Luka Doncic, older and wiser, returns to West finals with a clutch gem

Luka Doncic, older and wiser, returns to West finals with a clutch gem

MINNEAPOLIS — When the Dallas Mavericks went down quietly in five games to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 Western Conference finals, Luka Doncic knew why: “We’re a young team.” More to the point, Doncic was only 23 years old when he got that first taste of a deep postseason run.

Two years can make quite the difference: The Mavericks are back in the West finals with an overhauled roster that is still led by Doncic, who is older, wiser and more adept at finding ways to eke out close wins. After spreading the wealth in the fourth quarter of Game 6 to eliminate the Oklahoma City Thunder from the second round on Saturday, Doncic took over on both ends down the stretch Wednesday to cap a 108-105 Game 1 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The tense upset win was doubly surprising given Dallas had suffered Game 1 losses to the Los Angeles Clippers and Thunder in the first two rounds, while Minnesota had scored Game 1 wins over the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets.

Doncic was so extraordinarily productive early in his NBA career that his recent growth is difficult to quantify in points, rebounds and assists, though he continues to rack those up by the boatload. His evolution is more a matter of intangibles: He displays better decision-making with the ball, greater patience with his teammates, more conscientious shot selection and significantly more buy-in defensively. A younger Doncic sought to play the hero by hoisting threes from every distance and zipping passes through tiny windows; his wholesale lack of concern about negative consequences made him both thrilling and stressful to watch.

The version of Doncic who put down the Timberwolves ignored a deafening road crowd, kept his focus after a slow start and dissected the league’s top-ranked defense with ease in key moments. Doncic, 25, finished with a game-high 33 points to go with eight assists, six rebounds and three steals, including a crucial lob breakup with a little over a minute remaining. The Slovenian star netted 15 points in the fourth quarter, making a step-back three-pointer and a pretty midrange jumper during Dallas’s decisive 10-3 closing push.

“I said to myself that we’ve got to win this game and I’ve got to be way better,” Doncic said. “Through three quarters, I didn’t play good. I came into the fourth, got to my spots and led the team to a win.”

At every big moment, Doncic was meticulous. With Dallas trailing by four points and just over three minutes remaining, Mavericks center Dereck Lively II came up with an offensive rebound and kicked it back to Doncic, who was three steps behind the three-point line. Rather than launch immediately, Doncic calmly pump-faked to avoid Anthony Edwards, stepped in closer to the arc and got his rhythm for a sidestep three-pointer that swished home.

Less than a minute later, Doncic forced Jaden McDaniels to the baseline, where the Timberwolves forward got trapped with nowhere to go. As McDaniels attempted a pass to Rudy Gobert before falling out of bounds, Doncic stepped in for the steal and quickly pushed the ball up the court to Kyrie Irving, who found P.J. Washington in the left corner for a go-ahead three-pointer.

Doncic then quickly got to work protecting the lead by making the play of the night. Timberwolves guard Mike Conley found a driving lane into the paint and hoped to pull Doncic away from the basket so he could toss an alley-oop to Gobert near the rim. Doncic initially leaned forward to bait Conley into throwing the pass, then retreated and jumped high to successfully deflect it away from the 7-foot-1 Gobert, who stands six inches taller than him.

For Doncic, who was derided throughout his early years as an ineffective and uninterested defender, this was a game-deciding forced turnover that combined advanced feel, positioning and timing against an experienced duo in Conley and Gobert.

“It was a heck of a defensive play for Luka,” Mavericks Coach Jason Kidd said. “Just understanding the tendencies. His basketball IQ, knowing what was going to take place there. We always talk about his offense, but this time of the year his defense has definitely improved.”

The fatal blow for Minnesota came seconds later, as Doncic milked the clock while the long and athletic McDaniels hounded him in isolation. As the game clock ticked under a minute and the shot clock went under 10 seconds, the Timberwolves never sent a second defender at Doncic. Realizing he was free to play in space if he could create it, Doncic drove hard to his right, slammed on the brakes to shake McDaniels and swished a midrange jumper like he was taking target practice during warmups. The Mavericks held a 106-102 lead they never relinquished.

“I just read the game,” Doncic said. “I like to read the game.”

Dallas’s poise was true to form. During the regular season, the Mavericks were 23-9 in games that were within five points in the final five minutes — good for the NBA’s second-best winning percentage in such contests. Doncic and Irving, who added 30 points in the win, are both experienced and capable closers, and Kidd said he made a point to get them extra rest early in the game in preparation for the final push.

Kyrie Irving found creases in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ league-leading defense to score 30 points in a Game 1 victory. (David Berding/Getty Images)

Together, the Mavericks’ star guards found success against a Timberwolves team that has spent most of these playoffs participating in blowout wins or blowout losses. Entering Wednesday, Minnesota’s eight playoff wins had come by an average of 18.3 points and its three playoff losses had come by an average of 16.7 points. Seven of those 11 games were decided by at least 12 points, and Game 1 against Dallas was the Timberwolves’ first game this postseason decided by fewer than six points.

Dallas did most of its damage inside: Minnesota allowed 62 points in the paint, as Doncic and Irving found some soft spots in a defensive scheme designed to take away three-point attempts. Starting center Daniel Gafford and Lively also put pressure on the rim via lobs and putbacks.

“The way we’re built with the length and size we have, we can’t allow points in the paint,” Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns said. “That’s our biggest advantage. We’ve got to be tougher in there.”

Edwards, ostensibly Minnesota’s go-to scorer and late-game answer to Doncic, showed his youth in Game 1, finishing with 19 points on 6-for-16 shooting. Though he added 11 rebounds and eight assists, Edwards spent most of his night on the perimeter, attempted only two free throws and put little interior pressure on a Dallas defense that crowded the paint. The 22-year-old all-star had just one basket in the game’s final seven minutes, and he committed three unsightly turnovers on a night Minnesota struggled to match the desperation it displayed during its Game 7 comeback victory over Denver on Sunday.

“I came off and was open a bunch of times,” Edwards said. “I took the shots and I’ll make them next time. I’ll live with it. Everything was on us. I didn’t get downhill as much. Stuff like that. We were a little tired probably. We were a step behind everybody, especially myself. ... I was exhausted, man, but we’ll be all right.”

The Timberwolves physically overwhelmed and wore down the Suns and the defending champion Nuggets, but Game 1 proved they will need to mix their physicality and size with thoughtfulness and precision to outexecute the Mavericks. This series is shaping up to be a chess match with Doncic, not a street fight or a track meet.

“Terrible offense down the stretch,” Timberwolves Coach Chris Finch said. “Bad shots. Turnovers. No composure. We’ve got to be better in clutch moments.”

Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves must regroup after dropping Game 1 of the Western Conference finals to the Mavericks. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)