The Dallas Mavericks have taken a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals following a 116-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. Kyrie Irving played a big role in that triumph with 14 points in the fourth quarter alone and Luka Doncic sang his praises after the game.
“Unbelievable. That’s why they call him, some people, Mr. 4th quarter, right? Just amazing,” Doncic said. “He scored, what, 33?… It’s amazing. He’s born for this situation. He (was) born for the clutch situations. So we just give the ball to him.”
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Irving has delivered in the big moments so many times in his career and was at it again in Game 3. After the Timberwolves took a 104-102 lead with just over five minutes remaining, the 32-year-old led the charge as the Mavericks went on a 14-3 run to close out the game.
Irving scored or assisted on nine of those 14 points and ended the night with 33 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal. The eight-time All-Star now has his team just one win away from getting to the NBA Finals.
Considering how the Mavericks failed to even make the playoffs last season, this has been a remarkable turnaround. The decision to trade for Irving last year was seen as a massive risk but that gamble has paid off for Dallas in a big way. He has stayed out of any kind of trouble and is dazzling on the court.
Irving has particularly excelled in those clutch moments for the Mavericks this season. He shot 60% from the field and 42.1% from three in the clutch in the regular season, as per the NBA, and was a big reason why Dallas had an excellent 23-9 record in clutch games this season.
If the Mavericks are involved in a close game, you can count on them to come away with the win, more often than not. That has been the case in this series as well, as Minnesota had a shot at winning all three games but just couldn’t execute as well as Dallas did down the stretch.
Luka Doncic Spoke On Being One Win Away From The NBA Finals
While Irving now looks set to make the NBA Finals for the fourth time in his career, it would be a first-ever appearance for his Slovenian teammate. Following this result, Doncic was asked about being one win away from his first Finals appearance.
“I don’t know what to say, but it feels great. We gotta think about the next game. We gotta play with the same mentality. They’re not gonna go away. No way. We need to prepare for the next game and think about the next game.”
The Timberwolves aren’t waving the white flag just yet and the Mavericks can’t afford to take their foot off the gas. I know Doncic, who had 33 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 1 block in Game 3, certainly will be going for the kill in Game 4.
Doncic had struggled a lot earlier in these playoffs due to various injuries, but he appears to be closer to his best now. If the Mavericks do indeed end up sweeping the Timberwolves here, it will give their star guard more time off before the Finals and that could prove to be crucial.
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