Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving scored 33 points apiece and the Dallas Mavericks made all the big plays late again, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-107 on Sunday night for a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.
The Mavericks closed with a 14-3 run, winning their fifth consecutive playoff game. The victory came despite the Mavs’ rookie center, Dereck Lively II, being forced out of the game in the second quarter with a sprained neck after he took an accidental shot to the back of the head from Karl-Anthony Towns.
No team in NBA playoff history has rallied from 3-0 down, but Doncic said Dallas are taking nothing for granted.
“We need one more [win], nothing’s done,” he said after the game. “They have an amazing team, so nothing’s done yet.”
Minnesota coach Chris Finch acknowledged his team have failed to compete in the final minutes so far against Dallas.
“The whole series we’ve struggled to close games … these three minute games we’re playing, we’re losing,” he told reporters after the game.
PJ Washington started the Mavericks’ decisive run with a corner three-pointer after Doncic passed to Irving, who sent the ball to Washington.
The co-stars took over from there.
Doncic hit a shot in the lane for a four-point lead, Irving sent the crowd into a frenzy with on a falling-down jumper and Doncic found Daniel Gafford for an alley-oop dunk and a 113-105 lead with 34 seconds left after Gafford blocked Mike Conley’s layup attempt at the other end.
“They tried to double [team] me the whole game, they tried to double Ky, that just makes us better,” said Doncic. “Everybody touches the ball, everybody plays … We come down the stretch and execute.”
Anthony Edwards had 26 points for the Wolves, but just four after scoring eight consecutive points for Minnesota to get the Wolves even in the third quarter. He and Doncic exchanged words towards the end of the game.
“I can’t say,” Doncic said with a smile when he was asked about what the two said to each other.
Finch defended Edwards after the game.
“Of course he’s learning … he’s 22 years old, in the Western Conference finals, got a lot on his shoulders, we expect a lot from him … this is a learning experience for him.”
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Towns scored 14 points but missed all eight threes, including one when the deficit was four with 1:25 remaining.
“It’s tough, for sure. Confidence wise, I’ve just got to keep shooting,” said Towns.
Doncic, whose game-winning three-pointer in the final seconds of Game 2 in Minnesota put Dallas firmly in control of the series, was 10 of 20 and 5 of 11 from deep. Irving made 12 of 20 and 3 of 6 from long range to get the Mavs within a victory of their first trip to the NBA finals since 2011, when they won the franchise’s only championship.
Earlier in the game, Lively went down for several minutes before appearing dazed as he was helped off the court and taken to the locker room. Lively fell as Mike Conley was driving for a missed shot, and Towns was pursuing an offensive rebound when his knee hit Lively’s head.
Game 4 is on Tuesday night in Dallas.
