Anthony Edwards came on in the second half on Sunday night in an attempt to keep the Minnesota Timberwolves’ season alive.
His run, however, came a little too late.
Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks, after defeating Edwards and the Timberwolves early, held on down the stretch to claim a 116-107 victory in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals at American Airlines Center on Sunday. This took the Mavericks to a 3-0 series lead, which now leaves them just one win away from making their first NBA Finals appearance since 2011.
Dončić and Kyrie Irving also had another strong game together. The duo combined for 66 points in Dallas’ victory and helped spark a game-ending 14-3 run and nine-point victory. Irving hit a huge contested corner 3-pointer during that run, which pretty much pushed Minnesota out of reach.
Dončić has averaged 32.7 points per game so far in the Western Conference Finals, and Irving has scored at least 30 points in two of the three wins.
Mavericks wake up early and lose Dereck Lively
The Mavericks quickly jumped on the Timberwolves after a strong first half, but lost center Dereck Lively in the process.
Lively, who has made a perfect 13 of 13 field goals so far in this series, dominated once again inside to start Game 3. He even threw down a massive dunk over Rudy Gobert in the first quarter.
But early in the second quarter, Lively was inadvertently kneed in the back of the head in the paint by Karl Anthony-Towns. This sent him to the court, where he remained curled up in a ball clearly unwell for some time. Eventually he was helped off the court very slowly.
Lively was considered questionable after returning at halftime with a sprained neck and was ruled out. He finished with six points and three rebounds. It’s unclear how long he will be out, but his status in Game 4 is absolutely in doubt. He was not in the NBA’s concussion protocol Sunday night.
Despite losing Lively, the Mavericks advanced with a 60-52 halftime lead after a mini Minnesota run to end the period. Towns was basically a non-factor for the Timberwolves offensively in the first half. He went 0-of-7 from the field to start the game and finished the half with five points while shooting 0-of-5 from behind the arc. The Timberwolves also shot just 4 of 16 from 3-point range as a team. Dončić and Irving, however, combined for 29 points for Dallas.
Edwards keeps TWolves alive
Finally, thanks to Edwards, the Timberwolves made it a game in the third quarter.
They went on a quick 13-3 run in the period and tied the game just past the halfway mark. Edwards had 10 of his 26 points in the third quarter alone and dropped what could easily be one of the best dunks of the entire season over Daniel Gafford in the process. The photo right before the dunk was truly incredible.
While this kept them involved, Edwards’ outburst wasn’t enough.
After wavering during the final period, the Mavericks finally rallied for good. They finished the game on a 14-3 outburst, fueled by 3-pointers from P.J. Washington and Irving, to ultimately seal the nine-point victory. Minnesota also only had one field goal in the final five minutes of the game, which came in the form of an Edwards layup in the final seconds.
Edwards finished just shy of a triple-double for Minnesota. He had 26 points, nine assists and nine rebounds while shooting 11 of 24 from the field. Mike Conley added 16 points and Towns finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Dončić led the way with 33 points, seven rebounds and five assists. to Dallas. Irving had 33 points and four assists while shooting 12 of 20 from the field. The duo scored 20 points in the fourth quarter alone as well. Washington finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. The Mavericks also shot 16 of 28 from 3-point range as a team.
Game 4 of the series is scheduled for Tuesday night in Dallas. A win there would not only complete the series, but also send the Mavericks to the Finals for the first time since winning a title in the Dirk Nowitzki era. And, perhaps more importantly, it would guarantee a few extra days of rest before the series began. With Lively’s injury and Dončić’s lingering knee injury, they could definitely take advantage.
