MINNEAPOLIS — The Dallas Mavericks fell short in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but they pulled off a win in Game 5 at Target Center, winning 126-103 to take the series lead, 4-1.
Doncic started well, missing just one of his first six shots and scoring 12 of the Mavericks’ first 16 points. Minnesota continued to use Anthony Edwards as Doncic’s primary defender and Jaden McDaniels to keep Kyrie Irving in check, as Dallas led by as many as eight points.
The Timberwolves went on a 10-2 run to tie the score at 18-18, including a 10-2 run in which Edwards stole the ball from Doncic and finished in transition, and Mike Conley drained a three-pointer from the corner. Instead of settling into the game, Minnesota trailed by a staggering 51-22 over the remainder of the first half, with Dallas leading 69-40 by halftime.
Doncic hit a lob pass to Lively to tie the score, then Washington had a completely free finish in transition. Doncic carried the momentum, slipping into a gap and drilling a mid-range jumper for a 6-0 run to extend the lead to 24-18. Doncic didn’t stop there. He took advantage of a gap in space to drill a deep pull-up 3-pointer and then drilled another mid-range jumper to make it 30-18. Coming into a timeout with 2:23 left in the first period, he had 20 points and was personally ahead of Minnesota.
Dallas led by as many as 16 points in the opening period with Doncic attacking downhill for a powerful alley-oop slam to Gafford followed by a driving buzzer-beater finish from Irving. The Mavericks led 35-19 entering the second period. With Lively back in the game, the Mavericks’ rim defense was noticeably different early on. Dallas began the second period with Maxi Kleber and Lively playing side by side.
Irving opened the period with a step-back mid-range jump shot, followed by a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer by Kleber to make it 40-19. Momentum was in the Mavericks’ favor, but Minnesota briefly brought back Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, with Towns often running downhill to initiate offense against the Horns’ sets.
After that, Gobert went to the bench, Reid came in alongside Towns, and the team ran a five-and-out offense. Minnesota’s defensive approach was to focus on blitzing Irving and Doncic, using stacked pick-and-rolls with Doncic as a back screener and a release valve for Irving, creating opportunities to take advantage of 4-on-3 situations.
Dallas continued to dominate as Doncic controlled the game on both ends, pulling a chair in the post for Reed to steal the game and eventually lead to a Washington 3-pointer. The Mavericks led by as many as 22 points by halftime as Irving soared into a jump shot and found a free teammate.
A catch-and-shoot 3-pointer by Doncic followed by a deep jab-step jumper by Irving put the Mavericks up at 29. The final blow to Minnesota’s sluggish first half was a shot-clock violation on the team’s final possession, when Towns faced off with two defenders trying to block a 3-point shot after Edwards called for help on a drive. The ball went to Anderson on the corner, and he held onto it for too long before the clock ran out.
Leading 69-40 at halftime, the Mavericks’ superstar duo of Doncic and Irving combined for 44 points to outscore Minnesota. By halftime, Doncic had 25 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, while Irving added 19 points and 3 assists. As a team, Dallas shot 25-for-41 (61.0%) overall and 9-for-15 (60.0%) from 3-point range, while Minnesota shot just 15-for-44 (34.1%) from the field and 2-for-12 (16.7%) from the perimeter. Towns and Edwards each scored 12 points at this point, but the Timberwolves otherwise scored 16 points on 6-for-25 (24.0%) shooting and 1-for-8 (12.5%) from 3-point range.
Coming out of the half, Doncic made a high-arcing pass to Washington, who smashed it over Gobert’s head for an alley-oop dunk. Then, with Minnesota leaning too far into the roller, Doncic double-dragged and rounded the corner for a floater. With Towns cooling off from the perimeter, Dallas came back on the offensive and built a 36-point lead. It started with Derrick Jones Jr. passing a good shot and then hitting another great shot to Washington for a three-pointer, and Doncic attacking downhill and drawing a foul against contact with a floater, but missing the free throw.
Irving was in good form, with a short-range jump shot followed by a perimeter jump shot and some good handling to create space and keep the momentum going. Minnesota started to fight back, and Edwards’ three-pointer with 5:41 left in the third quarter cut the lead to 27 points. Irving silenced Minnesota with a mid-range pull-up jump shot out of a timeout. Every time the Timberwolves tried to fight back, Irving hit a shot that killed the momentum.
Towns’ transition finish after a Kleber turnover cut the Mavericks’ lead to 22 late in the third quarter, but Doncic went downhill and scored a floater. Dallas led 97-73 entering the final period. Minnesota couldn’t take advantage of Doncic being benched to start the third period.
Doncic returned to the court with 7:06 left in regulation and Dallas leading 108-85. After Doncic made a 3-pointer, Irving came close to scoring with a scoop finish. They combined for 36 points with half a game left in the fourth quarter. Minnesota played hard for the remainder of regulation, but there wasn’t enough time left to make a comeback.
Back-to-back dunks by Lively ended the game, first by Irving and then Doncic, as both teams came out of timeouts and brought in their substitutes with 3:02 left.
The Mavericks will now face the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 6.
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