Basketball NBA

The NBA playoffs continued, with the Dallas Mavericks winning away to win the Western Conference. Doncic and Irving scored 36 points each and used the offensive to establish a big lead in the first half, and the Mavericks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-103 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. The Mavericks eliminated the Timberwolves 4-1 to claim the Western Conference title, and they will face the Boston Celtics in the Finals. Doncic won the Western Conference Finals MVP.

For the Mavericks, Doncic had 36 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Irving had 36 points, four rebounds and five assists, Washington had 12 points and seven rebounds, Gafford had 11 points and nine rebounds and Lively had nine points and eight rebounds. For the Timberwolves, Edwards had 28 points, nine rebounds and six assists, Towns had 28 points and 12 rebounds, and Gobert had nine points and five rebounds.

Doncic got into the groove quickly after the opening, hitting two three-pointers and scoring 10 points alone to lead the team to a 14-6 lead. Conley hit a three-pointer to lead the team to chase seven points in a row, Irving hit a jumper, and Gobert hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 18. In the following game, the Timberwolves were inaccurate on offense, and Doncic was hot and scored two more three-pointers, and he led the team to end the first quarter with a 17-1 offensive surge, and the Mavericks led by 16 points at 35-19. Doncic scored 20 points in the first quarter.

Irving and Kleber combined for five points to open the second quarter, giving the Mavericks a 21-point lead. The Timberwolves then tried to counterattack, and Towns scored back-to-back points, but the Mavericks always responded to maintain the lead, Washington hit a three-pointer and Irving hit a shot to give the Mavericks a 22-point lead at 58-36 with 3:30 left before halftime. Edwards hit two free throws, Doncic and Irving each hit three-pointers to lead the team to nine more points and give the Mavericks a 29-point lead. Anderson hit a jumper and Irving hit both free throws to give the Mavericks a 29-point lead at 69-40 at halftime.

The Mavericks’ Doncic had 25 points and five rebounds in the first half, and Irving had 19 points; For the Timberwolves, Edwards had 12 points and five rebounds, and Towns had 12 points and four rebounds.

Doncic scored four straight points shortly after the start of the third quarter to give the Mavericks a 33-point lead. McDaniels hit a jumper and Washington and Doncic combined for five points to give the Mavericks a 36-point lead at 82-46. The Timberwolves, who trailed by a large margin, could only bet on the outside, McDaniels hit a three-pointer, Edwards hit three three-pointers in a row, and the Timberwolves chased it to 60-87 with 5:40 left in the quarter. After the Mavericks called a timeout, Irving hit a jumper, and Towns scored six straight points to bring the gap back to 23 points. Irving hit a three-pointer to stabilize the situation, Towns scored four straight points to close again, and Doncic made a jumper to end the third quarter and give the Mavericks a 97-73 lead.

Jones broke through to score at the start of the final quarter, and the Timberwolves scored five straight points, with Gafford and Irving taking turns scoring, and the Mavericks led 103-78. The Timberwolves exchanged scores after a timeout, with Edwards scoring five points in a row and Doncic hitting a three-pointer to give the Mavericks a 111-85 lead with 6:55 left in the quarter. The Timberwolves were tenacious and scored five more points, with Lively dunking twice and the Mavericks leading 117-92 with three minutes left in the fourth quarter. The 25-point gap allowed the Timberwolves to replace their main team, and the two sides finished with substitutes, and the Mavericks won 124-103.

Mavericks starting lineup: Doncic, Irving, Jones, Washington, Gafford

Timberwolves starting lineup: Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Towns, Gobert