Rudy Gobert is the Defensive Player of the Year. That didn’t matter to Luka Doncic in the final seconds.
With the Timberwolves clinging to a 108-106 lead in the final seconds, Doncic got matched up with Gobert on a switch, as rookie Dereck Lively II’s screen shook off All-Defensive forward Jaden McDaniels. Gobert tried to contest, but he was no match for Doncic’s step-back. When Naz Reid’s 26-footer missed, the Mavericks had a 109-108 win and a commanding 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.
The Timberwolves had a five-point lead with just over a minute to go, after Anthony Edwards made four straight free throws and Kyrie Irving missed a pair. But Doncic found Irving for one of his 13 assists for a three-pointer that cut the lead to two and gave Dallas the chance at the last-second win.
While Doncic certainly went out and won the game, logging a 32-point triple-double and shooting 5-of-11 from behind the arc, the Wolves lost it at the end. A coach’s challenge with 47 seconds left gave Dallas the ball, after McDaniels lost it out of bounds, helped by some contact from Irving. On Minnesota’s next possession, Edwards lost the ball out of bounds.
Dallas came back from being down 18 points in the second quarter, overcoming an incredible game from Reid. He finished with 23 points, two steals and a blocked shot, drilling seven three-pointers in 32 minutes off the bench. Just not his last desperation attempt.
Now the Timberwolves head to Dallas, having to win three road games to win the series and make their first NBA Finals. That sounds impossible, except that the Wolves won three games in Denver in their previous series. It’s a tough road, but they’ve been down it before.