On Wednesday night's Game 1 of the Western Conference finals saw Luka Doncic score 15 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Dallas Mavericks defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-105.
Following a 3-pointer by Anthony Edwards, the Mavericks trailed 102-98 with 3:37 left. Kyrie Irving scored 24 of his 30 points in the first half. With 10.5 seconds left, the Wolves completed an 8-0 run that culminated with a tip-in.
Jaden McDaniels had his third consecutive 20-plus-point game for the Wolves, scoring 24 points, while Edwards who had been named to the second team of the NBA previous to the game was held to 19 points in a team effort by Dallas Mavericks. Karl-Anthony Towns needed a late push to get 16 points and ended 6 for 20 from the field.
The star power in this series is great, and for the first night at least, Dallas Mavericks received everything they needed from their starting tandem, while the Wolves struggled to run the offence around them. Dallas led 62-38 in points in the paint, offsetting a 6-for-25 shooting effort from beyond.
Luka Doncic put on a strong performance
Towns erupted with a long jumper, a lob to Rudy Gobert for a dunk, and a 3-pointer in 2 minutes to give the Wolves the lead back with 4:39 remaining, sparking a 10-0 run that Doncic capped with a 3-pointer. P.J. Washington, who had 13 points and seven rebounds, nailed a long shot to put the Mavericks back up with 1:56 remaining.
Luka Doncic was mostly quiet until he scored seven straight points in 63 seconds early in the fourth quarter, and the Mavericks extended it to a 13-0 run for a 97-89 advantage, which Edwards ultimately sealed with a 3-pointer after another frantic possession. With a minute left and the Mavericks still ahead 104-102, Doncic added another basket to extend the advantage. Minnesota did not have a chance to tie the game the rest of the way.
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