Doncic and Irving score 33 points each to take Dallas within one win of NBA finals

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving each scored 33 points and the Dallas Mavericks again made all the big plays late, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-107 on Sunday night to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

The Mavericks closed on a 14-3 run and won their fifth straight playoff game. The win came despite the Mavs’ rookie center Dereck Lively II being forced out of the game in the second quarter with a sprained neck after taking an accidental shot to the back of the head from Karl-Anthony Towns.

No team in the history of the NBA playoffs has come from a 3-0 deficit, but Doncic said Dallas isn’t taking anything for granted.

‘We need one more [win], nothing has been done,” he said after the match. “They have a great team, so nothing has been done yet.”

Minnesota coach Chris Finch acknowledged his team’s failure to compete against Dallas in the final minutes thus far.

“All series we have been struggling to close games… these three-minute games we are playing, we are losing,” he told reporters after the match.

PJ Washington started the Mavericks’ decisive run with a corner three-pointer after Doncic passed to Irving, who sent the ball to Washington.

The co-stars took it from there.

Doncic hit a shot into the lane for a four-point lead, Irving sent the crowd into a frenzy with a falling jumper and Doncic found Daniel Gafford for an alley-oop dunk and a 113-105 lead with 34 seconds left. Gafford blocked Mike Conley’s layup attempt at the other end.

“They tried to double down [team] I played against me the whole game, they tried to double Ky, that just makes us better,” Doncic said. “Everyone is touching the ball, everyone is making plays… We come down and execute.”

Anthony Edwards had 26 points for the Wolves, but only four after scoring eight straight points for Minnesota, helping the Wolves tie the game in the third quarter. He and Doncic exchanged words near the end of the game.

“I can’t say,” Doncic said with a smile when asked what the two said to each other.

Finch defended Edwards after the match.

“Of course he’s learning… he’s 22 years old, he had a lot on his shoulders in the Western Conference finals, we expect a lot from him… this is a learning experience for him.”

Towns scored 14 points but missed all eight threes, including one when the deficit was four with 1:25 to go.

“It’s tough, for sure. As far as confidence goes, I just have to keep shooting,” Towns said.

Doncic, whose game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds of Game 2 in Minnesota put Dallas firmly in control of the series, was 10 of 20 and 5 of 11 from deep. Irving made 12 of 20 and 3 of 6 from long range to pull the Mavs within a victory in their first trip to the NBA Finals since 2011, when they won the franchise’s only championship.

Earlier in the game, Lively went down for several minutes before appearing dazed as he was helped off the field and taken to the locker room. Lively fell as Mike Conley drove for a missed shot, and Towns was aiming for an offensive rebound when his knee struck Lively’s head.

Game 4 is Tuesday night in Dallas.