Dallas Mavericks have made it a good habit of bouncing back in the fourth quarter of the Western Conference finals series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. In the third game of the series, the Mavericks were trailing by two points with five minutes to play and they once again did what they did in the first two matches – bounce back.
Their talismanic duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving lifted their game to take their side to a 116-107 win on Sunday. Doncic and Irving each finished with 33 points, combining for 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the fourth quarter.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Mavericks are the first team to take a 3-0 series lead despite trailing in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter in each game during the play-by-play era, which began in 1997-98.
“Down the stretch, that’s where we make our money, man,” Irving said. “I think we have that poise now, and we’re showcasing just our skill sets out there that a lot of teams have to guard, the depth that we have. A lot of teams have to guard each one of us, and you got to pick your poison.”
Irving scored 14 points in the fourth quarter as he brought his best when it mattered the most. Doncic was full of praise for Irving for delivering in the last 12 minutes of the match.
“Unbelievable. That’s why some people call him Mr. Fourth Quarter, right?” said Doncic, who finished with 33 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals despite soreness in his sprained right knee that caused him to be listed as questionable until after his pregame warmup session. “Just amazing. He’s born for these situations. He’s born for the clutch situations, so we just get the ball to him.”
“I feel like we’re both born for this if you ask me, but it’s just basketball, man,” Irving said. “You got to give the game what it needs at times.”
The Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd also showered praise on the duo of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic for playing a key role in the team’s success.
“I think when you talk about maturity, skillset, they fit,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “Ky’s been around the block. He’s been with great players. He doesn’t mind being second or 1B, and you just don’t find that a lot of times in this league. He will show what he needs to show, and he’s done that with Luka this season. He’s patient, he’s calm, his energy is in a positive place.
” … There’s a debate out there: Is this the best backcourt in NBA history? It’s kind of cool.”
The fourth game of the series will be played on Tuesday night.
