NBA stars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving lead Dallas Mavericks to conquer Game 1 over Minnesota Timberwolves within the Western Conference Finals.
Even though Doncic initially started off sluggishly, he made a strong comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring an impressive 15 points and totaling 33 for the game. This helped his team secure a respectable win against basketball's top-ranked defense.
In the beginning, Doncic had difficulty, so Irving stepped up and scored 24 out of his 30 points during the first half.
This win is just another in a line of achievements for the Mavericks in the postseason, as they've already managed to defeat the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
After Irving's comments post-game, he stated, "We've faced several challenges in these past two series and we've learned how to react to losses. This is the first series where we've started with a win. While we're pleased, we can't let it go to our heads. The mission isn't completed yet."
Doncic has dealt with multiple injuries throughout the playoffs, yet he's still affected the game offensively.
Doncic was confronted by the Wolves' physically tough defenders, led by Jaden McDaniels, who was Minnesota's top scorer with 24 points.
Initially, Doncic's role shifted to providing assists, while the other amazing shooter from Dallas, Irving, took over by expertly going through the Minnesota defense with complex dribbles and finishing at the rim.
Following the break and with the score at a standstill, Doncic's shooting began to get more accurate. The majority of his outstanding fourth-quarter performance came from near the hoop, with his three-pointers not falling with consistent success.
"This one took a lot of effort," Doncic remarked. "This is a huge victory. We know how tough it is to play here, especially against a team with a lot of weapons, so taking this win is momentous. But it's just the beginning. We have three more victories to achieve."
For the first time under Coach Jason Kidd, the Mavericks won the opening game of any playoff series. They've come from behind to win four out of the five previous series under Kidd.
Minnesota's star players, Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, had an off night offensively, finishing with 19 and 16 points, respectively.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Friday at Target Center in Minnesota.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
