MINNEAPOLIS —After failing to close out the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals in Game 4 on their home floor, the Dallas Mavericks got the job done at Target Center in Game 5. The Mavs achieved a 126-103 blowout win, clinching a 4-1 series victory.
"It was a very hard road, very hard," Doncic said. "But we're not done. We have four more."
Doncic was off to a hot start, scoring 12 of the Mavericks' first 16 points with only one missed shot after his initial six attempts. Minnesota continued to deploy Anthony Edwards as Doncic's primary defender while having Jaden McDaniels check Kyrie Irving. Dallas led by as many as eight points during this stretch.
"Set the tone. I just got to set the tone," Doncic said about his hot start. "That's about it."
The way Doncic was scoring showcased the rhythm he was in throughout this game. He was hitting 3-point attempts deep off the line, both off the dribble and with a catch-and-shoot make. He was snaking into the gap in pick-and-roll for short-range jumpers and finishes. All while continuing to find his teammates open on the perimeter and at the rim with lobs.
"I was enjoying it just like everyone else was, man. He had 20 points in what felt like six or seven minutes, and you’re just watching a special performance unfold," Irving said of Doncic. "As a teammate, you just want to continue to do the little things to bring the lead a bit further along and just continue to play well. We were happy where we were, but we weren’t satisfied because we knew it was a long game. But when Luka starts off the game like that, we’re a tough team to beat."
The Timberwolves went on a 10-2 run to tie it up at 18-18 in a stretch that included Edwards stealing the ball from Doncic and finishing in transition, followed by Mike Conley hitting a corner 3-pointer. Instead of settling into the game, Minnesota was outscored by a staggering 51-22 margin for the remainder of the first half, setting up Dallas for a 69-40 halftime edge.
Doncic found Lively for a late lob to break the tie, then Washington got a wide-open finish in transition. Doncic continued the momentum by snaking into the gap for a mid-range jumper, making it a 6-0 run for a 24-18 advantage. Doncic didn't stop there. He used a window of space to take a deep pull-up 3-pointer, then hit a mid-range jumper, making it 30-18. Entering the timeout with 2:23 left in the opening period, he'd personally outscored Minnesota, given he had 20 points.
Dallas led by as many as 16 points in the opening period after Doncic attacked downhill before finding Gafford for an emphatic alley-oop slam, followed by Irving beating the buzzer on a drive and finish. The Mavericks were up 35-19 entering the second frame. There was a clear difference in the Mavericks' ability to protect the rim early, with Lively back in the fold. Dallas began the second quarter even with Maxi Kleber and Lively playing alongside each other.
Irving hit a step-back mid-range jumper to open the period, then Kleber hit a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer to make it 40-19. The momentum remained in the Mavericks' favor until Minnesota brought back Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert for a stretch, often attacking with Towns going downhill out of Horns sets.
“I think for Kai to be able to play off of Luka and vice-versa (was important)," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. "But there in the first half, Luka sent the message to Kai, and Kai got the message and took it in the second half.”
Later on, Gobert went to the bench with Reid slotting in next to Towns to provide a five-out offense. The defensive approach for Minnesota became to blitz heavily Irving and Doncic, creating opportunities to exploit 4-on-3 situations, including using Doncic as a back screener in Stack pick-and-roll to serve as a release valve for Irving.
With Doncic controlling the game on both ends, including a steal against Reid by pulling the chair in the post for a steal before it ultimately led to a 3-pointer for Washington, Dallas continued to dominate. The Mavericks went up by as many as 22 points before the break, with Irving heating up on jump shots while finding open teammates.
After Doncic's catch-and-shoot 3-pointer was followed up by Irving hitting a jab step jumper from deep, the Mavericks' lead reached 29 points. A final stamp on Minnesota's poor first half was a shot clock violation on the team's final possession, involving Edwards drawing help on a drive then Towns facing two defenders making extra efforts to prevent a 3-point attempt. The ball found Anderson in the corner and he held onto the ball too long before the clock ran out.
With a 69-40 halftime advantage, the Mavericks superstar tandem of Doncic and Irving combined to outscore Minnesota with 44 points. Doncic had 25 points, six rebounds, and three assists at the break, while Irving added 19 points and three assists. As a team, Dallas shot 25-41 (61.0%) overall and 9-15 (60.0%) from deep, while Minnesota was just 15-44 (34.1%) from the floor and 2-12 (16.7%) from the perimeter. Outside of Towns and Edwards who scored 12 points each to this point, the Timberwolves received 16 points on 6-25 (24.0%) shooting and 1-8 (12.5%) from distance.
Coming out of the half, Doncic lobbed up a high arching pass to Washington, who completed the alley-oop dunk over Gobert. Doncic later turned the corner out of double drag for a floater with Minnesota over-committing to the roller. With Towns going cold from the perimeter, Dallas used another push to go by 36 points. It began with Derrick Jones Jr. passing up a good shot for a greater one to Washington on the wing for the 3-pointer, then Doncic attacked downhill to draw a foul on a floater against contact but missed the free throw.
Irving had a hot streak to keep the momentum alive, with a short-range jumper followed by a perimeter jumper, all with his crafty handle creating space. Minnesota began to rally back, using a made 3-pointer from Edwards to cut it to 27 points with 5:41 left in the third quarter. Irving quieted Minnesota with a mid-range pull-up jumper out of a timeout. Irving hit a momentum-killing shot seemingly each time the Timberwolves tried to rally back.
A transition finish from Towns after a turnover by Kleber reduced the Mavericks' lead to 22 late in the third quarter until Doncic attacked downhill for a floater. Dallas was up 97-73 entering the final period. Minnesota could not take advantage of Doncic resting on the bench to start the frame.
Doncic returned to the floor with 7:06 left in regulation while Dallas was up 108-85. After Doncic. banked in a 3-pointer, Irving got to the rim for the scoop finish. Both players reached 36 points on the night, with half of the fourth quarter left to play. Minnesota continued to play hard for the remainder of the regulation, but there wasn't enough time to achieve a comeback.
A series of dunks from Lively created first by Irving and the second by Doncic ended the game. Both teams put in reserves with 3:02 left on the game clock out of the timeout.
Looking ahead, the Mavericks will face the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 6 at TD Garden.
"I mean, they're the best team in the NBA. They had by far the best record," Doncic said. "They have some incredible weapons on offense and defense. So we're going to have to play really hard and amazing basketball to beat them. "
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