Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to a shocking Game 1 upset over the Minnesota Timberwolves, giving them a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals. Doncic was sensational and helped his team overcome a massive disadvantage to take the lead in the series.
LUKA AND MAVS STEAL GAME 1 IN MINNESOTA 🔥 pic.twitter.com/yf7bdNmdN6
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 23, 2024
The Timberwolves led for much of the first half, even going up by as much as nine in the second quarter. But the Mavs stayed in the game and were eventually able to wrestle the lead away, which led to a back-and-forth game, with several lead changes until Dallas sealed the win.
Luka and Kyrie in Game 1 vs the Wolves pic.twitter.com/sFy3pj17ET
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) May 23, 2024
It looked as though Anthony Edwards would push his team back into a winning position in the closing moments of the game, even taking a one-point lead with just a few minutes left in the game. But big-time shots by P.J. Washington and Luka Doncic helped close out a Game 1 win for Dallas.
Mavs shot 24% from three and still won. What an absolute Masterclass by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
— Jo (@MavsStan41) May 23, 2024
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, despite having a rough shooting night, led the team in scoring, with 33 and 30 points respectively. Doncic shot 3/10 from the three-point line, and Kyrie shot 0/3 from there. Despite a rough night with the three-point shot, the Mavs were able to close it out, thanks to key performances from P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford.
Best player in the world showed us that it’s his league tonight. Walked down the Timberwolves in the clutch, what a special performance from Luka Doncic
— Jo (@MavsStan41) May 23, 2024
As for the Timberwolves, Jaden McDaniels actually led them in scoring, with 24 points. Both Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns had disappointing performances, scoring 19 and 16 points respectively. Edwards and Towns both shot poorly from the field, with Edwards going 37.5% from the field and KAT going 30% from the field.
“Ant it’s the WCF, we need you to lock in”
Anthony Edwards pic.twitter.com/mDwK9ItNDH
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) May 23, 2024
On X, most fans were mocking Anthony Edwards after his poor Game 1 performance, especially after how braggadocious he was after the Timberwolves won Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets. Fans compared Edwards to actor Michael B. Jordan rather than Michael Jordan himself to mock his poor showing tonight.
“Anthony Edwards we need a bucket, please stop focusing on your chipotle plate”
Edwards: pic.twitter.com/uHpEdhuhm5
— 🦇 (@EasyCantMiss) May 23, 2024
“Anthony Edwards is the 2nd coming of Michael Jordan”
The Michael Jordan they talking about: pic.twitter.com/XsroNAj71C
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) May 23, 2024
Tonight, Anthony Edwards played more like a young Michael B. Jordan.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 23, 2024
Edwards will have his chance to shut down the doubters at Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. Edwards has proven himself to be one of the best players in the NBA. So it is unlikely that he will have a similarly poor performance again. As for the Mavericks, they came into the series as the underdogs, so it behooves them now to take advantage of this win and try to claim another away win to reach the NBA Finals.
Is Luka Doncic Showing He Is The Best Player In The World?
Luka Doncic, despite already being one of the best players in the league, seems to have taken another step in his evolution this year with his performance in the NBA Playoffs. Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd spoke recently about how Doncic has evolved since the Mavs’ last Western Conference Finals appearance in 2022.
During these playoffs, Doncic has averaged 27.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists in the 2024 NBA Playoffs so far. His contributions on the offensive end of the floor have always been spectacular, but it is his improved defensive contribution that has made a major impact for the Mavs. Doncic is averaging 1.5 steals per game and 0.5 blocks, which is similar to the numbers he was averaging in his 2022 playoff run where he led the Mavs to the Western Conference Finals.
Doncic is proving his worth to the Mavericks even more so in this playoff run than ever before. In fact, after making the All-NBA First Team, Luka is eligible to sign a 5-year, $346 million extension, making it the largest contract in NBA history, surpassing Jaylen Brown. And if Luka can lead the Mavs to an NBA championship, that massive contract will be worth every penny.
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