 12 points. Towns attacked Washington with post-ups and scoring through the stout defense. Reed’s fourth three of the game gave the Wolves a 15-point lead and forced Dallas to call a timeout. Dallas coach Jason Kidd continued to look for backup guard minutes, with Dante Exum and Tim Hardaway Jr. getting chances and both failing to contribute. Dallas rallied somewhat to close the second quarter, going on an 8–2 run over the final three minutes to close the gap somewhat. Dallas trailed 60–48 at the half.
Dallas’ mental mistakes backfired early in the second half, as Minnesota pushed the lead back to 16 points. A look-away pass from Doncic to Lively helped cut the lead to 11 points before a Wolves timeout. Doncic cut the lead to single digits with a ridiculous step back over McDaniels and then hit a short jumper to cut it to six points. The Wolves got back up to 10 points before Josh Green’s three cut the lead to one. Hardy came off the bench and contributed three points and a sweet dish to cut the lead to two points. Reed’s late three pushed Minnesota’s lead back to seven points and Dallas trailed 86-79 heading into the final quarter of play.
Kyrie Irving hit his first three of the series to start the scoring for Dallas in the fourth quarter. Kyrie’s second three after a Washington Post score gave the Mavericks their first lead since the first quarter. The teams exchanged baskets, with Reed hitting his sixth and seventh threes of the game to put Minnesota ahead with 6:36 minutes remaining. The exchange of haymakers continued, with Gafford scoring on back-to-back possessions while stopping his fifth shot of the game in between. After a Jones Jr. turnover, the Wolves built a three-point lead, but Dallas fell behind by one point on multiple possessions. Dallas regained the lead after a timeout around the three-minute mark, but the Wolves promptly scored and got the rebound after two Maverick misses. Irving missed two free throws and Edwards hit both, but turned back to connect on a corner three on the next possession. With Dallas trailing 108-106, the Mavericks had two chances to take the lead or tie it. Doncic missed the first chance, but Edwards turned the ball over. With 12 seconds left, Doncic got the ball on an inbounds pass, and took Gobert on a switch, where he made his only chance of the fourth quarter from three. Naz Reid missed the game-winning chance and Dallas took a 2-0 lead over the Wolves, winning 109-108.
The Best Backcourt in the NBA
I have written and deleted about 300 words on Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. I don’t know what to say about these two magicians. When the fourth quarter started, I It is believed that Kyrie Irving would come forward. He answered the call by making four threes and playing great defense on Anthony Edwards. Luka Doncic missed his two other shot attempts in the fourth quarter, but when he got the inbounds with 12 seconds left, I It is believed that He would do something amazing. That’s what he did.
These two are amazing on their own. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are special together. They make you feel like Dallas is unstoppable.
Young bench players stepping up
Throughout these playoffs, Jason Kidd has relied on his bench to give Irving and Doncic a rest. At different times, different players have helped Dallas overcome adversity. On the road, in the second half of a very important game, Jaden Hardy and Josh Green both stepped up in a big way to help seal the game.
Green had a rough first game, making mistakes that could have cost Dallas the game. He hit a big three late in the game, attacked the boards, and made the right passes to lead the Mavericks in plus-minus as he was +15.
Jaden Hardy is a bold player. In the first quarter he hit a great three and took it as a green light to hit four more before the quarter was over. He again got a chance to make a difference in the second half where he made the right read on a pass and hit another big three as Dallas struggled to get back in the game. Hardy is a dynamic player and is making the most of his minutes which shows his confidence. Dallas needs this if they are going to advance to the NBA Finals.
the center of it all
In a front court that includes the Defensive Player of the Year, an All-Star, and an All-Defensive Team player, the difference-maker in this series is the Dallas Mavericks’ front court.
Despite essentially being on a statistical tie with the Wolves, Derek Lively and Daniel Gafford have been playing great through two games in this Western Conference Finals. It’s hard to single out one game as a highlight, but it’s now at the point where Gafford has regained his “I’m going to make every shot” confidence from the regular season and Lively is looking like the steal of the 2023 NBA Draft.
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