With the shot clock running down midway through the fourth, Luka Doncic took his time, dribbled three times, stopped, and launched a triple over the outstretched arms of Karl-Anthony Towns.
The ball landed off the glass and Doncic called that one in the bank as he shrugged back on defense.
It’s just one of those nights.
Doncic set the tone early and finished with 36 points, while Kyrie Irving added 36 of his own, as the Dallas Mavericks returned to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011. They did so behind a masterful 124-103 Game 5 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves to close out their Western Conference Finals series on the road.
The @dallasmavs advance to the #NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV!
— NBA (@NBA) May 31, 2024
Game 1: Thursday, 6/6 at 8:30pm/et on ABC pic.twitter.com/yPNzTDYDuw
The Mavs superstar was on mission early, exploding for 20 points and outscoring the entire Timberwolves roster by himself for a rampaging 35-19 start.
Luka Doncic was SCORCHING in the 1st quarter of Game 5 🔥
— NBA (@NBA) May 31, 2024
20 PTS
4 3PM
72.7 FG%
DAL leads MIN 35-19 heading to the 2nd quarter on TNT!#NBAConferenceFinals presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/FzssiXKgOK
Doncic and Irving then combined for 44 markers by the end of the first half, as the Mavericks’ 1-2 punch outscored the whole Minnesota team in the opening half.
Luka and Kyrie were sensational in the 1st half, combining for 44 PTS!
— NBA (@NBA) May 31, 2024
Luka: 25 PTS | 5 3PM
Kyrie: 19 PTS | 63.6 FG%
Mavs in control of Game 5 of the West Finals on TNT. pic.twitter.com/nHE6qkd8RB
The Timberwolves cut the lead to 21 points at 99-78 in the early part of the fourth after an Anthony Edwards jumper with 10:19 seconds left.
But Dallas, who led by as many as 36 points, were just too much to handle for the Timberwolves in a lopsided match.
Kyrie drills his 4th 3-pointer... he has 36 PTS!
— NBA (@NBA) May 31, 2024
Mavs-Wolves | Game 5 on TNT pic.twitter.com/Q92C3OoR8y
Irving scored in the 19 second-half points and is now into his second NBA Finals appearance. He was part of that historic 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers squad that came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in Game 7.
Kyrie now improved to 15-1 in his career in closeout games in the playoffs.
After six seasons, Doncic, who was later named as Western Conference Finals MVP, is finally bound to his first ever NBA Finals and it was a long time coming.
All @SnoopDogg could do was shake his head after Luka called glass 😮?💨 pic.twitter.com/xCDqX9Ky5j
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 31, 2024
The 25-year-old superstar finished with 10 rebounds, five assists and six triples and torched the Wolves all-series long with a 32/10/9 averages in five games.
Daniel Gafford and P.J Washington combined for 23 points while Derek Lively returned after missing Game 4 with nine points, eight rebounds, and three blocks.
Meanwhile, Towns and Edwards led the way for Minnesota with 28 markers each, but did not get enough help from their supporting cast.
After a Game 4 win, the Timberwolves got punched in the mouth early and never recovered, suffering their first double-digit loss in the series at the worst possible time.
The Wolves allowed the Mavericks to shoot 62 percent in the first half and had simply no answers to the Doncic-Irving duo in five games.
After eliminating the defending champion Denver Nuggets in seven games in the West semifinals, Minnesota heads into the offseason falling short of a title.
Game 1 of the Dallas-Boston championship series on Friday, June 7 at 8:30 a.m. (PH time).
