Mavericks erase 18 point deficit, take 2-0 series lead in WCF

Written by: William Petersen •

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The lights may appear to be too bright for the Minnesota Timberwolves after blowing a 18 point lead in game 2 of the Western Conference Finals and now head to Dallas down 2-0 for the first time this playoffs. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving continue to be the lethal two-punch combo that Minnesota has been unable to shake after allowing the backcourt duo to combine for 52 points in a game that was sealed by the NBA Scoring Leader Luka Doncic. Doncic put Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert on skates, hitting a step-back three with three seconds left to give Dallas a 109-108 victory. This game winning three capped off a 32 point, 10 rebound, and 13 assist triple-double, Doncic eighth career playoff triple-double, that broke the heart’s of the Target Center on Friday night. Minnesota had a hard time breaking away down the stretch and could not pull away from a Mavericks team that could be destined to reach their first NBA Finals since 2011.

Luka Doncic continues his efficient playoff run after tallying another triple-double, his fifth this postseason, and continues to be the kryptonite of the Timberwolves. Doncic’s right hand man, Kyrie Irving, continues to remind the league of his playoff experience, knocking down four 3’s on seven attempts and kept Dallas in the game late. The underlying x-factor for the Mavericks tonight was their two big men, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II, dictating the paint and glass. Gafford finished with 16 points and 5 blocks while Lively tallied 14 points and 9 rebounds in a game that came down to the last possession. Dallas now gets to go back home in hopes of at least splitting two games to get up 3-1. I highly doubt Minnesota will roll over and drop both games on the road but the way Doncic, Irving, and company are playing, it might be a reality sooner rather than later.

The Timberwolves’ locker room must be reeling after blowing a double digit lead in the second half to lose and go down 2-0. Anthony Edwards continues to struggle shooting the rock, finishing with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists on 5-17 shooting, and 2-9 from three. After seemingly being unstoppable in the first two rounds, Edwards might have lost his magic touch in a series where he was expected to thrive. Ant’s sidekick, Karl-Anthony Towns did not contribute much either, finishing with 15 points on 4-16 shooting and 1-5 from beyond the arc. Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid led the Timberwolves in scoring with 23 points, going 7-9 from three, keeping Minnesota in the game the entire night. Chris Finch and his Timberwolves need to find a way to slow down Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving if they want any chance of not getting swept in Dallas. Luckily for the Timberwolves they dropped their first two games at home against Denver and went on to win the series in seven.

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