On May 25, Beijing time, in the second leg of the Western Conference Finals of the NBA playoffs, the Mavericks narrowly defeated the Timberwolves 109-108 away, leading 2-0 in the overall score. The Mavericks came back from 18 points behind.
Mavericks Doncic 32 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, Irving 20 points and 6 assists, Gafford 16 points, 5 rebounds and 5 blocks, Lively 14 points and 9 rebounds, Washington 10 points and 5 rebounds, Lively 14 points and 9 rebounds; For the Timberwolves, Edwards had 21 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, Reed 23 points, Conley 18 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, Gobert 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Towns 15 points and 7 rebounds.
In the first quarter of the game, Gafford scored 4 points in a row on the basket, and Doncic hit a long-range shot; Gobert's basket offense showed its power and was tied at seven. Reed hit a three-pointer from the bottom corner, and Conley's breakthrough showed its power; Jones dunked with both hands, Doncici scored 6 points in a row on a burst outside shot, and Irving made a throw, and the two sides were deadlocked on the court to 17 ties. Edwards made a layup, Gobert continued to send a dunk under the basket, and Reed made a three-pointer; Lively dunked on the basket, Hardy fired from the outside, Gafford caught a dunk in the air, and Irving hit the board to shoot back, and the Timberwolves took a narrow lead of 28-26. Edwards added a three-pointer to give the Timberwolves a 32-26 lead to end the quarter.
In the second quarter, Reed hit an open three-pointer, Edwards made an easy layup, Conley's long-range shot was scored, and Towns made a throw, giving the Timberwolves an 11-point advantage at 42-31. Conley and Reed scored three more points in a row, Lee Kyle hit the basket in a row, Edwards scored another three-pointer, Gobert ate a basket, and the Timberwolves widened the margin at 58-40. Lively dunked in succession, Doncic countered for a layup, and Green scored on a throw-in to help the Mavericks close the gap. At halftime, the Timberwolves led 60-48.
In the third quarter, Towns hit a three-pointer at the top of the arc, and Edwards hit a mid-range shot to give the Timberwolves a 70-56 lead. Lively dunked under the basket, Donci scored 5 points in a row, Hardy threw and scored, Green and Hardy scored three points in a row, Gafford received a dunk in the air, Irving threw and hit the board successfully, and the Mavericks chased and shared 77-79. Gobert easily caught the ball for a layup, Reed hit a long-range shot from the outside, and the Timberwolves stabilized the situation and ended the quarter with an 86-79 lead.
In the final quarter of the game, Irving hit a step-back three-pointer, Washington hooked a hand to score, Irving scored another three-pointer, and the Mavericks played an 8-0 small climax to overtake the score 87-86. Reed made two three-pointers from the outside, and then he hit a dunk; Owen hit a long-range shot, and Gafford scored six points in a row with strong baskets, and the two teams were tied at 96. Gobert dunked, Edwards broke through to the basket, Conley threw under the basket; Lively hit the basket in quick succession and was unstoppable, and the Mavericks led 103-102. Conley broke through and hit a shot to help the Timberwolves regain the advantage; Irving hit a three-pointer from the outside to give the Timberwolves a narrow 108-106 lead.
In the final quarter of the game, Irving hit a step-back three-pointer, Washington hooked a hand to score, Irving scored another three-pointer, and the Mavericks played an 8-0 small climax to overtake the score 87-86. Reed made two three-pointers from the outside, and then he hit a dunk; Owen hit a long-range shot, and Gafford scored six points in a row with strong baskets, and the two teams were tied at 96. Gobert dunked, Edwards broke through to the basket, Conley threw under the basket; Lively hit the basket in quick succession and was unstoppable, and the Mavericks led 103-102. Conley broke through and hit a shot to help the Timberwolves regain the advantage; Irving hit a three-pointer from the outside to give the Timberwolves a narrow 108-106 lead. With three seconds left in regulation time, Doncic hit a three-pointer to put the Mavericks up 109-108. Reed missed a three-pointer and the Mavericks won 109-108.
Starting lineup
Timberwolves: Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Towns, Gobert
Mavericks: Doncic, Irving, Jones, Washington, Gafford