Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks reacts during the final minute of the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game Three of the Western Conference Finals at American Airlines Center on May 26, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. | MATTHEW STOCKMAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA via AFP
The Dallas Mavericks have taken a commanding 3-0 lead in the NBA Western Conference Finals after logging a 115-105 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 on Sunday night (Monday morning, May 27, Philippine time).
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving once again spearheaded the Dallas win in game 3 of the NBA WCF as they each scored 33 points.
Minnesota was led by the 26 of Anthony Edwards.
The winner of this Dallas-Minnesota WCF best-of-seven series will take on the winner of the Boston-Indiana Eastern Conference Finals, which the Celtics lead, 3-0.
The Mavericks will have to chance to close out the series in Game 4, which will still be played at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
No team in NBA history has come back from a 0-3 hole.
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The Mavericks closed Game 3 with a 12-3 run, winning their fifth consecutive playoff game despite the departure of rookie center Dereck Lively II, who left the game with a sprained neck after taking an accidental shot to the back of the head from Karl-Anthony Towns’ knee.
P.J. Washington started the decisive run with a corner 3-pointer after Doncic passed to Irving, who sent the ball to Washington. The co-stars took over from there.
Doncic hit a shot in the lane for a four-point lead, Irving sent the crowd into a frenzy on a falling-down jumper and Doncic found Daniel Gafford for an alley-oop dunk and a 113-105 lead with 34 seconds left. Gafford had just blocked Mike Conley’s layup attempt at the other end.
“They’re trying to double me the whole game, trying to double Kai, so that just makes us better,” Doncic said. “Everybody touches the ball, everybody plays. We come down to the stretch, and we execute.”