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NBA Playoffs: Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving lead Mavericks to win in Game 1 thriller

jack baer
Staff writer
·2 min read
166

Luka Dončić had 33 points, Kyrie Irving had 30 points and the Dallas Mavericks have a 1-0 lead 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 engines in a game that saw 14 lead changes in front of a raucous Target Center crowd.

Game 2 is scheduled for Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Dončić 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 actually a slow game for Dončić until the fourth quarter, where he caught fire for 15 points.

The effort took advantage of a relatively off day for Anthony Edwards, who grimaced and labored his way to 19 points on 6-of-16 shooting, though he also provided 11 rebounds and eight assists. The bigger issue was Karl-Anthony Towns going 6-of-20 for 16 points, with few other Timberwolves standing out beside Jaden McDaniels (24 points).

The game skewed Minnesota for most of the first three quarters, but Dallas roared back in the fourth with a 13-0 run to take an eight-point lead. That soon evaporated via a 12-1 Timberwolves run, punctuated by a Towns 3-pointer from way deep.

One of the most pivotal calls came after the Mavericks re-took the lead. Towns moved in on a missed 3-pointer and threw down what appeared to be a game-tying putback dunk. The refs waved off the basket, though, calling offensive goaltending. The decision was reviewed and quickly confirmed, but the replay left some fans skeptical.

With the Mavericks still leading 104-102 and a minute left, Dončić made another basket to take a two-possession lead. Minnesota didn't get the ball with a chance to tie for the rest of the game.