Kyrie Irving set the tone early and Luka Doncic put on the finishing touches.
Doncic took charge late and finished with 33 points, while Irving added 30, as the Dallas Mavericks overcame poor shooting beyond the arc to nip the Minnesota Timberwolves, taking the series opener of their Western Conference Finals showdown.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving took turns getting BUCKETS to take Game 1 of the West Finals in Minnesota!
— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2024
Doncic: 33 PTS, 8 AST, 6 REB
Irving: 30 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST
Game 2: Friday, 8:30pm/et on TNT 🍿 pic.twitter.com/8IkJXJNqzU
The Slovenian superstar caught fire in the final frame, scoring 15 points--including a personal 7-0 blit--to turn an 89-84 deficit to a 91-89 lead with 9:01 left.
Luka Doncic just went on a 7-0 run by HIMSELF in the 4Q to take the lead 🤯 https://t.co/GCClcWxbch pic.twitter.com/p94EubDDFp
— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2024
After Dallas scored six more points, the Timberwolves responded with a 10-1 run, capped off by a Karl Anthony-Towns top-of-the-key triple, to regain the lead at 99-98 with 4:39 seconds left to play.
KAT FROM DOWNTOWN FOR THE LEAD ??
— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2024
Wolves lead down the stretch in the 4Q of Game 1 on TNT pic.twitter.com/EzVgQ6Js2E
Then, Doncic weaved his magic the rest of the way.
The NBA’s leading regular season scorer first answered back on Anthony Edwards triple with a stepback, tough-contested triple to cut Minnesota’s lead into single digit, 102-101.
After a clutch PJ Washington triple put Dallas in front at 104-102, Doncic hit a stepback mid-range jumper over Jaden McDaniels to give his squad a breathing room, 106-102, with 49 seconds left.
Luka cuts the deficit to 1 in the 4Q of Game 1 on TNT!#NBAConferenceFinals presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/loDwDz5BZp
— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2024
PJ WASHINGTON FOR THE LEAD 🎯
— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2024
West Finals Game 1 4Q is live on TNT pic.twitter.com/e13TqsJZT2
33 points... 19 in the 2nd half!
— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2024
Luka Doncic and the Mavs seek a 1-0 series lead down the stretch of the 4Q on TNT! pic.twitter.com/ONlu65OCgw
Irving did his damage mostly in the first half, racing to fast start with a 24-point first half with an array of silky-smooth finishes around the rim.
TOUGH KYRIE IRVING AND-1 😤
— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2024
Mavs trail 59-62 heading into halftime of Game 1 on TNT#NBAConferenceFinals presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/cLMSvsNi4o
10-0 MAVS RUN ??
— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2024
Kyrie Irving's and-1 gives the Mavs the edge in Game 1 on TNT!#NBAConferenceFinals presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/TYrSEWjo9Z
Washington chipped 13 for Dallas, who compensated for dismal 6-of-24 shooting from three with a 62-38 advantage from pain points.
Meanwhile, Jaden McDaniels led the way for the Timberwolves with 24 points built on six treys while Edwards had a near triple-double stat line of 19-11-8.
Towns contributed 16 while Naz Reid had 15 and Rudy Gobet added 11.
Despite hitting 18 triples, Minnesota faltered late and got outrebounded, 48-40, as Edwards was seen gasping and catching his breathe in the closing moments of the game.
In the first Conference Finals game in the Twin City in nearly 20 years, the Timberwolves raced to a 33-27 lead in the opening frame.
Game 2 of the series will be on Saturday, May 25, at 8:30 a.m. and you can watch it LIVE on One Sports, NBA TV Philippines, and the Pilipinas Live app.
