NBA Playoffs: Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving lead Mavericks to victory in Game 1 thriller

Luka Dončić had 33 points, Kyrie Irving had 30 points and the Dallas Mavericks have a 1-0 lead after a Game 1 thriller Wednesday night in the Western Conference Finals opener.

The Mavericks stole home-field advantage with a 108-105 win, using their usual offensive engines in a game that saw 14 lead changes in front of a raucous Target Center crowd.

Game 2 is scheduled for Friday at 8:30 pm ET.

Dončić shot 12 of 25 from the field with eight assists, six rebounds and three steals, while Irving shot 12 of 23 with four assists. In fact, it was a slow game for Dončić until the fourth quarter, where he scored 15 points.

The effort took advantage of a relatively bad day for Anthony Edwards, who grimaced and struggled to 19 points on 6-of-16 shooting, although he also had 11 rebounds and eight assists. The biggest problem was Karl-Anthony Towns shooting 6 of 20 for 16 points, with few other Timberwolves standing out alongside Jaden McDaniels (24 points).

Mavericks survived eventful fourth quarter

The game skewed Minnesota for most of the first three quarters, but Dallas rallied in the fourth with a 13-0 run to take an eight-point lead. That soon evaporated with a 12-1 Timberwolves run, punctuated by a Towns 3-pointer from deep.

One of the most important decisions came after the Mavericks regained the lead. Towns came forward on a missed 3-pointer and threw down what appeared to be a game-tying dunk. The referees waved away the basket, calling the offensive goaltender. The decision was reviewed and quickly confirmed, but the replay left some fans skeptical.

With the Mavericks still up 104–102 and with a minute left, Dončić made another basket to take a two-possession lead. Minnesota didn’t get the ball with a chance to tie for the rest of the game.