MINNESOTA – To say that Luka Doncic orchestrates victories would not be an overstatement.
The Dallas Mavericks, fueled by 36 points each from their Slovenian star and Kyrie Irving, routed the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-103 on May 30 to clinch the Western Conference crown – and book a National Basketball Association (NBA) title showdown with the Boston Celtics.
Denied a sweep at home on May 28, the Mavs left no room for doubt in Minneapolis as they wrapped up the best-of-seven Conference Finals 4-1 to return to the NBA Finals for the first time since they won the title in 2011.
The Celtics will host Game 1 of the championship series on June 6, and they will have to be wary of Doncic, who took the game by the throat in the opening minutes.
“My mindset was – set the tone,” said the guard, who scored 20 points in a fast-paced first quarter, one more than the Timberwolves managed as a team.
He scored four of his six three-pointers in the first period, including a bomb from the centre court logo, and the Mavs closed the quarter on a 17-1 scoring run to put the Timberwolves on their heels for good.
“He let his teammates know that it’s time and they’ve got to take it up a notch,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “He sent the invites out, and they all came.”
Irving got going with 15 points in the second quarter as he and Doncic combined for 44 first-half points – four more than the Timberwolves put on the board before half-time, when the Mavs led 69-40.
Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 28 points each for Minnesota, Towns adding 12 rebounds for the third-seed Timberwolves, who had swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round and stunned defending champions Denver Nuggets in seven games in the second.
But the early damage by Doncic and Dallas’ disruptive defence put this game out of reach early and the Mavs went on to grab their first double-digit victory of a hard-fought series.
“Luka came out tonight and put his stamp on the game,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Hit a couple of bomb threes, kind of got them loosened up offensively.”
Dallas are in the Finals for the third time, chasing a second title to go with the one they captured back in 2011.
The Celtics, who swept the Indiana Pacers in four games in the Eastern Conference Finals, are back in the title series for the second time in three years.
They share the record for most NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers at 17, but last won the championship in 2008. AFP