Luka Dončić had 33 points, Kyrie Irving 30 points and the Dallas Mavericks are up 1-0 after a Game 1 thriller.
The Mavericks stole home field advantage with a 108-105 victory on Wednesday to open the Western Conference finals, riding their usual offensive engines in a game that featured 14 lead changes in front of a raucous Target Center crowd.
Dončić was 12 of 25 from the field with eight assists, six rebounds and three steals, while Irving was 12 of 23 with four assists.
The effort took advantage of a relatively off day for Anthony Edwards, who grimaced his way to 19 points on 6-of-16 shooting, though he also added 11 rebounds and assists.
The game lopsided Minnesota for most of the first three quarters, but Dallas roared back in the fourth with a 13-0 run to take an eight-point lead. That quickly disappeared on a 12-1 Timberwolves run, punctuated by a Karl-Anthony Towns three-pointer from deep.
One of the most crucial decisions came after the Mavericks retook the lead. Towns came in on a missed three-pointer and threw down what looked like a tying putback dunk. However, the referees waved the basket and called offensive goaltending. The decision was reviewed and quickly confirmed, but on repeat some fans remained skeptical.
With the Mavericks still leading 104–102 with a minute remaining, Dončić made another basket to take a multi-possession lead. Minnesota didn’t get the ball for the rest of the game with a chance to equalize.
