Stars win championships, and in Game 3 of their Western Conference finals series between the Mavericks and Timberwolves, Dallas’ two stars stepped up.
With the game tied at 104, Kyrie Irving assisted on a P.J. Washington three with over three minutes to go to give Dallas the lead for good.
Irving and Doncic scored or assisted on the team’s final 16 points as the Mavs defeated Minnesota 116-107 at American Airlines Center to take a commanding 3-0 lead.
Game 4 is Tuesday night in Dallas.
Doncic finished with 33 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and five steals, and Irving also added 33 points, including 14 points in the fourth. This marks the third time this postseason the Mavericks duo has had 30 points in the same game. Doncic and Irving are also the only duo to have multiple games this postseason of 30 points in the same game.
In the last two games, Irving has scored 27 combined points in the fourth quarter, and according to Doncic, Irving was made for clutch situations.
“Unbelievable. Just amazing. He(Irving) scored what felt like 20 points in the fourth quarter,” Doncic said. “He’s born for this situation. He’s born for clutch situations, so we just give the ball to him.”
Irving believes both he and Doncic are made for clutch situations.
“I feel like we’re both born for this if you ask me. It’s just basketball, man,” Irving said. “You gotta give the game what it needs at times. I felt like in that fourth quarter, we had a good run going… We’re showcasing our skill sets out there. A lot of teams have to guard the depth that we have. You have to pick your poison.”
Mavs head coach Jason Kidd says he has complete trust with the ball in the hands of Doncic and Irving.
“The trust that we have with our quarterbacks, Luka [Dončić] and Ky [Kyrie Irving] being able to make the right decisions,” Kidd said. “I thought those guys did a great job with the pace in the fourth, being able to run when we got the miss or rebound… Again, the trust of Luka and Ky with the ball – they made some great plays finding teammates but also being able to knock down shots when we needed it.”
In NBA history, teams are 154-0 when they go up 3-0; therefore, history says this series is over, but according to Irving, who is 14-0 in closeout games, it’s not over until it’s over.
“It means absolutely nothing right now,” Irving said of the team being up 3-0. “That’s not even something that I’m thinking about. Going into Game 4, it’s still 0-0, and that’s the type of motivation and mentality we have in that locker room. It’s not just me. We feel like the job isn’t finished.”
Minnesota is a very good team, and they can win Game 4, especially if Dallas does not have Dereck Lively(neck strain), who left in the first half and did not return. If Minnesota does win Game 4, they’ll have Game 5 in their building, so anything can happen, but it does appear this series is over.
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