Kyrie Irving is off to a strong start as the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves face off in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday night, scoring a game-high 24 points in the first half and continuing his hot streak by making 11 of his first 14 shots.
Irving led Dallas in the first half, and he and star teammate Luka Doncic (14 points) were the only Mavericks players in double figures.
Irving’s first half performance prompted a response from Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, who shared the following message for his fellow star point guard on X (formerly known as Twitter):
Yay, Kai 🤦🏾♂️
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) May 23, 2024
An injury kept Morant and the Grizzlies out of this year’s playoffs, but Memphis expects the team to return next season, during which Morant will play in the Western Conference finals between Minnesota and Dallas.
If the Mavericks advance, it will be Luka Doncic’s first NBA Finals appearance, and if the Timberwolves advance, it will be his star player Anthony Edwards’ first NBA Finals appearance as well.
This should be a great series and is already off to a very entertaining start. Both teams have far exceeded preseason expectations, but neither team is satisfied with just getting this far. The winner of this series will face either the Boston Celtics or the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals.
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