Playoffs: Mavericks crush Timberwolves, set up title clash with Celtics

The Dallas Mavericks, powered by 36 points each from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, dominated the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 124-103 victory on Thursday, securing the Western Conference title and a spot in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.

After missing the chance to sweep the series at home on Tuesday, the Mavericks made no mistakes in Minneapolis, winning the best-of-seven conference finals 4-1. This victory marks their return to the NBA Finals for the first time since their 2011 championship win.

Game one of the finals will be hosted by the Celtics on June 6.

Slovenian star Doncic and Irving dismantled the league’s top-rated defense, with Doncic setting the pace early. “My mindset was to set the tone,” said Doncic, who scored 20 points in the first quarter alone, outscoring the entire Timberwolves team in that period.

Doncic hit four of his six three-pointers in the first quarter, including a long-range shot from the center court logo, and the Mavericks finished the quarter with a 17-1 scoring run, putting the Timberwolves on the defensive for the remainder of the game.

Irving added 15 points in the second quarter, and together, he and Doncic combined for 44 first-half points, surpassing Minnesota’s 40-point total by halftime. The Mavericks led 69-40 at the break.

Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns each scored 28 points for Minnesota, with Towns also grabbing 12 rebounds. The third-seeded Timberwolves had previously swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round and upset the defending champion Denver Nuggets in a seven-game second-round series.

Despite being undefeated in elimination games this postseason, the Timberwolves could not recover from the early onslaught by Doncic and the Mavericks’ defense, resulting in the first double-digit win of the series.

“Luka came out tonight and put his stamp on the game,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Hit a couple of bomb threes, kind of got them loosened up offensively.”

Dereck Lively returned to action for the Mavericks after missing game four due to a neck sprain from an accidental knee to the head by Towns in game three. Lively took another hard hit to the head from Naz Reid, who was called for a flagrant foul just before halftime, but Lively stayed in the game and contributed nine points.

The Mavericks are now in the NBA Finals for the third time, seeking their second title since 2011.

The Celtics, who swept the Indiana Pacers in four games in the Eastern Conference finals, are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most NBA championships at 17. They are making their second appearance in the title series in three years.