MINNEAPOLIS – Once again, Luka Doncic showed that no matter the stakes, no matter the situation, he continues to show everyone that he has a flair for the dramatics.
The ultra-talented rookie from Slovenia buried a cold-bloodied 3-point field goal with just 23.9 seconds remaining Friday night and the Dallas Mavericks emerged from the Target Center with a pulsating 119-115 triumph over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It was the second win in a row for the Mavs (20-22) and marked the first time they’ve won multiple games consecutively since capturing three straight victories from Dec. 8-12. And in this, the first game of the second half of the season for the Mavs, they made extra sure the sellout crowd of 18,978 got their money’s worth.
The only downer from the game was the fact that guard J. J. Barea suffered a lower right leg injury midway through the fourth quarter and had to be helped to the locker room. The Mavs will conduct an MRI on Barea’s leg on Saturday.
A wild sequence and mad scramble led to the winning basket by Doncic, who keeps advancing his high profile seemingly with every game. First, with the Mavs trailing, 115-114, Doncic turned the ball over with 33.4 seconds left.
Then, as the Timberwolves were trying to set up their offense, DeAndre Jordan (eight points, 15 rebounds) made a steal and passed it up the floor to Doncic. When no defender approached Doncic, he simply walked right into a 3-point shot and nailed it to put the Mavs ahead 117-115.
“Man, he’s just ice cold,” said Maxi Kleber, who scored 13 points and blocked two shots. “I’m not sure about the shooting numbers during the game – they weren’t the greatest – and then he comes down and he doesn’t think about it.
“He knows he’s going to make that shot. He took it with so much confidence. A big-time shot.”
Doncic was just 1-of-8 from 3-point range before drilling the game-winner from downtown.
“I saw some space,” said Doncic, who finished with 29 points, eight rebounds and a career-high tying 12 assists. “I’m glad I made it. I was bad from the 3-point line this game.”
After a timeout, the Timberwolves (20-22) inexplicably passed up a pair of open 3-point shots, and Derrick Rose ultimately turned the ball over. Harrison Barnes (23 points) then salted the game away when he nailed a pair of free throws with 7.8 seconds to go.
This was just the fourth road win of the season for the Mavs against 18 losses. And the Mavs got staggered a couple of times by the Timberwolves en route to success on the road, but managed to collect themselves and hang on at the end while committing a season-low seven turnovers.
“We showed a lot of resilience,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “Tough game, tough crowd.
“The road’s been a challenge for us all year. I love the way we hung it after they tied it late in the third. We went back out and made a run and got it back to six or eight and worked it from there.”
Barea collected 16 points and seven assists in 22 minutes before his injury. And Dwight Powell scored 15 points in 18 minutes and was dominant around the rim.
Powell was 7-of-8 from the field and finished with five dunks and two layups.
“Our guards did a good job,” Powell said. “Luka, J. J., Jalen (Brunson), Devin (Harris), they do a great job of penetrating the paint and being a threat with the pass, with the shot and with the drive.
“A lot of attention gets drawn to them, so it gets you an opportunity to just try and find spaces where they can hit me. Tonight I was lucky enough to be in position and capitalized on those opportunities.”
The Mavs trailed 20-13 late in the first quarter, but went on a 38-17 run and assumed a 51-37 lead following a 3-pointer by Brunson with 5:11 left before intermission. But the Timberwolves wouldn’t relent, as they forged a tie at 63-all and again at 107-apiece.
Doncic then found Brunson in the corner for a 3-pointer, but Karl-Anthony Towns maneuvered for consecutive baskets that put Minnesota up, 111-110, with 1:41 remaining. From there, Doncic hit a floater, Jeff Teague scored for Minnesota, and Doncic put his head down and stormed to the hoop for a monster dunk and a 114-113 Mavs lead with 57.8 seconds to go.
Taj Gibson scored via an offensive rebound for the Timberwolves. Doncic eventually took it from there as he converted the big-time 3-pointer that was heard around the NBA world.
“We put the ball in his hands when the game is on the line,” said Dirk Nowitzki, who was scoreless, but grabbed four rebounds. “And like I said, the confidence he has in himself down the stretch to make big plays – whether it’s for himself or even the passes on to the weak side on those pick-and-rolls — he’s so tough.
“He makes passes out of the pocket over the big guys because he can see over the double-team. He puts the ball right on the money for the weakside shooters. The playmaking, shot-making for a 19-year old, we can say it over and over, it’s incredible.”
NOTES: Friday was the last day for Luka Doncic to tie Markelle Fultz for being the youngest player in NBA history with a triple-double. Fultz collected his triple-double at age 19 and 317 days. Doncic, however, came op two rebounds shy of a tripe-double on Friday as he finished with 29 points, eight rebounds and a career-high tying 12 assists. “I don’t care about that,” Doncic said, referring to a triple-double. “We just got a win, so that’s all that matters.” Doncic had 11 points and four assists in the fourth quarter. . .The Timberwolves paid tribute to legendary pop singer Prince, who was born and raised in Minneapolis and who died in 2016. All night long, songs by Prince were played inside the Target Center. . .The Mavs had 25 assists and turned the ball over just seven times. “It’s important (to keep the turnovers low), especially against a like this,” center DeAndre Jordan said. “Taking care of the basketball has been a point of emphasis for us throughout the season. We’ve done it some games, we haven’t done it a lot of games, and tonight we took care of the ball.”. .Point guard Dennis Smith Jr. didn’t make the trip to Minnesota due to tightness in his back. It’s the second straight game Smith has missed with the same injury. “I don’t have an update,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “I hope it’s not serious. I don’t think it is.”. .The Mavs will host the two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors on Sunday at 6 p.m.
Share and comment