Mavs Look To Take Commanding Lead In Game 3
By Dan Bruno
The Dallas Mavericks play host to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals at American Airlines Center on Sunday evening.
The Mavs defeated the Timberwolves, 109-108, in Game 2 for their second straight win in Minnesota to take a 2-0 series lead.
The hosts got out to a strong start in the last game and held a six-point lead after one quarter. They kept the pressure on in the second and rallied ahead to an 18-point advantage, before the Mavs woke up and cut it back to a 12-point difference by halftime. The Timberwolves stayed in control to start the third, but the Mavs closed the quarter on a run to bring it down to a seven-point game heading into the final frame. The visitors picked up momentum in the fourth and grabbed a one-point edge within the first couple of minutes. The score stayed tight but after a number of lead changes, Luka Doncic came up with the game-winning bucket on a step-back three in the final seconds. Doncic led the Mavs with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, while Kyrie Irving followed up with 20 points, four rebounds, six assists and a block, and Daniel Gafford logged 16 points, five rebounds and five blocks. On the other side, Naz Reid led the Timberwolves with 23 points on blistering 7-for-9 shooting from long range. Anthony Edwards followed up with 21 points, five rebounds, seven assists and a block, while Mike Conley tallied 18 points, five rebounds, five assists, a steal and a a block. Karl-Anthony Towns was limited to 15 points on 4-for-16 shooting.
Game 3 is scheduled for Sunday in Dallas.
The Mavs defeated the Timberwolves, 109-108, in Game 2 for their second straight win in Minnesota to take a 2-0 series lead.
The hosts got out to a strong start in the last game and held a six-point lead after one quarter. They kept the pressure on in the second and rallied ahead to an 18-point advantage, before the Mavs woke up and cut it back to a 12-point difference by halftime. The Timberwolves stayed in control to start the third, but the Mavs closed the quarter on a run to bring it down to a seven-point game heading into the final frame. The visitors picked up momentum in the fourth and grabbed a one-point edge within the first couple of minutes. The score stayed tight but after a number of lead changes, Luka Doncic came up with the game-winning bucket on a step-back three in the final seconds. Doncic led the Mavs with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, while Kyrie Irving followed up with 20 points, four rebounds, six assists and a block, and Daniel Gafford logged 16 points, five rebounds and five blocks. On the other side, Naz Reid led the Timberwolves with 23 points on blistering 7-for-9 shooting from long range. Anthony Edwards followed up with 21 points, five rebounds, seven assists and a block, while Mike Conley tallied 18 points, five rebounds, five assists, a steal and a a block. Karl-Anthony Towns was limited to 15 points on 4-for-16 shooting.
Game 3 is scheduled for Sunday in Dallas.