Luka Doncic scored 33 points and Kyrie Irving had 30 to lead the Dallas Mavericks 1-0 after a Game 1 thriller on Wednesday night in the opener of the Western Conference finals.
The Mavericks stole home-court advantage with a 108-105 win, riding their usual offensive machinery in a game that saw 14 lead changes in front of a fierce Target Center crowd.
Game 2 is scheduled for Friday at 8:30 PM ET.
Doncic was 12-of-25 from the field with eight assists, six rebounds and three steals, while Irving was 12-of-23 with four assists. It was a slow game for Doncic until the fourth quarter, where he caught fire for 15 points.
Anthony Edwards took advantage of a relative rest day, scoring 19 points on 6-of-16 shooting, along with 11 rebounds and eight assists. Karl-Anthony Towns went 6-for-20 for 16 points, and some Timberwolves standout Jaden McDaniels (24 points) was the big issue.
The Mavericks survived an eventful fourth quarter
The game swung Minnesota through the first three quarters, but Dallas roared back in the fourth with a 13-0 run to take an eight-point lead. That quickly evaporated with a 12-1 Timberwolves run, capped by a Downs 3-pointer from deep.
A crucial call came after the Mavericks regained the lead. Towns moved on a missed 3-pointer and threw away what appeared to be the game’s turnaround. Tips swung from the basket, however, and called offensive goaltending. The result was reviewed and quickly confirmed, but The replay left some fans skeptical.
With the Mavericks still leading 104-102 with a minute left, Donczyk made another basket for a two-possession lead. Minnesota didn’t get the ball the rest of the game with a chance to tie.
