The Dallas Mavericks are now just one win away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 2011. Behind the combined efforts of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, the Mavericks dispatched the Timberwolves 116-107 in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.
Irving dropped 33 points on 12-of-20 shooting to go along with three rebounds and four assists. Irving also had a step-back jumpshot with a minute remaining that effectively put the game on ice. Meanwhile, Doncic added another 33 of his own, including five 3s. Doncic also added seven rebounds, five assists and five steals to his line.
With the win, the Mavericks are just a handful of hours from potentially securing a spot in the NBA Finals. Game 4 is set for Tuesday in Dallas, and the Mavericks, having won five straight games have all the momentum in the world.
For the Timberwolves, they simply were unable to match Dallas late. Anthony Edwards provided a highlight-reel worthy dunk for the ages, but his 26 points weren't enough. Karl-Anthony Towns was particularly inefficient, going 5-of-18 from the floor and missing all eight of his 3-point attempts, including a late attempt to swing the game back in Minnesota's favor. In all, the Wolves were just 9-of-30 from 3-point land compared to the Mavs' line of 14-for-28.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Game 3:
An all-time backcourt
If you want to distill this series down to its absolute essence, here it is: Dallas has two players it can consistently rely on to create shots and Minnesota has none. Basically everything else is even. Both defenses are great. Both teams have gotten great performances out of their role players. Both coaching staffs have made a number of helpful adjustments. But Dallas has Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Minnesota does not. This entire series has swung on their individual greatness.
Minnesota easily could have run away with Game 1. The Timberwolves led by as many as nine in the first half. But Irving's 24-point half kept the game close enough for Doncic to take over the fourth quarter. That quarter was defined by the drop-coverage Minnesota ran at him, which he picked apart in the mid-range. Minnesota adjusted in Game 2 by trying to blitz him, so he shrugged and diced the Timberwolves as a passer. When that failed, the Timberwolves decided to switch. That ended with Doncic drilling a step-back game-winner over Rudy Gobert. Game 3 began with Minnesota trying to get by with Mike Conley defending Irving. He destroyed him, kept him in foul trouble all night, and then, in the final five minutes of a close game, they scored eight of the final 12 points for the Mavericks on back-breaking shots.
The Timberwolves had the No. 1 defense in the NBA this season. We just watched that same defense knock out the defending champion Nuggets. It has had no answer for Doncic and Irving whatsoever. They have seen every scheme, every defender, every possible adjustment the Timberwolves could have thrown at them and none of it has mattered. In Game 3, Irving and Doncic became the first back-court in playoff history to reach three separate games in which both scored at least 30 points. When one doesn't have it going, the other picks him up. When both have it going? There's nothing the other team can do. These two have reached the pantheon of all-time NBA backcourts, and if they win five more games to secure the title, they might wind up atop that list.
Minnesota's stars are failing
On paper, this looked like it should have been a relatively good matchup for Karl-Anthony Towns. His primary defender has been P.J. Washington, who is 20 pounds lighter than him and five inches shorter. If nothing else, there should have been easy points available to Towns near the rim. Through three games, he's shooting 15-of-54 from the field. He's not making it up from 3-point range, where he's 3-of-22. He's not a defensive difference-make, eitherr. He's been outplayed on most fronts by his backup, Naz Reid.
Anthony Edwards has been better than Towns, but that doesn't mean he's been good. He's shooting a disappointing 22-of-57 from the floor in this series, and aside from a 10-point burst in the third quarter, was quiet in Game 3. Before the game, he vowed to be "super aggressive" in the must-win game. He took 24 shots, but that doesn't mean he was nearly aggressive enough. If anything, he was too conservative.
Time and time again, he found himself matched up with a defender like Washington or Doncic that he should have an advantage against one-on-one. Rather than attack it, he called for screens, allowing Dallas to blitz him. The thought process there was to give his teammates 4-on-3s. That's not necessarily bad basketball, but it's not the level of aggression he promised, or that Minnesota needed. Considering how well the Mavericks are defending right now, those 4-on-3s just aren't valuable enough for him to pass up good, individual opportunities.
Edwards is 22. This is his fourth year and first real playoff run. He shouldn't have the level of mastery over game-management that Doncic and Irving have, but the fact that he doesn't is killing the Timberwolves right now. They might be able to overcome that if Towns, the star in his prime, was holding up his end of the bargain, but he's playing the worst basketball of his career. The Timberwolves are winning the role player battle in this series. They haven't been able to take advantage because one of their stars isn't ready for this moment and their other one may never be.
Dereck Lively's injury matters more than you think
Look, the Mavericks are up 3-0. They're probably going to win this series, and win it soon. If they do, they could be looking at as many as nine days off to get healthy. In all likelihood, they're going to reach the Finals in relatively healthy condition. But Game 3 very nearly flipped because Dereck Lively II left it.
Minnesota's blitzing scheme against Doncic failed in Game 2 because Lively was so good in the 4-on-3 short-roll situations it created. Daniel Gafford simply isn't. He's not a good enough passer or dribbler to consistently create good shots when Doncic is doubled. Lively is. By the end of Game 2, the Mavericks had figured out Minnesota's blitzes to a degree that they basically all ended in Lively dunks or open shots elsewhere that Lively passed into.
That Edwards hot streak in the third quarter? Not a coincidence. The moment Lively left the game, the rim opened up for Minnesota. The Timberwolves outscored the Mavericks by 10 in the paint in Game 3 because Lively wasn't there. Edwards consistently managed to penetrate the paint with Lively out, and even when he wasn't the scorer, he collapsed the defense often enough for teammates to take advantage.
Neck injuries are tricky. Dallas would rather deal with a strain than a concussion, but this is the sort of thing that could linger. The Mavericks may not need Lively for Minnesota, but they absolutely will for a potential Celtics series. His health is the single most important thing for Dallas between now and the start of the Finals.
